Android Orphans: Visualizing a Sad History of Support

[Ns1]

every 2-3 months a device comes out that doubles the previous leader in features and speed..
so why bother updating?

because most people are locked in 2 year contracts and only upgrade once every 2 years.

free updates to add features > paying extra money for a new phone out of contract

 

[CVSiN]

because most people are locked in 2 year contracts and only upgrade once every 2 years.

free updates to add features > paying extra money for a new phone out of contract

most of those phones on that list are horrible phones that were sidelined for a reason.

phones like the EVO which is now 1 year old will for sure get 1 more update or will get a cracked version of the update via ROOT.

let the shitty devices die.. people get what they pay for..
want a good phone buy a top end phone..
those will last 2 years..

and more and more people are buying phones when they come out...people want the latest and greatest.

 

[Zenmervolt]

Well the Droid X is one of the best Android phones of all time IMHO. That thing was a tank, had good battery life, was light and held comfortably in your hand, and the hardware buttons were actual buttons.

I've only had the original Droid and the Droid X, so my experience with Motorola is actually pretty good.

Have to agree with that. Motorola's software support isn't the greatest, but their hardware tends to be fantastic. At this point, Motorola is the only company I'll buy from; the Motorolas I've had were just that good.

ZV

 

[Munky]

because most people are locked in 2 year contracts and only upgrade once every 2 years.

free updates to add features > paying extra money for a new phone out of contract

I pity anyone chained to a 2-year phone contract

 

[Red Storm]

because most people are locked in 2 year contracts and only upgrade once every 2 years.

free updates to add features > paying extra money for a new phone out of contract

But we aren't comparing apples to apples here.

On Apple's newest flagship phone, I still can't do things that I make use of every day on my two year old original Droid...

Android's openness compared to iOS means I get a lot of functionality right out of the box, so future updates are actually less of a worry. It all depends on the platform. It doesn't really make sense to compare across different OSes when they only have a few comparable features.

 

[Ns1]

But we aren't comparing apples to apples here.

On Apple's newest flagship phone, I still can't do things that I make use of every day on my two year old original Droid...

Android's openness compared to iOS means I get a lot of functionality right out of the box, so future updates are actually less of a worry. It all depends on the platform. It doesn't really make sense to compare across different OSes when they only have a few comparable features.

so what? what are you trying to argue here? offering new features to old phones for FREE > not offering new features to old phones for free, regardless of what features that phone already has.

if Android wanted to roll out ICS with the ability to use google voice commands to create calendar events/reminders/etc, I would be pissed if my HC device (ie nexus one) did not receive ICS

 

[Mopetar]

um why is this sad?

why would I want to update an OBSOLETE slow device?

every 2-3 months a device comes out that doubles the previous leader in features and speed..
so why bother updating?

Did you see the AT article on iOS 5 and how much of a speed bump it gave to the 3GS?

Most people are stuck with a device for 2 years because that's how long the contracts last. Not everyone can afford to constantly go out and buy the latest and greatest. For some people, knowing that they can depend on reliable support for their device after 2 years is worthwhile.

Also, your 2-3 months claim is hyperbole of the highest order.

 

[Red Storm]

if Android wanted to roll out ICS with the ability to use google voice commands to create calendar events/reminders/etc, I would be pissed if my HC device (ie nexus one) did not receive ICS

You don't need ICS to do any of those things. I can already do them on my original Droid.

And that is exactly my point.

 

[CVSiN]

so what? what are you trying to argue here? offering new features to old phones for FREE > not offering new features to old phones for free, regardless of what features that phone already has.

if Android wanted to roll out ICS with the ability to use google voice commands to create calendar events/reminders/etc, I would be pissed if my HC device (ie nexus one) did not receive ICS

problem on alot of the Andriod updates is the requirements hardware also go up..

so those old phones would run it poorly.. especially when we are talking about non vanilla versions of the OS..
which is another reason why certain companies update and others don't

this isnt Apple with 1 phone and 1 software version..

we are dealing with many providers each with their own layer over the OS and their own features..
The ability to ROOT your phone really helps in this aspect as you dont have to wait for those updates..

as for Moto.. until they freaking get off their locked bootloader train they are the worst..
as you really are locked into the device even worse than Apple..

try an Unlocked phone with custom ROMs and then tell me you like that DriodX..

 

[Ns1]

You don't need ICS to do any of those things. I can already do them on my original Droid.

And that is exactly my point.

:facepalm:

remove that analogy, insert any new feature/improvement it doesn't matter, point stands.

new features/improvements for free > no new features/improvements for free.

 

[WelshBloke]

:facepalm:

remove that analogy, insert any new feature/improvement it doesn't matter, point stands.

new features/improvements for free > no new features/improvements for free.

I think his point is more.

Having all the features available from release > slow trickle of updates enabling those features.

 

[ponyo]

Did you see the AT article on iOS 5 and how much of a speed bump it gave to the 3GS?

Most people are stuck with a device for 2 years because that's how long the contracts last. Not everyone can afford to constantly go out and buy the latest and greatest. For some people, knowing that they can depend on reliable support for their device after 2 years is worthwhile.

Also, your 2-3 months claim is hyperbole of the highest order.

I'm an Android fan but it's sickening how much BS and excuses people make for Google. Android update support is pathetic at worst and marginally acceptable at best. People should be blasting Google and its partners and giving them hell. Instead they want to be Google PR men and make excuses for them.

 

[trmiv]

I think his point is more.

Having all the features available from release > slow trickle of updates enabling those features.

The Droid certainly didn't have all of those features available upon release.

 

[Red Storm]

I think his point is more.

Having all the features available from release > slow trickle of updates enabling those features.

Exactly. And let's not forget the worst one, "Never going to get these features no matter how many updates".

The Droid certainly didn't have all of those features available upon release.

Nope it did not. But it did get them thanks to Google's updates, as well as features that the iPhone X will more than likely never have.

 

[manly]

Yea they get the newest OS but not all the features. I think when iOS4 came out and you could customize backgrounds, my 3rd gen iPod Touch was unable to do so.

that's because Apple lied when they called your 8GB iPod Touch 3rd gen. That model was unchanged from 2008; whereas the 2009 32 and 64GB Touches were improved and now run iOS 5 with most new features supported.

It's fine to argue antiquated hardware can't run the latest and greatest even if the OS vendor wanted it to, e.g. the iPhone 3G. But that's not the case for most SoCs in the past year or two, maybe some of the GPUs are outdated but it's not like the hardware itself is obsolete already. The OEMs often choose not to spend limited resources on supporting devices that won't generate any new revenue. It's a business decision, not a technical one.

 

[Ns1]

I think his point is more.

Having all the features available from release > slow trickle of updates enabling those features.

not sure if srs

FroYo -> Gingerbread -> Honeycomb -> ICS, none of them enabled new features?

 

[WelshBloke]

not sure if srs

FroYo -> Gingerbread -> Honeycomb -> ICS, none of them enabled new features?

Yeah of course they did, is anyone saying they didnt?

 

[Ns1]

Yeah of course they did, is anyone saying they didnt?

"Having all the features available from release > slow trickle of updates enabling those features."

Seems Android also has a slow trickle. The difference is it doesn't trickle down to all devices, or trickles down at a different pace depending on manufacturer.


and since you're so keen on hammering about features that takes years for a competitor to copy, how do you take a screen shot on an android phone?

 

[trmiv]

Exactly. And let's not forget the worst one, "Never going to get these features no matter how many updates".




Nope it did not. But it did get them thanks to Google's updates, as well as features that the iPhone X will more than likely never have.

I'm not sure what your point is. Both iOS and Android have features that the other doesn't currently or might not ever have. It's why they are different operating systems. Both of them get updated to add features. The question here is whether the older devices get those features.

 

[Oyeve]

I'm an Android fan but it's sickening how much BS and excuses people make for Google. Android update support is pathetic at worst and marginally acceptable at best. People should be blasting Google and its partners and giving them hell. Instead they want to be Google PR men and make excuses for them.

Its the carriers that is to blame more than google.

 

[CVSiN]

I'm an Android fan but it's sickening how much BS and excuses people make for Google. Android update support is pathetic at worst and marginally acceptable at best. People should be blasting Google and its partners and giving them hell. Instead they want to be Google PR men and make excuses for them.

it's not google..
thats the difference..

Google Updates come on time and regularly.. even faster by far than Apple..

but since Google doesn't sell a "Google" phone they don't have this issue..
you want to place blame.. blame the manufactures..
they are the ones that decide which handset they are going to update and which they aren't.

based largely on sales and hardware specs and if that handset has already reached EOL..
EOL reaches androids alot faster as with so many other competing handsets from other android partners that competition drives them..

put Sense 3.0 on a EVO you will see how much of a hardware hit there was between last gen and current gen DC phones.. ICS and HC were dual core optimized for a reason.

right now there is literally no reason to update software on a phone that is not dual core..
after people are seeing the difference in higher HP procs on phones the difference is mindblowing.

 

[WelshBloke]

"Having all the features available from release > slow trickle of updates enabling those features."

Seems Android also has a slow trickle. The difference is it doesn't trickle down to all devices, or trickles down at a different pace depending on manufacturer.

His point was that theres no point in lauding the update history of iOS over Android if the Android os already has most of the features of the updated iOS.


[I cant believe that I even have to explain this, either youre drunker than I am or youre being deliberately obtuse]

 

[trmiv]

Yea I don't think Google is really as much at fault here as the manufacturers and carriers. The carriers and manufacturers choose to lock the boot loaders along with putting those crappy UI overlays on their phones. Those overlays give them built-in excuses to delay releases of new versions. I was hoping ICS fixed that, but HTC is already planning to screw it up.

 

[WelshBloke]

"
and since you're so keen on hammering about features that takes years for a competitor to copy, how do you take a screen shot on an android phone?

Theres an app for that.

 

[Ns1]

His point was that theres no point in lauding the update history of iOS over Android if the Android os already has most of the features of the updated iOS.

FroYo -> Gingerbread -> HC -> ICS
3.0 -> 4.0 -> 5.0

FREE UPDATES > NO UPDATES

Theres an app for that.

functionality out of the box