By 
In 2009, Android enthusiasts got their first tastes of Cupcake and Donut. At that time, I predicted all of the Android OS names from E through Z, suggesting that K would stand for Kiwi rather than the rumored Key Lime Pie and eventual/actual KitKat. With Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, Jellybean, and Kit Kat now in the books – just for fun – I’m revising my predictions.
Official names in Green, predictions in Red, future predictions in Black.
- Cupcake
- Donut
- Eclair (Eclair)
- Froyo (Frosting)
- Gingerbread (Gelato)
- Honeycomb (Honey)
- Ice Cream Sandwich (Icing)
- Jellybean (Jelly)
- Kit Kat (Kiwi)
- Lollipop (or Lemon Meringue Pie) (Lemon)
- Marshmallow (Marshmellow)
- Nougat [Noodle (Nerds would be hilarious)]
- Oreo (or Oatmeal Cookie) Orange (Oreo would be better!)
- Peppermint (or Popsicle, but I’d prefer PayDay) (Pudding)
- Queen Cake [Quince (White men can’t jump / Jeopardy!)]
- Rocky Road (or Reese’s Pieces) [RockyRoad (uhoh, bad foreshadowing!)]
- Strawberry Shortcake (or Sorbet, or Somosa for a nod to India) (Sundae)
- Twinkee (or Twizzler) Taffee (Twinkee!)
- UDC UDC (upside-down-cake)
- Vanilla (Vanilla)
- Waffle Cone (or Wedding Cake as Android and Chrome Merge, but would love to see a Willy Wonka Bar) (Waffle)
- Xmas Cookies (or maybe XiBing which is Chinese depending on the status of Microsoft’s Bing) Xmas Cookies?
- Yogurt (Yogurt)
- Zebra Cake (Zebra Cake)
I’ve got a pretty good track record! Successfully guessing Eclair and getting the first parts of H, I, and J with Honey, Icing, and Jelly isn’t bad at all. Now that we know Google’s naming tradition a bit more intimately, I want to make sure I cast my ballot ahead of time so I can again say, “told ya so!”
I was most torn between L and P. Given that Google passed on “Key Lime Pie” I figured they were saving a “Pie” for elsewhere in their list. That would suggest Lemon Mirangue Pie, but a lollipop seems too perfect for an Android statue. And aren’t a lollipop statue and popsicle statue too similar in stature and alphabet to use them both? Obviously, I’m over-thinking this, but I bet the Google team goes even more in depth!
For quite obvious reasons, X, Y, and Z seem the most difficult. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a few non-English desserts tossed into the mix.
Post your own guesses in the comments!
Vanilla will be a milestone since we keep referring to Vanilla Android as an overall, better, stock experience
Will Android even be around in 10 years?
I sure hope so!
yes, but honestly i don’t think updates will matter by then, once the OS is stable and fast, and can handle all inputs/outputs, and is fully customizable, all other updates will be handled in app. As google as stated multiple times their design philosophy on products is that the os/app/website should get out of the way and should forget that this isn’t just a natural extension of what u are doing, for examples see the new google maps, chrome os, googles classic search bar (which has improved drastically over years, but all on the backend/server side)
Y = yellow cake
Z= Zabaglione
Some people are saying Key Lime Pie wasn’t used because it is not a well known and popular sweet item. If that is true it surely won’t be Zabaglione but the vast majority of people have never even heard of. I had to look it up just now to find out what it was.
LABIA!
That statue would be epic!!!
I’d get my picture taken with it…
I’d climb inside…
… and never come out!
made me think of this episdoe….
http://images.artnet.com/images_US/magazine/books/finch/finch4-5-10-1.jpg
Lewinski
http://www.gothamresistance.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Clinton.jpg
L will be Lollipop or Licorice. No brand name twice in a row
jellybean and kit kat?
Meaning “Kit Kat” is the first brand name used. They won’t do it twice in a row or start using only brand names.
Jellybean is not a brand name. You’re i
You’re thinking jellybelly.
Side note, it’d be nice to be able to edit posts on the phandroid app.
That’s where they get you.
As long as it’s not going for one of the hideous names my countrymen are “campaigning” for (hint: for self-publicity) like Ladoo or Lassi, I’m happy
Those are really terrible names Raveesh. Android Lassi!!
*Opens window and commits suicide”
Android Peda?
If you love peda then you are a pedaphile
I was just waiting for this post haha
Lassi come home!
From a marketing point of view..Rocky Road, Vanilla and Upside Down Cake all have negative connotations, so I would not be surprised if they stay away from those for sure. Waffle cone could be construed toward Waffling, another negative connotation, I think your back up guess of Wedding Cake is a bit more realistic. It will be fun to watch….but what happens when the get past 26 versions of the software? Restart with A?
At this pace, it would take decades for them to complete the alphabet, and who knows where Android will be by then or if it will exist.
Supposing it’s around, I bet they would just restart at A. Plenty of desserts to go around.
I’m sure the Nokia trolls will come up with something for any name Google comes up with
I actually think Vanilla would have a positive connotation. When “vanilla” is used to describe the Android OS it is to describe a version of Android that is stock and free from any manufacturer custom UI.
True, but the mass consumer does not care about vanilla or stock android so as a mass PR campaign, can you imagine the new Galaxy G20 now with the Android Vanilla? It does not come across too well.
L = Android Lemondrop
“Samosa” is not a dessert!! Dummy!
yeah it is…if filled with chocolate
http://www.sarasyummybites.com/2013/05/chocolate-samosa-dessert-samosa.html
Never imagined it could be done. It should then be chocolate samosa, not in contention for the letter S ;)
I have to say, I’ve never seen a chocolate samosa, and I’ve eaten a few of them in my day (The non-chocolate variety)
Unfortunately these continue down the path of Kit Kat I’m going to start associating the names with junk food instead of desert.
So you can’t have candy for desert?
personally, i don’t eat candy at all. i’m just saying if they stick to these names like Kit Kat and not homemade deserts like Key Lime Pie.
You can make candy at home. I’ve had it and it’s SO good. I don’t know what it is. It’s classified as candy, though. I love it when my mom finds a random person who knows how to make it and brings some home.
But I understand what you’re saying.
The current version of Android is Jelly Bean which is a candy like KitKat and not a homemade dessert like Key Lime Pie.
but not all candy makers will be ok with this to avoid angry iSheep and Windicks 8 users
Vanilla will be for when Google drops the hammer down on OEMs to stop skinning the OS
“V” is a long way off but hope its sooner then that…
I don’t think they would be able to prevent OEMs from skinning the OS. Android is Open Source and if Google started telling OEMs what they can and can’t do to the OS, it is then technically no longer open source.
I love Android but I can’t see the OS still been the #1 a passed “O” God I do hope I’m wrong. Apple saw to that yesterday with the C version of the iphone. I think “L” will be “Lime Pie”
Apple 5C with 32GB is $199. HTC One with 32GB is $199. Which would you pay $199 for?
To tell you the truth, the C line isn’t really that cheap.
Sorry for the confusion but I was talkinf in €uro terms. Not $
or they stick with hershey brand names from now on, twizzlers, zagnut, payday, milk chocolate bar or mounds or milk duds, york peppermint pattie, whoppers or whatchamacallit, or… since nestle sells kitkat internationally, any of the plethora of nestle products…return of the wonderball, rolo, smarties or snowcaps, wonka stuff including laffy taffy(good if flexible screens are available) or lik-a-mad, nerds or nerds rope, pixy sticks, runts, sweetarts, wonka bar
it will be hard to find ones that translate all over the world since a lot of candy is fairly regional
L won’t be Lemon-anything because of the all too easy negative connotations.
“You got a lemon.”
…
Then again it’d make for a great Will Sasso lemon boot animation. :) Still, I’m rooting for Licorice, as I swype this while sucking on a licorice altoid
Also rooting for Liquorice
That, and they don’t do fruit. It’s treats an desserts, folks.
Lemon and orange don’t even come close.
Lollipop or Licorice and barring a deal with the Oreo folks, we’ll probably be looking at Orange Creme or something.
I hope by the time they reach “Z” past “V”anilla, all the kinks have been worked out and Android has reached optimal utopia in OS software terms. All Manufacturer’s will be able to install/uninstall their Skins (Touchwiz, Sense) on commands, all devices running latest and LAST Version of the OS and full user optimization options available right on command.
Hope to see that in future!
They wont make it that far. There will be another platform by then with another OS running our device(s) but they wont be a smartphones. We will not know the version nor care, things will just always work.
I’m guessing that if the use of the brand name Kit Kat pays off for both parties, more such deals will be made in the future, and Google will continue to use brand name desserts/sweets from now on.
I love the Marshmallow one. How the old prediction used to be a typo. LoL!! =.P
To keep the promotional tie ins, I think Google might be looking at the following:
Life Savers
M&M (Mary Jane would be funnier)
Nestle Crunch (Nerds would be hilarious)
Oreo
PEZ
Quench Gum
Razzles
Snickers
Twix
U-No-Bar
Valomilk
Whoppers
Xtra Gum
York Peppermint Pattie
Zagnut
You had me at Pez…
Nice predictions. I wonder though, if Google will change directions again, the way they went from generic desserts, to a specific candy bar. What if after Kit-Kat they will go to Astronomical names? Titan? Saturn? Venus? Orion?
Nice predictions. I wonder though, if Google will change directions again, the way they went from generic desserts, to a specific candy bar. What if after Kit-Kat they will go to Astronomical names? Titan? Saturn? Venus? Orion?
Til they get to U for Uranus.
Luckily there are more planets that start with U such as Ukalegon
I predict the Kitkat marketing will set a precedent for all future names, as a way for joint venture marketing. The names will essentially go to the highest bidder.
I actually think that Google will do regular names again until Oreo. I think Oreo will be a big one.
Yea i dont think theyre gonna make a habit out of actual products. I think it was really a one time thing. Maybe with Oreo like the gent below me suggested. But to continue on with every iteration being named after real food will freak out the nerds that were already freaked out by Kit Kat.
Looking at Nestle’s products and assuming they want to keep the cross-promotion going, the next obvious choice is: Lean Cuisine!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nestl%C3%A9#Products
Hey, if that means we get rid of all of the bloat[ware], that’s fine by me!
I’m sold!
You turned my BLEGH into a Hrmmmmm…..
I say licorice
Icing ≠ ice cream sandwich.
N = Nerds !!!!!!!!!!!
those are so tasty
somehow i don’t think calling the L version of android lemon would be a good thing… because i really don’t want a lemon for an os
I thought the former prediction for Froyo was ‘Flan’ o_O
Typical hispanic j/k… I’m right there with ya LOL.
I don’t know what you mean by that, but ok lol
Nutella for ‘N’
Can we go back to ‘A’ so we can have Android Abba Zaba?
Honeycomb
Zero Bar!
What the hell is a queen cake? I have a mental image of Freddie Mercury twerking in leather chaps…
Android will never be called Lemon. Too many puns
If they keep the tie in with Nestlé they can use Lionbar for L, it works in that a) It’s made by Nestlé, b) It’s one of Nestlés iconic hunger brands, c) Nestlé could launch the chocolate bar in the US at the same time and d) It’s taking another bite out of Apple!
No way that the next version of Android isn’t called: Laffy Taffy
I guess M would be more likely to be melon-something