Android Infographic: How the versions stack up

[Zaap]

Meanwhile...

Right, the outdated graphic that doesn't even include major Android models like the Droid X, and padded with lesser models no one in their right mind ever cared about.

It's sad- I actually at one time thought these forums were home to some pretty well informed tech-minded people, but I've come to realize there's also a lot of shlubs that just like to repost idiotic graphics over and over again.

Quick someone repost the 'Samsung copied Apple! OMG!!' one for what, the 10,000th time? Sheesh.

 

[MrX8503]

iPhones get better/longer OS support because Apple has more control over the hardware/software. I don't know why this is so hard for Android users to accept. As for the Android support, it looks better than I thought.

 

[Dulanic]

iPhones get better/longer OS support because Apple has more control over the hardware/software. I don't know why this is so hard for Android users to accept. As for the Android support, it looks better than I thought.

I hadn't noticed too many denying that fact. I personally agree completely that Apple has longer software support for their products. They should too, it is quite different to keep updating a couple phones than 20 different models across all different carriers and hardware. It is a blessing and curse all in one for android.

 

[cheezy321]

Neither of those issues affect Android users.
Unlike iOS, we can root and flash ROMS to get rid of the ball chain.

BTW...How exactly is having the carriers/manufacturers holding you buy the balls different from Apple holding you by the balls?
Do explain.

Apple is the first / only company that doesn't work to the whim of the carriers. Sure, they had an exclusive contract with AT&T, but even then they had full control over what they wanted to do with the phone. Things like iMessage prove that apple wants to get the user farther and farther away from the grasp of the carriers. Apple is moving towards the model of a data enabled service with no need to buy minutes, text messages, etc. That is the future and apple is trying its hardest to move towards that. All you need to buy is data. Carriers are trying their hardest to keep the same model that has worked for the last 10+ years. Text messages are their cash cow. iMessage is an attempt to neuter and move away from that model.

Android is much more of the same in the mobile phone industry. The carriers determine the name of the phone. The carriers determine what gets put on the phone. The manufacturers put whatever crap they want on the phone. Google has done nothing to stray away from the fact that the carriers control everything we put on our phone, how we pay for our service, everything. Remember how verizon forced a certain OS on every single phone? It has gotten better, but with android they are still allowed to modify and change the OS to what THEY want.

Yes, it does affect android users. Are you implying that 100% of android users root and flash their phone? Sure, a large percentage of them do have the ability to do this. How many do you think actually do? Its a small percentage. The rest of them are stuck with manufacturers that refuse to update their phones. The rest are stuck with bloatware and crap on their phone because the carriers throw it on there. That is how it is different.

 

[Red Storm]

When I had my Pantech Breakout it had all the usual Verizon bloat on it. Let's Golf 2, Need for Speed, and the others. While I didn't want those apps on there, in no way did it prevent me from using and enjoying the phone, which for some reason is the point you keep trying to make.

When I had my iPhone I had a very similar problem. It wasn't carrier bloat, it was manufacturer (Apple) bloat. Why do I have to have the stocks app on my phone? I don't want it on there, but I can't get rid of it. I can't even hide it. At least on my Android phone I could use apps in the market to hide these unwanted apps. That option isn't there when it comes to Apple's bloat apps.

Did the stocks app prevent me from using the phone? No, it was just an annoyance that I had to deal with from Apple, the same way Verizon bloat is an annoyance I had to deal with on the Pantech phone.

On my Nexus, I have the option to disable any app on the phone, effectively removing it. I can't do this on the iPhone.

 

[cheezy321]

When I had my Pantech Breakout it had all the usual Verizon bloat on it. Let's Golf 2, Need for Speed, and the others. While I didn't want those apps on there, in no way did it prevent me from using and enjoying the phone, which for some reason is the point you keep trying to make.

When I had my iPhone I had a very similar problem. It wasn't carrier bloat, it was manufacturer (Apple) bloat. Why do I have to have the stocks app on my phone? I don't want it on there, but I can't get rid of it. I can't even hide it. At least on my Android phone I could use apps in the market to hide these unwanted apps. That option isn't there when it comes to Apple's bloat apps.

Did the stocks app prevent me from using the phone? No, it was just an annoyance that I had to deal with from Apple, the same way Verizon bloat is an annoyance I had to deal with on the Pantech phone.

On my Nexus, I have the option to disable any app on the phone, effectively removing it. I can't do this on the iPhone.

Stocks is pretty much the only thing you can come up with on the iPhone that could be considered bloat. If you really want to put the stocks app in the same category as obvious bloatware like NFS and the nascar, then go ahead. Just not many people would ever agree with that statement.

Sure, on your nexus you do have the ability. That is awesome. Wouldn't it be nice if every android phone had that ability? I hope one day Google makes it happen. Looks doubtful tho.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

Sure, on your nexus you do have the ability. That is awesome. Wouldn't it be nice if every android phone had that ability? I hope one day Google makes it happen. Looks doubtful tho.

Every android phone does have that ability thanks to numerous replacement launchers available on the market.

 

[Red Storm]

Stocks is pretty much the only thing you can come up with on the iPhone that could be considered bloat. If you really want to put the stocks app in the same category as obvious bloatware like NFS and the nascar, then go ahead. Just not many people would ever agree with that statement.

Sure, on your nexus you do have the ability. That is awesome. Wouldn't it be nice if every android phone had that ability? I hope one day Google makes it happen. Looks doubtful tho.

Gamecenter? Newstand? iTunes?

How about when I download AVPlayer on my iPhone, now the default video player is useless, and I can't even hide it from view. Or if I want to use a different browser, or a different music player, etc.

The Nexus can do it, which is why I got that phone. That's the beauty of Android, I have options.

I hope one day Apple makes it happen. Looks doubtful though.

 

[cheezy321]

Gamecenter? Newstand? iTunes?

How about when I download AVPlayer on my iPhone, now the default video player is useless, and I can't even hide it from view. Or if I want to use a different browser, or a different music player, etc.

The Nexus can do it, which is why I got that phone. That's the beauty of Android, I have options.

I hope one day Apple makes it happen. Looks doubtful though.

Ok ok, ill concede my point on the bloatware. Gamecenter and Newstand I suppose could be considered bloat.

You have options, until you purchase that phone. Then you are stuck with that exact phone and the exact experience you originally purchased, usually for 2 years, unless you maneuver around the manufacturers by rooting and modding your phone (which again, 90% will never do). Google makes awesome updates in ICS? Sorry, none for you! That is exactly what the infographic in the OP shows, and it is a problem.

 

[Dulanic]

nm

 

[Red Storm]

Ok ok, ill concede my point on the bloatware. Gamecenter and Newstand I suppose could be considered bloat.

You have options, until you purchase that phone. Then you are stuck with that exact phone and the exact experience you originally purchased, usually for 2 years, unless you maneuver around the manufacturers by rooting and modding your phone (which again, 90% will never do). Google makes awesome updates in ICS? Sorry, none for you! That is exactly what the infographic in the OP shows, and it is a problem.

Android is definitely not perfect, far from it. One of its biggest advantages could also be one of its chief downsides, depending on how you view it. However, for the people who really value getting updates, there's the Nexus line of phones. These people who keep up to date on new OS versions are smart enough to know which phone to get.

Then there's the other group who don't care and/or don't know any better. This group makes up the overwhelming majority of smartphone buyers, people who buy iPhones and Android handsets who don't even know what an OS is. These people buy the phone that best suits them (price, features, etc.) and expect nothing more.

One could argue that even changing the UI of the phone via an update would frustrate and confuse these people more than anything. That's the main reason why Samsung, HTC, and Motorola all have their own skins atop Android. They want to get users accustomed to their way, so that the next time they go buy a phone, they'll look for one that has a similar interface/feature set to what they know.

 

[zerocool84]

Apple is the first / only company that doesn't work to the whim of the carriers. Sure, they had an exclusive contract with AT&T, but even then they had full control over what they wanted to do with the phone. Things like iMessage prove that apple wants to get the user farther and farther away from the grasp of the carriers. Apple is moving towards the model of a data enabled service with no need to buy minutes, text messages, etc. That is the future and apple is trying its hardest to move towards that. All you need to buy is data. Carriers are trying their hardest to keep the same model that has worked for the last 10+ years. Text messages are their cash cow. iMessage is an attempt to neuter and move away from that model.

Android is much more of the same in the mobile phone industry. The carriers determine the name of the phone. The carriers determine what gets put on the phone. The manufacturers put whatever crap they want on the phone. Google has done nothing to stray away from the fact that the carriers control everything we put on our phone, how we pay for our service, everything. Remember how verizon forced a certain OS on every single phone? It has gotten better, but with android they are still allowed to modify and change the OS to what THEY want.

Yes, it does affect android users. Are you implying that 100% of android users root and flash their phone? Sure, a large percentage of them do have the ability to do this. How many do you think actually do? Its a small percentage. The rest of them are stuck with manufacturers that refuse to update their phones. The rest are stuck with bloatware and crap on their phone because the carriers throw it on there. That is how it is different.

iMessage, BBM, and Gtalk are practically the same thing.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Apple is the first / only company that doesn't work to the whim of the carriers. Sure, they had an exclusive contract with AT&T, but even then they had full control over what they wanted to do with the phone. Things like iMessage prove that apple wants to get the user farther and farther away from the grasp of the carriers. Apple is moving towards the model of a data enabled service with no need to buy minutes, text messages, etc. That is the future and apple is trying its hardest to move towards that. All you need to buy is data. Carriers are trying their hardest to keep the same model that has worked for the last 10+ years. Text messages are their cash cow. iMessage is an attempt to neuter and move away from that model.

Android is much more of the same in the mobile phone industry. The carriers determine the name of the phone. The carriers determine what gets put on the phone. The manufacturers put whatever crap they want on the phone. Google has done nothing to stray away from the fact that the carriers control everything we put on our phone, how we pay for our service, everything. Remember how verizon forced a certain OS on every single phone? It has gotten better, but with android they are still allowed to modify and change the OS to what THEY want.

Yes, it does affect android users. Are you implying that 100% of android users root and flash their phone? Sure, a large percentage of them do have the ability to do this. How many do you think actually do? Its a small percentage. The rest of them are stuck with manufacturers that refuse to update their phones. The rest are stuck with bloatware and crap on their phone because the carriers throw it on there. That is how it is different.

You think apple trying to push iMessage to be benevolent? They're pushing it because when you use it, they own the data that goes through their servers. They will be mining that data to make money off of it.
And talking about MFG/Carrier having customers by the balls, Apple iPhone and ATT did just that. Stop acting like Apple is some saint that cares about the users. They only care about their stock price. If they cared about the users they wouldn't have agreed to the ATT deal and would have allowed all carriers to have the iPhone when it 1st launched. Or if they had real control over the carrier do you think they would have let ATT charge a higher data rate for iphone users than regular users? No, they allowed it because Apple got a cut.

The issue of updates is simple. Apple has 5 or 6 devices to update, and they are largely the same.
Android platform phones literally have 100's of devices which requires more developers and time to maintain and update.

 

[QueBert]

Android platform phones literally have 100's of devices which requires more developers and time to maintain and update.

The issue really is a company like Motorola would rather release a new phone and not support a 1 year old phone that's still perfectly capable of running the latest OS. It's not up to Google to release updates to handsets. I don't see how Android owners are fine with Samsung, HTC, Moto, whoever not supporting a phone that's barely a year old. Google should force any company that wants to release Android handsets to provide updates for a reasonable amount of time from one's release. Us EVO 4g owners had to hold our breathe to get a damn 2.3 update, and at the time the phone was barely a year old. This is not acceptable imho. I'm lucky I bought one of the few Android phones that got the update, it's ironic and funny how Android fan boys will say something to be along the lines of "Hay, you should be happy that your old ass 1 year old phone even got an update!" One recommended 6 months I upgrade my EVO because it was so ancient and outdated. Which leads to the problem of when you buy an Android device you have ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA if/when it'll see OS updates. This is the fragmentation that Android people claim doesn't actually exist, or isn't really an issue. Because of this I'll have to hack ICS onto my EVO, even though it's not that old of a phone, and from the alpha ICS scene rom I installed it actually runs better on my phone than 2.3.

 

[ChAoTiCpInOy]

You think apple trying to push iMessage to be benevolent? They're pushing it because when you use it, they own the data that goes through their servers. They will be mining that data to make money off of it.

Do you have any evidence to even defend this? It says right on the iMessage page that messages are encrypted. The whole point of iMessage is to be a better BBM and replace text messages.

Or if they had real control over the carrier do you think they would have let ATT charge a higher data rate for iphone users than regular users? No, they allowed it because Apple got a cut.

They charge the same amount for data for Android phones and iOS phones. AT&T recoups the cost of the iPhone because they subsidize just like they subsidize other phones for 2 year contracts.

 

[Red Storm]

I look at that graph and see that ~90% of Android users are on 2.2 or above. That's a lot better than I expected. I don't know exact requirements, but I'm pretty sure most modern apps that get released need either 1.6/2.2 and higher, which the overwhelming majority of Android phones seem to have.

Again, if official updates are your primary concern and you're like me (I don't particularly enjoy rooting and tinkering with unofficial roms), the Nexus line of phones is tailor made for you.

It would be interesting to see how many iPhones are running iOS 5. Not from an app requirement aspect, but just to get an idea of how many people update their phones (actually I don't even know how it works. Is it an OTA update that alerts the user, or do they have to do it manually?).

 

[TuxDave]

iMessage, BBM, and Gtalk are practically the same thing.

Except iMessage and BBM require significantly less work to get going.... and by less work I mean the person has to do nothing.

 

[Red Storm]

Except iMessage and BBM require significantly less work to get going.... and by less work I mean the person has to do nothing.

And Gtalk does?

The one nice thing about Google Chat is that I can use it on my phone, and then hop onto a computer and keep chatting without missing a beat.

 

[TuxDave]

Is it an OTA update that alerts the user, or do they have to do it manually?).

To upgrade iOS4 requires a computer and so when you plug it in, iTunes will pop up and tell the user that an upgrade is available and go do it.

1) iTunes haters are probably already aware of an upgrade and will do it
2) iTunes users will automatically get notified to upgrade when the plug in their phone

iOS5 is separate from the computer now. I forgot how I got notified to upgrade from iOS5 to iOS5.1 but it was pretty obvious.


So technically, yes it's all manual. You can still refuse to upgrade if you don't want to.

 

[TuxDave]

And Gtalk does?

I assume you have to tell everyone that wants to text you to use Gtalk (assuming they use Gtalk)
Edit: I guess signing up for a Google account is the same effort as setting up an Apple ID so I'm removing that point.

 

[Red Storm]

I assume Gtalk you have to sign up for a Google account? And then tell everyone that wants to text you to use Gtalk?

You need a Google account to use Android. So when you set your phone up, you've already setup GTalk.

By that logic, I need to go tell all my friends to buy iPhones or Blackberries to use iMessage or BBM.

 

[TuxDave]

You need a Google account to use Android. So when you set your phone up, you've already setup GTalk.

By that logic, I need to go tell all my friends to buy iPhones or Blackberries to use iMessage or BBM.

Yeah I forgot that Android requires a Google account. So since I don't really understand Gtalk, correct me if I'm wrong. Is Gtalk a separate App than what you use for Text Messaging (to dumb phones for example)?

The point I'm trying to make is:
If you wanted to text for free to another Android user, you tell them to use Gtalk
If you wanted to text for $$$ to everyone else, you tell them to use whatever text Message program?

iPhone users don't have to care since if the message is going to another iPhone, it'll automatically use iMessage. If it's going to a dumbphone, it'll use regular text messages. You still text the same way as before (put in the guy's number) but the rest is taken care of. That's what I mean by "do nothing". Hell, one of my friends switched to an iPhone and I only noticed when I saw one of my texts to him switched to iMessage all of a sudden.

 

[Bateluer]

Yeah I forgot that Android requires a Google account. So since I don't really understand Gtalk, correct me if I'm wrong. Is Gtalk a separate App than what you use for Text Messaging (to dumb phones for example)?

The point I'm trying to make is:
If you wanted to text for free to another Android user, you tell them to use Gtalk
If you wanted to text for $$$ to everyone else, you tell them to use whatever text Message program?

iPhone users don't have to care since if the message is going to another iPhone, it'll automatically use iMessage. If it's going to a dumbphone, it'll use regular text messages. You still text the same way as before (put in the guy's number) but the rest is taken care of. That's what I mean by "do nothing". Hell, one of my friends switched to an iPhone and I only noticed when I saw one of my texts to him switched to iMessage all of a sudden.

I've butted heads with people on this. I know a number of people with Android phones, and all are generally happy with the phone. But every single one of them insists on using sms texts instead of Gtalk. Its like pulling teeth to get them to even remember they have the option. iMessage making messaging invisible to the user is both a good thing and extremely bad thing. Good because it can get users away from sms, but bad because the user isn't seeing the difference and advantage.

 

[MrX8503]

iMessage will switch between sms and instant message automatically. AFAIK, BBM and Gtalk isn't like this. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

 

[Oyeve]

iMessage will switch between sms and instant message automatically. AFAIK, BBM and Gtalk isn't like this. Correct me if I'm wrong though.

I use yahoo messenger. Works on all platforms and does live im and sms