Android 5.1 usage increases but other updates fall behind: Android founder says mobile is not the future

Google updates the numbers of its developer dashboard as a new platform debuts. However, according to the figures, Android 5.1 is the only software to see gains in comparison to the rest, which fall behind. As the new Android 6.0 Marshmallow rolls out, promising better user experience, Android's founder also believes that mobile is no longer the next best thing.

An interesting trend from Google's latest dashboard figures shows 5.0 variants dipping. Almost everything went down except for Android 5.1 that saw almost a 3 percent increase. The software update posted 2.8 percent gain that is the only uptick for the month. It generated enough users to push past the Android 5.0 variant.

Much of the increase can be attributed to the number of devices shipping with 5.1 out of the box. Other variants are also in the process of being updated in order to jump to Marshmallow. Thus, the increase should not be surprising at all.

Numbers are expected to drop in November when Google pushes the early version of its Marshmallow update. The rollout will hit Nexus devices running on 5.1 mainly before trickling to other devices. The 5.0 segment is also expected to be stable by then.

However, even with the promise of better adoption rate because of Android 6.0's rave reveiws, the software's founder does not see the future of mobile improving. Andy Rubin, the "Father of Android," will be leaving Google and passing off the division.

"What am I going to do for the next 10 years of my life? Am I going to fight for 1% market share, or am I going to make 10 more Androids?" Rubin shared. The founder is looking forward to investing in other ventures past the market and Android industry he developed.

"Mobile isn’t going away," Business Insider quoted Rubin during a conference in Half Moon Bay, California. "There is a point in time — I have no idea when it is — it won't be in the next 10 years, or 20 years — where there is some form of AI, for lack of a better term, that will be the next computing platform.”

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