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Google and Nestle Announce Android KitKat

In a move that has taken most of the tech industry by surprise, Google has decided to team up with Swiss chocolatiers Nestle for the latest instalment of its Android operating system. Prior speculation had pegged the next Android update as Android Key Lime Pie, but it has now been confirmed that it will instead be called Android KitKat, after the famous Nestle chocolate bar.

android-kitkat

Neither company has yet released any information about the next Android update, although it appears that there will be extensive cross branding between the two companies. Nestle plans to sell over 50 million special edition KitKat bars in over 19 countries, which will not only feature the famous Android mascot on their wrappers but will also have various Google prizes available to be won in a Willy Wonka style hidden ticket promotion. Top prizes will include the flagship Nexus 7, with smaller prizes being offered through Google Play.

Nestle has published a spoof marketing page on its KitKat website likening the famous chocolate bar to a mobile device, boasting of its tricore CPU inspired wafer design, more comfortable “keys” (fingers) and “edge to edge display”. Google however, has yet to release any meaningful information about what the next Android update will have in store.

There is one little titbit of information that can be gleaned however, and that is that Android KitKat will be Android version 4.4 and not version 5 as was earlier anticipated. This means that Android KitKat is unlikely to feature any major new features or large scale design overhauls, and is more likely to offer minor performance tweaks and software updates.

This is the first time that Google has named one of its upgrades after an actual confectionary brand, rather than a generic dessert, but it is not the first time that a phone company has teamed up with a chocolatier to launch a chocolaty phone. Back in 2011, Japanese phone company NTT DoCoMo paired up with Q-pot to launch the chocolate inspired Q-pot Phone SH04D for Valentine’s day, which featured a melting chocolate segment motif. There is no indication that any upcoming Nexus phone will head down the same design route however.

The partnership between Google and Nestle does not appear to be much more than cross branding and marketing, with there being little likelihood of any specific Nestle features appearing on the next Android update. No money exchanged hands in the deal, according to sources from both companies, but there could be some potential marketing backlash resulting from the partnership. Both companies have had controversial policies which could adversely affect the other – Nestle with its promotion of powdered milk to breastfeeding mothers in developing countries, and Google with its tax avoidance and apparent disregard for user privacy.

Specific details or an exact release date for Android KitKat have yet to be announced, although a full product launch is expected at some point in October when it is likely that a number of new Nexus devices will also be unveiled.

Written By

Archie Baldwin is an expert author who writes on a number of topics including technology, social media, money advice, and retail regulations. Archie writes for UK money saving community Suppose.com.

14 Comments

14 Comments

  1. alan

    September 6, 2013 at 8:35 pm

    I was waiting for Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie update from Google this time but they have again played a trick by coming up with an another version android KitKat 4.4. Hope I will soon get android 5.0 Key Lime Pie version for my HTC One.

  2. Peter

    September 7, 2013 at 3:29 pm

    Android KitKat, hmm, sounds delicious. Any idea, would work on my old Samsung Galaxy S2? As a partnership between Google and Nestle can bring nothing but awesomeness.

  3. lakshman teja

    September 8, 2013 at 4:31 pm

    I thought that next android version will be Keylime pie but shocked to see android KitKat and eagerly waiting to see what it gonna have.

  4. Jones

    September 11, 2013 at 9:16 am

    LOL this is pretty interesting , now we can also eat android 😀 . Android kitkat for a break during work .

    Have a break , have a Android kit kat 😀 lol

    • Daas

      September 11, 2013 at 6:34 pm

      Agreed. Android Kit Kat does sound delicious though. I think this is pretty funny 😛

  5. Robert Davis

    September 11, 2013 at 3:04 pm

    “Nestlé, maker of Kit Kat, uses palm oil from companies that are trashing Indonesian rainforests, threatening the livelihoods of local people” Greenpeace.org 🙁

  6. Erick Cummings

    September 12, 2013 at 9:41 pm

    Nestle couldn’t have come up with anything more brilliant that this. It is an absolute marketing genius on the part of the company and more than Android benefiting out of it, Nestle and Kit KAt will benefit out of the whole thing.

  7. Gautham Nekkanti

    September 14, 2013 at 4:29 pm

    It’s a mutual symbiosis, i Guess Android didn’t find any interesting confectionary starting the letter ‘K’

  8. Gautam

    September 15, 2013 at 2:30 pm

    There’s more to go because In India Laddoo Campaign is going on 😛 Let’s see what happens. 😀

  9. Casper

    September 16, 2013 at 6:33 am

    ANDROID 4.4 KITKAT AND NEXUS5 LAUNCH DATE PEGGED FOR OCTOBER 14TH

  10. Mayank

    September 19, 2013 at 6:56 am

    Very Interesting.
    At least everyone will be able to afford an Android now.

  11. Nikhil

    September 27, 2013 at 6:58 am

    Probably the most awaited android OS ever.
    Amazing thing is, they named it as KitKat and instead of 5.0 it’s numbered as 4.4 !
    But, let’s see what google have for us..!

  12. Abhay

    September 29, 2013 at 1:43 pm

    Kitkat is old Now let’s see android is gonna accept Ladoo as next version or not 😛

  13. daksh

    October 9, 2013 at 5:07 pm

    yes!! Lets add another candy bar to that list of over fragmented candy we already have!

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