I always assumed that it was the level of abstraction required for Android to be able to function on a wide variety of hardware. iOS on the other hand is runni

I always assumed that it was the level of abstraction required for Android to be able to function on a wide variety of hardware. iOS on the other hand is running on a relatively tiny number of devices with hardware chosen for use by themselves. Even with a difference in milliseconds you'd still be able to discern between "smooth" and "not smooth".