I'm growing increasingly tired of the "No LTE = Fail" discussion about the Nexus 4.
Listen, the absence of an LTE radio means that Google is trying to make software updates less of a hassle. At no point in the history of Android based smartphones on US carriers has a non-Nexus gotten a software update within days after an announcement of a new version being made available. Guess why the GSM Unlocked Nexus doesn't have a problem? Its not up to the carriers, its up to Google! Guess what happens when you put carrier specific LTE radios in a phone? Its now up to the carriers!
We here in America live our cellular lives by rules controlled by carriers, greedy, selfish, controlling carriers. They don't want to play nice with anyone that tries to make a universal phone, including Apple and Google. There are even multiple SKUs of iPhones! Their reasoning has to be something like this: "lets make our customers buy a phone that is only good on our network that way when they want to leave us, they can't use that phone on our competitor's network." They each own their own little space in the radio frequency spectrum. They don't want to share it, they paid big bucks for it and no other carrier is willing to share with them so why share their own. And by living this way, the carriers want to control the radios (and in turn, the software running those radios) that can access their network.
By having 4 major carriers, each having their own radio frequencies for their LTE networks, it makes phone manufactures have to choose one of 3 choices:
1. A single, super phone SKU: Invent a super radio that can work with every carriers' LTE, GSM AND CDMA networks, being capable of accessing any number of radio frequencies. This would likely make every software update for the phone be tested by ALL carriers that this phone can access. You think its bad now when just Verizon has to test their Galaxy Nexus's software updates... Image if Verizon + AT&T + Sprint + T-Mobile + every other carrier have to test and give their OK to even the smallest of updates. In short, updates would be 6+ months behind; we'd all be running Froyo still. Also, could you imagine how expensive such a device would be? I'm guessing $800+ off contract / $400+ on contract. That's 64GB iPhone prices... Go to your local BestBuy and ask how well those sell vs the cheaper iPhones...
2. Multiple SKUs, one for each carrier's LTE spectrum in addition to a GSM-only phone: This is what happened with the Galaxy Nexus. I don't need to repeat how much of a software update nightmare the Sprint and Verizon Galaxy Nexuses (or is it Nexi?) are. I have one, I know how crappy it is. Samsung also did this with the Galaxy S3. Guess what is going on with updates on those phones? Sprint is the ONLY US carrier to release their S3 Jelly Bean update to date. Now tell me, when was Jelly Bean announced again? July?
3. Create a GSM unlocked phone (for a really good price) and call it a day. Yes, it leaves out CDMA carriers. I'm assuming that Sprint + Verizon subscribers is roughly half of all smartphone users in America; leaving that half out isn't good, I agree. However, this is the only option Google has if it wants to maintain control of its Nexus line of smartphones. By doing either of the other two options, it is no longer Nexus and the Galaxy Nexus might as well have been called Galaxy S2.5.
I personally use a Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Yes, its unlocked, rooted and flashed with a non-Stock ROM so I don't care about the lack of software updates but I shouldn't HAVE to do this on a Nexus. I'm going to be purchasing a Nexus 4 and moving to a pre-paid GSM plan, I'm done paying $90 / month for LTE when everywhere I go I have 20+ mbps internet available via Wifi. $45 / month cell phone service here I come!
It comes down to one simple fact... No LTE Radio = Google Controlled Updates = Faster Updates = Better Nexus Experience.
If you want to get upset at someone with why LTE radios aren't included in the Nexus 4, maybe you should call your carrier and tell them to stop mandating control of updates. Don't blame Google for something Google can't fix.
Sure, I wish that I could have a Nexus 4 LTE that is still given updates directly by Google but at this stage in LTE's life, that's just not possible. And given the choice between LTE and timely updates, I choose the later... If LTE is your cup of tea, I hear that the Galaxy S3 line is great this time of year...
Listen, the absence of an LTE radio means that Google is trying to make software updates less of a hassle. At no point in the history of Android based smartphones on US carriers has a non-Nexus gotten a software update within days after an announcement of a new version being made available. Guess why the GSM Unlocked Nexus doesn't have a problem? Its not up to the carriers, its up to Google! Guess what happens when you put carrier specific LTE radios in a phone? Its now up to the carriers!
We here in America live our cellular lives by rules controlled by carriers, greedy, selfish, controlling carriers. They don't want to play nice with anyone that tries to make a universal phone, including Apple and Google. There are even multiple SKUs of iPhones! Their reasoning has to be something like this: "lets make our customers buy a phone that is only good on our network that way when they want to leave us, they can't use that phone on our competitor's network." They each own their own little space in the radio frequency spectrum. They don't want to share it, they paid big bucks for it and no other carrier is willing to share with them so why share their own. And by living this way, the carriers want to control the radios (and in turn, the software running those radios) that can access their network.
By having 4 major carriers, each having their own radio frequencies for their LTE networks, it makes phone manufactures have to choose one of 3 choices:
1. A single, super phone SKU: Invent a super radio that can work with every carriers' LTE, GSM AND CDMA networks, being capable of accessing any number of radio frequencies. This would likely make every software update for the phone be tested by ALL carriers that this phone can access. You think its bad now when just Verizon has to test their Galaxy Nexus's software updates... Image if Verizon + AT&T + Sprint + T-Mobile + every other carrier have to test and give their OK to even the smallest of updates. In short, updates would be 6+ months behind; we'd all be running Froyo still. Also, could you imagine how expensive such a device would be? I'm guessing $800+ off contract / $400+ on contract. That's 64GB iPhone prices... Go to your local BestBuy and ask how well those sell vs the cheaper iPhones...
2. Multiple SKUs, one for each carrier's LTE spectrum in addition to a GSM-only phone: This is what happened with the Galaxy Nexus. I don't need to repeat how much of a software update nightmare the Sprint and Verizon Galaxy Nexuses (or is it Nexi?) are. I have one, I know how crappy it is. Samsung also did this with the Galaxy S3. Guess what is going on with updates on those phones? Sprint is the ONLY US carrier to release their S3 Jelly Bean update to date. Now tell me, when was Jelly Bean announced again? July?
3. Create a GSM unlocked phone (for a really good price) and call it a day. Yes, it leaves out CDMA carriers. I'm assuming that Sprint + Verizon subscribers is roughly half of all smartphone users in America; leaving that half out isn't good, I agree. However, this is the only option Google has if it wants to maintain control of its Nexus line of smartphones. By doing either of the other two options, it is no longer Nexus and the Galaxy Nexus might as well have been called Galaxy S2.5.
I personally use a Verizon Galaxy Nexus. Yes, its unlocked, rooted and flashed with a non-Stock ROM so I don't care about the lack of software updates but I shouldn't HAVE to do this on a Nexus. I'm going to be purchasing a Nexus 4 and moving to a pre-paid GSM plan, I'm done paying $90 / month for LTE when everywhere I go I have 20+ mbps internet available via Wifi. $45 / month cell phone service here I come!
It comes down to one simple fact... No LTE Radio = Google Controlled Updates = Faster Updates = Better Nexus Experience.
If you want to get upset at someone with why LTE radios aren't included in the Nexus 4, maybe you should call your carrier and tell them to stop mandating control of updates. Don't blame Google for something Google can't fix.
Sure, I wish that I could have a Nexus 4 LTE that is still given updates directly by Google but at this stage in LTE's life, that's just not possible. And given the choice between LTE and timely updates, I choose the later... If LTE is your cup of tea, I hear that the Galaxy S3 line is great this time of year...
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