As I said, for a mobile OS like Android, exactly where system updates are presented matters much less, because apps are full-screen regardless of their posture. And besides, as the article says, “Timely updates on Android is currently one of the biggest problems of the platform” — so if distributing system updates through the Play Store improves that, that’s more important than the complexity of the UI.
Meanwhile, I just remembered an idea I proposed way back in 2012 for the equivalent family of icons (which, then, included Ubuntu Software Center):
I suggested experimenting with the box metaphor currently used for Software Sources and Software Updater, with things that make the overall shape distinct. For example:
- USC could be a magic box, with applications flying out like they do from the current USC icon. http://www.google.com/search?q=magic+box&tbm=isch
- Software Sources could be the same box, but closed, with gearwheels or a spanner.
- Software Updater could be an airdrop, the box with a parachute.
Later, I sketched that last idea in the Software Updates spec:
