One of the stories kicking around Techmeme during this usually slow news week after Christmas is renewed talk about how Android updates are all over the place, how it is a huge problem for Android, and how Samsung is screwing the owners of the original Galaxy phones:
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/why-android-updates-are-a-mess-its-the-business-model/4300?pg=2
http://thenextweb.com/google/2011/12/23/the-galaxy-s-not-getting-ics-isnt-a-samsung-problem-its-an-android-problem/
http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/23/2657492/samsung-touchwiz-fails-customers?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Thing is, it doesn’t matter. Here’s why:
Let’s start with the original Galaxy phones from Samsung-who announced this week that this line will not be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update. These phones, give or take a couple of weeks, were released 18 months before ICS. So a line of phones nearing two years old, where a vast majority of owners will be eligible for new phones starting this summer, that has been upgraded at least once and in most cases twice, that has just enough power and ram to only run a pure install of ICS, is an example of the impending Android Apocalypse? My guess is that if Samsung actually updated all of it’s Galaxy phones to a pure install of ICS, it would please one percent of customers and leave the 99% of the normal non-geek customers dazed and confused.
I own a Samsung Captivate running Android 2.2 and am happy with both the software and hardware. It would be nice if I get the 2.3 update, but if I don’t...no biggie. And I’m a geek. The phone runs just fine. All the apps I want run just fine. Touch-Wiz is fine. Plus this July I get to upgrade. The reason I own the Captivate is that an iOS update to my iPhone 3G two years ago rendered it nearly useless and was the tipping point in my move to Android (btw my daughter has an iPhone 4S that I have spent a lot of time with and I am still not interested in ‘going back’ to the iPhone).
Truth is this most consumers don’t know about Android fragmentation. Most of those that understand Android fragmentation don’t think it is a big deal. My guess is that many of those who do think it is a big deal use an iPhone.
However, fragmentation can’t go on like this forever. Tech journalists and enthusiasts really do have the ability to drive opinion in the general public. Google knows this. The answer: Motorola. If Google can complete the acquisition then all Motorola phones move to the ‘true Android experience’ with regular updates from Google. Once this happens it will be a matter of time before the other manufacturers fall in line.
For now, Android fragmentation hasn’t mattered much. Ice Cream Sandwich and Motorola can make it not matter for ever.
Discuss on Google+
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/bott/why-android-updates-are-a-mess-its-the-business-model/4300?pg=2
http://thenextweb.com/google/2011/12/23/the-galaxy-s-not-getting-ics-isnt-a-samsung-problem-its-an-android-problem/
http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/23/2657492/samsung-touchwiz-fails-customers?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Thing is, it doesn’t matter. Here’s why:
Let’s start with the original Galaxy phones from Samsung-who announced this week that this line will not be getting the Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) update. These phones, give or take a couple of weeks, were released 18 months before ICS. So a line of phones nearing two years old, where a vast majority of owners will be eligible for new phones starting this summer, that has been upgraded at least once and in most cases twice, that has just enough power and ram to only run a pure install of ICS, is an example of the impending Android Apocalypse? My guess is that if Samsung actually updated all of it’s Galaxy phones to a pure install of ICS, it would please one percent of customers and leave the 99% of the normal non-geek customers dazed and confused.
I own a Samsung Captivate running Android 2.2 and am happy with both the software and hardware. It would be nice if I get the 2.3 update, but if I don’t...no biggie. And I’m a geek. The phone runs just fine. All the apps I want run just fine. Touch-Wiz is fine. Plus this July I get to upgrade. The reason I own the Captivate is that an iOS update to my iPhone 3G two years ago rendered it nearly useless and was the tipping point in my move to Android (btw my daughter has an iPhone 4S that I have spent a lot of time with and I am still not interested in ‘going back’ to the iPhone).
Truth is this most consumers don’t know about Android fragmentation. Most of those that understand Android fragmentation don’t think it is a big deal. My guess is that many of those who do think it is a big deal use an iPhone.
However, fragmentation can’t go on like this forever. Tech journalists and enthusiasts really do have the ability to drive opinion in the general public. Google knows this. The answer: Motorola. If Google can complete the acquisition then all Motorola phones move to the ‘true Android experience’ with regular updates from Google. Once this happens it will be a matter of time before the other manufacturers fall in line.
For now, Android fragmentation hasn’t mattered much. Ice Cream Sandwich and Motorola can make it not matter for ever.
Discuss on Google+
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