Let the games begin
Android P — officially known as Android 9 Pie — was always
going to be the easy one.
going to be the easy one.
From Popsicle to Peppermint
to Pastry to Popcorn to Pop-Tarts to Praline to Peanut Brittle to Pop Rocks to
Pancake to Panna Cotta to Pez to Peeps to Pudding to Parfait to Pocky to Pound
Cake to Punschkrapfen to Profiterole to Patbingsu, there was a plethora of
possibilities for P’s pseudonym. (And that’s not even counting fruits like
Pear, Passionfruit, Pumpkin, Plum, Peach, or Pamplemousse.)
to Pastry to Popcorn to Pop-Tarts to Praline to Peanut Brittle to Pop Rocks to
Pancake to Panna Cotta to Pez to Peeps to Pudding to Parfait to Pocky to Pound
Cake to Punschkrapfen to Profiterole to Patbingsu, there was a plethora of
possibilities for P’s pseudonym. (And that’s not even counting fruits like
Pear, Passionfruit, Pumpkin, Plum, Peach, or Pamplemousse.)
P WAS EASY; Q IS WHERE THE REAL CHALLENGE BEGINS
But now that Pie’s name is
set and done, the eyes of the Android naming community must turn to the real
challenge: this year’s Android 10 Q release. We’ve always known that, one day,
we’d have to cross this road, given Google’s abecedarian naming conventions for
Android, and with Google I/O 2019 right around the corner, it’s time to revisit
this nomenclature nightmare to see what the possibilities are.
set and done, the eyes of the Android naming community must turn to the real
challenge: this year’s Android 10 Q release. We’ve always known that, one day,
we’d have to cross this road, given Google’s abecedarian naming conventions for
Android, and with Google I/O 2019 right around the corner, it’s time to revisit
this nomenclature nightmare to see what the possibilities are.
There have been tough
challenges before: Google had to turn to the internet for suggestionsfor the naming of
Android N, and O would have probably been a calamity had Google not been able
to partner with Nabisco to get the Oreo name.
challenges before: Google had to turn to the internet for suggestionsfor the naming of
Android N, and O would have probably been a calamity had Google not been able
to partner with Nabisco to get the Oreo name.
But even N and O look like
simple solutions compared to what awaits Q. Per Google’s somewhat outdated history of Android website, each version of Android
is “named after something sweet,” and, simply put, there aren’t a lot of
marketable desserts or snacks that start with the letter Q. Actually, there
aren’t a lot of foods that start with a Q, period, let alone a tasty treat that
would fit in alongside Cupcake, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice
Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop, Marshmallow, Nougat, Oreo, and
Pie.
simple solutions compared to what awaits Q. Per Google’s somewhat outdated history of Android website, each version of Android
is “named after something sweet,” and, simply put, there aren’t a lot of
marketable desserts or snacks that start with the letter Q. Actually, there
aren’t a lot of foods that start with a Q, period, let alone a tasty treat that
would fit in alongside Cupcake, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice
Cream Sandwich, Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop, Marshmallow, Nougat, Oreo, and
Pie.
Consulting the internet
doesn’t give a lot of options, either. There are a few desserts that do start
with Q, but most of them originate outside of America. And while they’re surely
delicious, they likely lack the level of familiarity that Google is looking for
on a marketing level in the US.
doesn’t give a lot of options, either. There are a few desserts that do start
with Q, but most of them originate outside of America. And while they’re surely
delicious, they likely lack the level of familiarity that Google is looking for
on a marketing level in the US.
What if Google
bends the rules and expands to other foods that start with Q? After all, you
could probably make Quail or Quiche sweet if you were creative enough in the
kitchen?
bends the rules and expands to other foods that start with Q? After all, you
could probably make Quail or Quiche sweet if you were creative enough in the
kitchen?
It’s also
possible Google will use the landmark number 10 to begin a new naming scheme,
similar to what Apple did for macOS versions when it already used every single
big cat in the animal kingdom. In that case, the sky could be the limit for
Android Q. Google could use saints! Countries! D&D monsters! Planets! Perhaps a Star Trek tie-in to
go with PatrickStewart’s new show? Or what about just using regular numbers?
Anything could happen!
possible Google will use the landmark number 10 to begin a new naming scheme,
similar to what Apple did for macOS versions when it already used every single
big cat in the animal kingdom. In that case, the sky could be the limit for
Android Q. Google could use saints! Countries! D&D monsters! Planets! Perhaps a Star Trek tie-in to
go with PatrickStewart’s new show? Or what about just using regular numbers?
Anything could happen!