I don't see why the OP is "amazed" The vast majority of people I know with Android phones hardly know that their android phone is an android phone. They just say that they've got a Samsung or HTC whatever. To expect these people to know what version of Android they've got is totally unrealistic
I guess this is the result of such a convoluted and fragmented OS. Have you got 4.0? Will its out of date get 4.0.1. Oh now you need 4.0.2, but then it's time for 4.1.1.
Of course don't forget with each update you'llose a few apps. It's an absolute bloody nightmare, why can't they just do it the way blackberry or Apple do it?
Its not. Apple do the same thing. An update from 4.0 to 4.0.1 is just bug fixes. Nothing breaks....
When a major update happens, like apple some apps dont work. Its then up to the dev on both platforms to get it working. Im not sure what you dont understand about this or why you think its only Android that this happens on...
I don't see why the OP is "amazed" The vast majority of people I know with Android phones hardly know that their android phone is an android phone. They just say that they've got a Samsung or HTC whatever. To expect these people to know what version of Android they've got is totally unrealistic
So just because a number of users don't know a thing about a phone and it's os means no one should bother updating a system even when the os is already available and compatible with a phone? Sorry that's nonsense. It's irrelevant if the users are ignorant. So in terms of business ethics supporting hardware which is not old yet is not Something a Phone maker should do?
I think you are letting them off the hook far too easily.
So just because a number of users don't know a thing about a phone and it's os means no one should bother updating a system even when the os is already available and compatible with a phone? Sorry that's nonsense. It's irrelevant if the users are ignorant. So in terms of business ethics supporting hardware which is not old yet is not Something a Phone maker should do?
I think you are letting them off the hook far too easily.
Sorry, put it this way........the vast majority and I mean vast.just don't care what version they have
Of course don't forget with each update you'llose a few apps. It's an absolute bloody nightmare, why can't they just do it the way blackberry or Apple do it?
Of course Apple's way of doing is so much easier, where different phones all use iOS 6 but all have different features sets
Of course Apple's way of doing is so much easier, where different phones all use iOS 6 but all have different features sets
With Android you sometimes don't get the update with all the new bits, plus the pros and cons.
With IOS you mainly do, with the pros and cons plus plenty of missing bits.
In terms of business ethics they will support old hardware if there is a business case for it. Either for customer loyalty, past promises or it's a current model. Usually they want you to upgrade your HW by buying a new phone. It depends on how loyal they feel their customer base is. A lot of companies spend years building up a customer base with high loyalty only to exploit it later on.
All this extra support costs time and money. I know there are custom roms out there but they need to pay their staff. This is one thing I do not understand is that there are people out there who do all this freeware/open source stuff for effectively nothing but kudos.
I must admit that I don't see the point some sometimes of upgrading to the latest OS with older hardware?
Even back in the days of Windows 3.1 I did not upgrade to the next version for the sake of it as it was running well and even faster than it would if I had upgraded.
Also I only upgraded from Windows XP around a year ago as I had an old Dell PC and did not see any point in upgrading to Windows 7 when it came out (even though I was able to get it for less than £10 through my company).
Can someone please explain what the advantage of going from ver 2.3 to 4 .nn is as I have a Huawei G300 and a pal has a virtually new S3 and on the surface there is no difference in the user experience .
If you want the latest Android you wouldn't have a phone from a few years ago and if you have an old phone you probably dont even care that its an old OS because you phone still does what it did when you first got it.
I consider myself to be reasonably ok when it comes to (phone) tech - better than your average punter but not as knowledgable as the vast majority of regular posters on this forum
Make calls, text, surf and a bit of social media and 99% of the phone buying public will be happy - they don't give a stuff about Gingerbread, Jellybean and their associated cronies.
I'm one of them - my phone runs on Gingerbread - I've no idea whether an update is available for Ice Cream Sandwich - I'll give it some thought when I come to upgrade shortly
If you want the latest Android you wouldn't have a phone from a few years ago and if you have an old phone you probably dont even care that its an old OS because you phone still does what it did when you first got it.
Well I personally am gutted they didnt do an update for Desire Z, because I am a new user of Android. And I got the Desire Z due to the keyboard as I am a control freak who needs it lol! So I will not be changing my phone anytime soon.
If people really cared, Nexus branded phones would be market leaders. Obviously they aren't.
^^ This
If you really need the latest updates you buy a Nexus.
If you want bigger, smaller, cheaper, faster, Sense, Touchwizz etc then you take the chance that the phone you buy is the phone you stay with ...... it wont get any worse but it may not get any "better".
The great thing about the smartphone market is choice. That choice also includes weighing up likelihood of updates. You cant expect constant updates on a budget phone as support would push the cost up. You also have to expect delays on phones that heavily tweak the OS. Development and testing takes time.
But the phone you purchased was your choice - chance of updates is just another thing to consider alongside screen size, processor, build quality etc IMHO.
I would imagine this year that a lot of people on 2 year contracts with gingerbread devices will be due an upgrade, so will be probably end up with a new phone with ICS or above.
People forget that Nokia feature phones ruled the mobile market for years on end, serving a particular type of customer, who may want to occasionally surf the web and use applications but primarily just for calls alone. This market has not changed. Low/mid-range Android phones have taken over the old feature phone market and brought new features. To these users, which still happen to be a majority, these phones already have a lot more features than previous devices and so the need for updates is not something that is a priority for these buyers.
Those more interested in the cutting edge, will no doubt have settled for an iPhone or a high end Android phone, as those devices are touted as flagships and are more likely to be updated and serve as mascots for their respective companies.
The reality is that there just isn't much of a business case for every Android phone to have updates to every single version. It's up to the OEMs to decide when to update based on their own individual business models. Apple only has one mobile device so its update process is undoubtedly going to be easier to manage, however, that being said, legacy Apple devices have seen atrocious support when being updated to new versions of iOS.
The bottom line is that those that want updates will seek them out, one way or another. Most new Android devices are on 4.x now, so eventually Gingerbread 2.3 will be displaced, but due to the nature of the Android model, this will take a bit of time to refresh, but I'm willing to bet that by this time next year, the 2.3 share will have been more than halved.
Comments
Its not. Apple do the same thing. An update from 4.0 to 4.0.1 is just bug fixes. Nothing breaks....
When a major update happens, like apple some apps dont work. Its then up to the dev on both platforms to get it working. Im not sure what you dont understand about this or why you think its only Android that this happens on...
So just because a number of users don't know a thing about a phone and it's os means no one should bother updating a system even when the os is already available and compatible with a phone? Sorry that's nonsense. It's irrelevant if the users are ignorant. So in terms of business ethics supporting hardware which is not old yet is not Something a Phone maker should do?
I think you are letting them off the hook far too easily.
Sorry, put it this way........the vast majority and I mean vast.just don't care what version they have
You didn't answer my question.
With IOS you mainly do, with the pros and cons plus plenty of missing bits.
Just a number innit.
All this extra support costs time and money. I know there are custom roms out there but they need to pay their staff. This is one thing I do not understand is that there are people out there who do all this freeware/open source stuff for effectively nothing but kudos.
Even back in the days of Windows 3.1 I did not upgrade to the next version for the sake of it as it was running well and even faster than it would if I had upgraded.
Also I only upgraded from Windows XP around a year ago as I had an old Dell PC and did not see any point in upgrading to Windows 7 when it came out (even though I was able to get it for less than £10 through my company).
And you can still buy PC's with XP (as an option)
If you want the latest Android you wouldn't have a phone from a few years ago and if you have an old phone you probably dont even care that its an old OS because you phone still does what it did when you first got it.
Which is basically lying to the customer! But many dont care because Apple do whats best for its customers dont they!
Probably because I didn't understand it
I consider myself to be reasonably ok when it comes to (phone) tech - better than your average punter but not as knowledgable as the vast majority of regular posters on this forum
Make calls, text, surf and a bit of social media and 99% of the phone buying public will be happy - they don't give a stuff about Gingerbread, Jellybean and their associated cronies.
I'm one of them - my phone runs on Gingerbread - I've no idea whether an update is available for Ice Cream Sandwich - I'll give it some thought when I come to upgrade shortly
^^^^^^
This
I would have liked the update but there you go.
^^ This
If you really need the latest updates you buy a Nexus.
If you want bigger, smaller, cheaper, faster, Sense, Touchwizz etc then you take the chance that the phone you buy is the phone you stay with ...... it wont get any worse but it may not get any "better".
The great thing about the smartphone market is choice. That choice also includes weighing up likelihood of updates. You cant expect constant updates on a budget phone as support would push the cost up. You also have to expect delays on phones that heavily tweak the OS. Development and testing takes time.
But the phone you purchased was your choice - chance of updates is just another thing to consider alongside screen size, processor, build quality etc IMHO.
Those more interested in the cutting edge, will no doubt have settled for an iPhone or a high end Android phone, as those devices are touted as flagships and are more likely to be updated and serve as mascots for their respective companies.
The reality is that there just isn't much of a business case for every Android phone to have updates to every single version. It's up to the OEMs to decide when to update based on their own individual business models. Apple only has one mobile device so its update process is undoubtedly going to be easier to manage, however, that being said, legacy Apple devices have seen atrocious support when being updated to new versions of iOS.
The bottom line is that those that want updates will seek them out, one way or another. Most new Android devices are on 4.x now, so eventually Gingerbread 2.3 will be displaced, but due to the nature of the Android model, this will take a bit of time to refresh, but I'm willing to bet that by this time next year, the 2.3 share will have been more than halved.
If you can afford them, and can put up with their problems, and then you have to consider people feelings about which OEM's have made it.
What problems? Got the nexus 4 here and zero problems.
I don't do brand loyalty and this is the first LG phone i have ever owned and the build quality is amazing.