Google update alliance is dead

[Timelessblur]

Is it just me or is that so called alliances they promised from google IO dead.
Noticed a huge lack of phones that fall in the promised 18 months and after google IO not being promised updates.

Google really should do something or start being called out on the massive empty promise.
Sent from my rooted Atrix using Tapatalk.

[3rdpig]

It's impossible IMO with the disparity of android devices. The so called "fragmentation" that everyone harps about is what Google wants and it makes across the board updates impossible. Updates have to come from the manufacturers and Google doesn't have a big enough club to wield over other large corporations to force them into keeping last years devices updated, and they wouldn't wield such a club if they had one.

They should try to get the phone and tablet manufacturers on board, but the best way is to get consumers on board. But how well has that worked out? Samsung is probably the slowest with updates and it sure hasn't been obvious in their sales numbers.

Sorry, but it's pie in the sky, it's not going to happen. After a year you're on your own.

[Paul627g]

Regardless of the deal that Google set forth about the 18 month supported update window I think what many of the manufactures are running into is they can't get the newer OS's on some of these devices as they originally thought. Not because it can't handle them CPU speaking but due to memory issues because of the UI overlays that the carrier and manufactures insist on having.

These UI's like Touchwiz or Sense, etc all eat up valuable space and resources and I think this could be the problem of why many devices are slow to get updated or don't get updates at all.... It took a great deal of time for Samsung to get Gingerbread on its Galaxy S line due to Touchwiz and other issues and its still not a very impressive update. Many have commented they would of rather just stayed on Froyo.

We are already seeing blogs and articles about this concerning ICS updates for some devices not originally scheduled to receive the ICS upgrade. Its coming down to the space issues due to the UI overlays...

Just one thought.. I'm sure there is more to it...

[Timelessblur]

I just feel that this update alliance that Google made such a huge deal about in May was nothing but words.

It was empty promises. Google is in the process of gaining a great weapon to push companies to do updates instead of drop support. That weapon is Motorola. Google should use them to set an example of a reasonable amount of time for an update (2-3 months MAX).

The gingerbread update of the Galaxy S was a joke and really was insane in the amount of time that it took to do it.

I just find it sad that the bloggers and the media are not holding Google and the manufactures feet to the fire demanding answers on this empty promise of the update alliance. I feel it should be something that they need to ask Google and the manufactures all the time.

[bigcatman]

Apple really has an advantage over Google in the sense that they're the only ones to make the device. If these android oems ditched their ui's, it would turn into a hardware pissing match and all of the devices would look the same software wise. Where's the edge? The individuality? Do we really want the shade of gray that is aosp? Android would be a lonely place without the innovative features these oems create.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

[kharrigan]

Has everyone forgotten Android is successful regardless of the fragmentation? Its basically irrelevant. Buy an new phone if you want the latest OS.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

[PaulDroidR2D2]

Originally Posted by Timelessblur

Is it just me or is that so called alliances they promised from google IO dead.
Noticed a huge lack of phones that fall in the promised 18 months and after google IO not being promised updates.

Google really should do something or start being called out on the massive empty promise.
Sent from my rooted Atrix using Tapatalk.

In my opinion it was a PR stunt that was never real or authentic. Companies like Motorola are too busy releasing virtually the same phone every couple of months.

Sent from one of the following: Galaxy Nexus, Bionic or Xoom using Tapatalk.

[PaulDroidR2D2]

Originally Posted by kharrigan

Has everyone forgotten Android is successful regardless of the fragmentation? Its basically irrelevant. Buy an new phone if you want the latest OS.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus

Right now there is only one phone with the latest OS.

Sent from one of the following: Galaxy Nexus, Bionic or Xoom using Tapatalk.

[twalkbox]

I'm going to throw a wild suggestion out there... Android developers are doing too good a job at supporting the different OS versions out there and I think that is actually propping up fragmentation.

I know some people who've bought Android handsets that don't know anything about OS updates or don't really think much of it - example, I told a colleague that 2.3 was available on their SE X10 but they didn't even bother with the upgrade at all in the end. I'm guessing the reason would be that their phone still works; that they are still able to use it day-to-day how they normally use it. In other words, they hadn't noticed any negative impact on their user experience. That's not surprising since the OEMs and carriers (generally?) don't go out of their way - like sending text messages or notifications direct to the phone - to make sure owners know about upgrades. So most people who aren't interested in tech (they just want a device that works and does various things) end up using their phones like smarter feature phones. That is, they just buy an Android phone, download apps, use phone and said apps and when they're done with the 2 year carrier contract, look for the next one.

Having said that, I'd wager that slowly but surely people will catch up and come to understand the importance of having an up-to-date OS on their smartphone. Sure the Android ecosystem continues to grow at an insane speed but I think that growth has come on the back of many first time smartphone adopters. So while it might look like fragmentation hasn't hurt Android, one has to wonder how much longer that will continue to be the case before the market matures and people wise-up to the poor upgrade practices the OEMs and carriers have been guilty of to date. At some point, the 'weight' of fragmentation will be too much for even the best app developers to handle (if they don't start giving up on older Android versions) and people will wonder why their 1 year old phone doesn't run the apps they've updated like they used to and learn that it's because their stuck on an old OS.

I can personally cite having had Google Maps crash/freeze my Defy many many times - imagine that, an Android phone (stock or OEM-bastardised regardless) not being able to run Goolge Maps! - because Motorola can't be bothered to upgrade it beyond Froyo, let alone provide a bug fix (thankfully Google have at times done something at their end to patch the issue though I'm never sure whether I should update it with each new release that comes out). Instead, Motorola see fit to release 'new' Defy's that run Gingerbread: the 'higher spec' Defy+ and even a lower spec Defy Mini... but I digress! Dont' even get me going on Google's yet to be completed buyout of Motorola!!

Why don't I just buy a Google Nexus? I don't appreciate how Google has done little to really address this issue and how the fragmentation that produces just plays into their hands. Right now, I'm holding fire on my second smartphone and first tablet purchase until more (concrete) details emerge about the next iPhone, Windows Phone Apollo, and by that time, Jelly Bean and how the OEMs have gone with their promised ICS upgrade schedules. Yep... I hope my Defy and the apps I've installed hold out until then.

PS - I'm not holding out much hope for Android given Eric Schmidt recently played down fragmentation at CES as mere 'differentiation'.

[mikeisnowonfire]

I really loved the idea of the update alliance when it was first announced, but then I realized something: what can Google actually do about it? On top of all the technical issues that surround this problem, I realized Google has no power to force this issue. But this is an issue. Too many phone manufacturers put out their phones and put little to no work into them (I'm looking at you HTC). The one thing I didn't realize when switching from webOS was how little work and updates some of these phone makers put into their phones.

(I know it isn't a fair comparison to cross operating systems, and I don't mean it in that way)