Not a troll/flame: Android fans - Now what is missing?

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MotionMan

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
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jpeyton said:
iOS 6 is Apple playing catchup to ICS. The two problems being:

ICS came out in October 2011; iOS 6 is still unreleased.

Google's development cycles are severely faster than anything Apple is capable of.
Click to expand...

Despite my detractors, these are serious questions:

1. What percentage of Android phones do not still, or never will, get ICS?
1a. What percentage of iPhones/iPod Touches will never get any flavor of iOS 6?
2. Do you believe that Apple is actually technologically incapable of quicker development cycles, or do you think their timing is a choice (i.e. part of their business plan?

MotionMan
 
jpeyton

jpeyton

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MotionMan said:
1. What percentage of Android phones do not still, or never will, get ICS?
1a. What percentage of iPhones/iPod Touches will never get any flavor of iOS 6?
Click to expand...
Perhaps you need a refresher course on the difference between hardware and software?
2. Do you believe that Apple is actually technologically incapable of quicker development cycles, or do you think their timing is a choice (i.e. part of their business plan?
Click to expand...
They have the talent, but the company's mindset is completely different from that of Google. Google will put out 10 revisions of Chrome this year; how many times will Apple revise Safari?
 
MotionMan

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,124
12
81
jpeyton said:
Perhaps you need a refresher course on the difference between hardware and software?
Click to expand...

The discussion now seems to have more to do with which OS (and which features) will run on which hardware.

ICS was released last year, but I have read that it does not run (or is not being installed on) a majority of the Android handsets. If true, who cares how long it has been out or what features it allows?

So, my questions 1 and 1a still stand.

MotionMan
 
P

Puddle Jumper

Platinum Member
Nov 4, 2009
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MotionMan said:
The discussion now seems to have more to do with which OS (and which features) will run on which hardware.

ICS was released last year, but I have read that it does not run (or is not being installed on) a majority of the Android handsets. If true, who cares how long it has been out or what features it allows?

So, my questions 1 and 1a still stand.

MotionMan
Click to expand...

The real question is does getting a new version number count as an upgrade when the device never sees the primary features of that new update.
 
Red Storm

Red Storm

Lifer
Oct 2, 2005
14,233
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What irks me about this thread is that the OP comes off as if asking "Why aren't you using iOS?"

What is iOS missing? It's not Android, that is what it's missing (for me).
 
poofyhairguy

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
ChAoTiCpInOy said:
And isn't that a problem? Even without the new features of every update, there are security updates and patches that are in there also. This is a huge problem that people don't need to be more vocal about.
Click to expand...

Many phones get security updates for older versions when needed, often times after a new version has been on the market for a while. The only real thing users are missing are new features with a new version, which is something the new version might not bring for the user's own sake (like the SGS2).

Android's change from GB to ICS is so large that it actually creates a liability- if every user was using stock Android and they experienced the huge jump randomly one night they would wake up pissed their phone (which took them months to figure out) is now different. Every iOS update is very similar in function to the previous one and so you don't have to deal with that learning curve.

If anything the fact that Android phones don't get updated is what has allowed Android to catch up to iOS on many things. If Google was stuck making the updates work on 3GS-level hardware, or they couldn't do major UI improvements because that would be "too different" for regular users, then Android wouldn't be where it is today. Just like OSX vs Windows last decade.

For most users who want updated Android the solution is a new phone. Then when it is all different you expect that. For users that can deal with the learning curve and who want the updates, Google makes a Nexus for you.
 
jpeyton

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
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Aug 23, 2003
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MotionMan said:
The discussion now seems to have more to do with which OS (and which features) will run on which hardware.
Click to expand...
Why, because you said so?
ICS was released last year, but I have read that it does not run (or is not being installed on) a majority of the Android handsets. If true, who cares how long it has been out or what features it allows?
Click to expand...
If I'm buying a smartphone, why would I care about what percentage of existing users can upgrade to the latest OS? I certainly don't care, because I'm buying the latest and greatest.

If I was building a PC today, why would I care how many existing PC users can upgrade to Windows 7?

I applaud Google for not developing Android for the lowest common denominator. That means Android's feature-set is going to ramp-up as quickly as the mobile technology behind it.

When iOS first came out, it was years ahead of the mobile OS competition. Now after a few years of Apple slowly releasing iOS revisions that support legacy devices, they aren't the head-of-the-class anymore.
 
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MotionMan

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,124
12
81
Puddle Jumper said:
The real question is does getting a new version number count as an upgrade when the device never sees the primary features of that new update.
Click to expand...

Let's see if we can move the discussion forward:

1. What percentage of Android phones do not still, or never will, get ICS?
1a. What percentage of iPhones/iPod Touches will never get any flavor of iOS 6?

MotionMan
 
P

Puddle Jumper

Platinum Member
Nov 4, 2009
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MotionMan said:
Let's see if we can move the discussion forward:

1. What percentage of Android phones do not still, or never will, get ICS?
1a. What percentage of iPhones/iPod Touches will never get any flavor of iOS 6?

MotionMan
Click to expand...

So you are implying that getting a new iOS version number is the same as a complete ICS upgrade?
 
cheezy321

cheezy321

Diamond Member
Dec 31, 2003
6,218
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jpeyton said:
Why, because you said so?

If I'm buying a smartphone, why would I care about what percentage of existing users can upgrade to the latest OS? I certainly don't care, because I'm buying the latest and greatest.

If I was building a PC today, why would I care how many existing PC users can upgrade to Windows 7?

I applaud Google for not developing Android for the lowest common denominator. That means Android's feature-set is going to ramp-up as quickly as the mobile technology behind it.

When iOS first came out, it was years ahead of the mobile OS competition. Now after a few years of Apple slowly releasing iOS revisions that support legacy devices, they aren't the head-of-the-class anymore.
Click to expand...

If you are buying a smartphone with a 2 year contract you sure as hell should care about how well you will be taken care of when it comes to OS updates during that 2 year commitment. We should take a look back at android phones from 2 years ago vs. the iPhone 4.
 
jpeyton

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
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Aug 23, 2003
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cheezy321 said:
If you are buying a smartphone with a 2 year contract you sure as hell should care about how well you will be taken care of when it comes to OS updates during that 2 year commitment. We should take a look back at android phones from 2 years ago vs. the iPhone 4.
Click to expand...
I would rather Google not develop Android for 2-year-old hardware, especially at the rate hardware is advancing on the mobile front. We've gone from single-core CPUs with 256MB RAM to quad-core CPUs with 1GB RAM in the span of 2 years.

Apple developing iOS for legacy hardware is exactly why they got leapfrogged on the mobile OS front in the first place.
 
jpeyton

jpeyton

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Ns1 said:
If ICS came out in October 2011 why is the adoption rate still in the single digits?
Click to expand...
HDTV was first broadcast in the US in 1996; in 2010, 14 years later, the adoption rate was still only at 50%.

Should we halt all technological innovation while we wait for the mainstream public to play catch-up?
 
poofyhairguy

poofyhairguy

Lifer
Nov 20, 2005
14,612
318
126
cheezy321 said:
If you are buying a smartphone with a 2 year contract you sure as hell should care about how well you will be taken care of when it comes to OS updates during that 2 year commitment.
Click to expand...

Why so?

In the history of cell phones (not even smartphones) iOS's ability to update easily is something no other phone platform has offered. Given the millions of cell phones sold, and the fact that Android is the top platform by volume despite this "flaw", it seems that the average consumer doesn't care that their phone gets updated. If anything, the market shows that consumers are willing to trade updatability for other features such as lower upfront cost, LTE compatibility, etc.

For every user on this forum that has a non-locked Android phone they have the ability to upgrade it themselves. So who gets screwed?

People who know and care about upgrades - Can get it
People who don't know anything about Android upgrades - Get to keep the software they are comfortable with

I have never met an iPhone/iPad user who brags about what version of iOS they have. in fact I have encountered quite the opposite- people who purposefully hold onto older versions of iOS to maintain jailbreaks (like my wife's iPad running iOS 4.X).

iPhone/iPad users brag about their apps, not their OS. The fact that people clung to Windows XP for years shows that people don't really care for OS updates as long as they apps they want work.
 
jpeyton

jpeyton

Moderator in SFF, Notebooks, Pre-Built/Barebones
Moderator
Aug 23, 2003
25,375
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cheezy321 said:
2 pop up ads, spam all over the page, horribly written. Am I supposed to take this seriously?
Click to expand...
Versus taking seriously the guy who doesn't know what a pop-up blocker is? Are you still on IE6?
 
MotionMan

MotionMan

Lifer
Jan 11, 2006
17,124
12
81
jpeyton said:
HDTV was first broadcast in the US in 1996; in 2010, 14 years later, the adoption rate was still only at 50%.

Should we halt all technological innovation while we wait for the mainstream public to play catch-up?
Click to expand...

What is the adoption rate of iOS5 (released October 2011)?

MotionMan
 
Ns1

Ns1

No Lifer
Jun 17, 2001
55,420
1,600
126
jpeyton said:
Hey guys, this isn't a troll/flame post, but check this out:

Five Disappointments Of iOS 6
Click to expand...

WTF does this even mean?

5. We’re stuck with it for at least another 18 months

Using a device that’s no longer ahead of its time, boring or no better than competitors isn’t easy in our times, but knowing that it won’t change for another 18 months is torture. Even if Apple released a new iPhone in the fall, which runs iOS 6 with some minor enhancements, nobody can switch phones every couple of months in this economy. Apple has slowly pushed users into adopting newer hardware just to get this new feature or that one, and it’s really not a good way to drive additional loyalty towards the platform.
Click to expand...

If I'm stuck with a phone for the next 18 months I expect timely updates until my phone has reached EOL. I don't know wtf that reviewer is smoking, but it sure drives brand loyalty for me.
 
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