updates to smartphone software

[haven]

For Android phone users, the sad fact is that Google's improvements in software are rarely delivered to customers. A study by Michael Degusta shows that many phones are released with an out of date version of Android. By the end of the first year, more than half of top of the line Android smart phones are at least one release behind Google's current version.

The problem is that hardware manufacturers like Samsung, HTC and Motorola create their own versions of Android's user interface. Then the phone carriers add their customization. Neither manufacturer nor carrier want to spend time and money updating the software for a phone that has already been sold.

Here's a chart that shows that it takes a very long time for most Android phones to receive an update from their manufacturers
http://theunderstatement.com/post/11982112928/android-orphans-visualizing-a-sad-history-of-support

In strong contrast, Apple makes software updates available immediately to older phones, and clearly announces when an older phone has reached a point where it will no longer be updated. Today, Apple's latest software update works on the 3GS, 4 and 4S phones.

Google addressed this issue when it worked with HTC to release the Nexus One, a phone that runs standard Android without HTC's custom software. Nexus One owners were able to upgrade right away when a new version of Android was released by Google. Unfortunately, only 21 months after its release, Google says the Nexus One will not be eligible for an upgrade to Android 4.0 when it is released in a few weeks. The Nexus One is obsolete before it reaches its second birthday. (Nexus S, with 16 GB of storage, is still OK.)

Moral of the story: Make sure your Android phone has the features you want before you purchase it. It's unlikely you will see a software upgrade.

 

[haven]

Here's one person's response to the issue: Use 3rd party software to keep your gadget up to date. For Android, root the phone using Cyanogenmod and sideload the latest Android version. For non-phone gadgets, load a form of Linux.

http://liliputing.com/2011/10/givin...or-how-to-interrupt-planned-obsolescence.html

 

[BKCowGod]

One of the biggest advantages Apple has (and has always had, with the exception of a brief foray into clone licensing) is tight control over both the hardware and the software. Everything plays well together, everything works, and everything is built to the same quality standards. So when Apple releases an update, they know it is only going to Apple hardware (I'm excluding Hackintosh people - they know what they got themselves into).

Android, on the other hand, is an open source system that has been hacked and twisted by so many different people that nobody's ever sure what will happen with each upgrade. I have an unlocked Nexus One (the "google phone") and even that one has issues with updates.

 

[esh]

Don't use Android if you are the type that frightens easily.

I love choices, and being able to choose the hows and whats of my tool's operation is a prime motivation for sticking with the green bot.

I don't see why not supporting a platform past a couple versions is "sad." Back when the G1 came out, updates actually made a large impact to performance, but lately it is more about themes and active wallpapers and features and vendor bloat that I want to remove or disable anyways. By the platform being somewhat open, I get to do that. Rate of hardware development is a much larger driving force of performance than OS optimization lately, though many great ROMs appear to be able to squeeze a lot of performance much more than manufacturer custom modified OSs.

Cyanogen did not get hired by Samsung on a whim. The Galaxy line is kicking serious butt and has just eclipsed overall global sales. The appear to be the ones to watch right now.

Definitely not for everyone, but when Android is good, it's really good. Plus I get to help cute girls with their fancy phones from time to time. :sombrero: