Quite an exciting month for tech news this has been. After Apple & Microsoft next week Google has their I/O Conference where it is very likely we will see the next iteration of Android aka Jelly Bean. As an avid Android fan I'm quite excited to see whats new but feel that there are 2 key things they have to hit out of the park with this release
Innovation : Go above and beyond with features that really set it apart from the competition. With the release of iOS 6 it is now very close to the features that are offered outside the box of Android, just have a look at the chart from this PC World article .
This time around they have to leap frog ahead with their offerings that makes the ecosystem attractive not only to geeks but to everyday users eg Google Majel - its concept of an assistant and a powerful API , 5 nexus devices ready for all networks completely taking out the carriers from the middle are exactly the type of stuff that has to come out
Control : Jelly Bean comes at a time when Ice Cream Sandwich is at 7% adoption on the devices and even by the time I/O rolls around we can see that number be at 10% or so. Google has to lay out a plan for how upgrades will be handled going forward and work towards minimizing "fragmentation". Take control of their ecosystem, keep the manufacturers and especially the carriers for marring the experience for the user. One way I can think of is the ability to turn off skins from the OS if the user wants the stock experience as that is the one of the biggest hurdles when pushing updates out.