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Google’s next Android version to be named after Nestle’s KitKat

by Mark Tyson on 4 September 2013, 09:45

Tags: Google (NASDAQ:GOOG)

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The next version of the market’s most popular mobile operating system will be called Android Kitkat. The announcement that Google’s OS, popular on smartphones and tablets, would be named after a Nestle chocolate bar has took many by surprise. Android 4.4, the successor to Jelly Bean, was expected to be called ‘Key Lime Pie’.

Android’s history is illustrated via cakes, sweets and confectionary on a new page on Android.com. Starting from Android version 1.5 Cupcake, to 1.6 Donut, version 2.0 Eclair, version 2.2 Froyo, 2.3 Gingerbread, 3.0 Honeycomb, 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and 4.1 Jelly Bean. Each of these releases is pictured and given a short description, highlighting what it brought to Android users. The new ‘K’ version of the OS called named Kitkat is described with the following snippet “It's our goal with Android KitKat to make an amazing Android experience available for everybody.”

A surprising aspect of this new Google-Nestle deal is that it’s not a paid sponsorship in either direction. “This is not a money-changing-hands kind of deal,” John Lagerling, director of Android global partnerships, told the BBC. Engadget reports that the Android Kitkat idea was put to Nestle back in November and the deal was fully agreed behind the scenes at the MWC this year. Lagerling had thought that “very few people actually know the taste of a key lime pie,” but the humble Kitkat is a staple late-night snack of Google coders and people all around the world.

So it’s a cashless deal and both parties should benefit from the association of these two popular brands? Not necessarily, a branding expert told the BBC - there could be pitfalls if there are problems on either side, having a knock on effect on the other brand. It is pointed out that Nestle has faced criticism in the past for the way it markets baby milk in developing countries and various products have had recalls. Most recently Nestle-produced dog food in the US was recalled due to salmonella contamination. On the other side of the marketing equation Google’s Android doesn’t always get a good press due to the amount of malware attacks on the platform.

The Android Kitkat release will coincide with a competition in both the US and the UK giving away Nexus 7 tablets and Google Play credit. Kitkat chocolate buyers can see if they are winners by opening the specially marked packages of their favourite choccy bar, as seen above.

I’m left wondering about what confectionary the ‘L’ version of Android will be associated with.



HEXUS Forums :: 26 Comments

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I’m left wondering about what confectionary the ‘L’ version of Android will be associated with.
Lollipop? Failing that Liquorice/Licorice (if the latter then I guess it'll be the second spelling).
Ugh, google jump into bed with nestle, millions of ethically-aware middle class consumers start looking for alternatives.

Seriously google, you run a search engine, try using it to search for “nestle boycott”, “nestle scandal” or “nestle controversy” and you might get an idea of what you're allying yourself too…
Oh gosh jim. Nestle are such a big firm, on the whole they aren't that evil.

Better to boycott them because of their horrible advertising website:
http://kitkat.com/
I mean Parallax scrolling is much worse offense than baby milk dealings. It's like 2013s Flash Intro with no bloody skip button.
“very few people know the taste of key lime pie”

I can't imagine what the main flavour of ‘key LIME pie’ might be. Can anyone help me out I'm just a general dumb@ss consumer?
Actually, Nestle boycotts and scandals go well beyond the baby milk thing, although that was the biggest one. And the worst bit was they never acknowledged they were in the wrong for that, despite a Swiss judge telling them to watch their behaviour. They're doing basically the same thing with water now.

Fact is there are still many millions of people who won't buy Nestle, on both sides of the pond, and I'm not convinced Google have thought this one through fully. Then again, they might just have decided that they're big enough to care about their reputation too much any more. And while yes, there are worse companies than Nestle, Nestle are still pretty much the poster child for boycott campaigns: that kind of thing sticks with people.

OTOH, the website is definitely another reason to stay well clear ;) Horrid thing.