Google’s Andy Rubin: There are over 1 million lines of code in Android

Just hours after Samsung and Google combined to release the Galaxy Nexus and launch Android 4.0 (codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich), Google’s SVP of Mobile Andy Rubin is on stage at AllThingD’s Asia conference AsiaD to talk about the platform and the search giant’s plans for mobile.

Speaking to Walt Mossberg, Rubin briefly spoke of the Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0 launch, explaining what goes into a Google Nexus smartphone over other Android smartphones created by other manufacturers.

Explaining that Google’s engineers and designers get deeply involved in the design and operation of the device, working with the hardware partner (in this case Samsung) and the processor supplier (Texas Instruments), Rubin went on to add that in its latest release of the Android platform, there are over a million lines of code.

Yes, a million lines of code.

The Google SVP says “you don’t want to build it generically and then throw it over the fence,” referring to the Galaxy Nexus as a “reference design”, in that Google hopes it can help lead device makers with the production of their own Android smartphones and tablets.

With Ice Cream Sandwich, Rubin says that the search giant has worked hard to improve the user interface of its platform, adding that it “wants it to be intuitive”. Taking time to improve on the much-maligned Honeycomb release, Rubin states that “Ice Cream Sandwich is the best we’ve ever done”.

For a liveblog on Andy Rubin’s AsiaD talk, check out AllThingsD’s coverage by clicking here.