Are they ever going to release ICS for LTE

[rlconklin]

Yes, that's exactly how the real world works. I'd be interested in hearing the details of some of those experiences to the contrary.

These are separate autonomous businesses. What you are suggesting is Google should somehow have the authority to force companies to spend money and take on liabilities. No business in their right mind would allow that.

Are you honestly trying to say Google has the expertise and experience to tell Samsung how to make money selling cell phones?

Google simply licenses the OS to manufacturers. Google provides support to those manufacturers, but they don't/can't stick their fingers in their business. What business would ever give up control of their own expenditures/liabilities, simply because they licensed some software?

Android is so popular because it's a powerful OS, easily licensed and easily implemented. If Android had the liability tail you propose, none of us would even know about Android... it would be a non-starter for any business in their right mind.

The blame for any lack of support rests squarely on the manufacturer and the carrier. I'm not sure which one deserves the most blame. I think it might be Verizon, but there's no way to tell.

Google is definitely out of it. If you are going to blame Google, you may as well blame your mother too, because she is doing nothing to force Motorola and Verizon to fix this situation. How dare she sit there and do absolutely nothing!!! ;-)

Actually, you are incorrect, they are not separate companies, Google now owns Mortorola.

 

[Maikai.Guy]

Actually, you are incorrect, they are not separate companies, Google now owns Mortorola.

I was responding to ericbergan's comments that Google needs to hold vendors and carriers accountable. My comments were for the entire industry, not just Motorola. But with regards to your comments on Google and Motorola...

Google does not own Motorola yet. The deal has been approved by the US, but these things can take quite a bit of time. Once the deal goes through to closure, I'll agree with you. Google will be able to hold Motorola accountable and force them to provide an appropriate level of support.

If another debacle like the 4G XOOM ICS update occurs again, feel free to rip Google a new one, but until then, it's not Google's fault.

 

[ericbergan]

Google is definitely out of it. If you are going to blame Google, you may as well blame your mother too, because she is doing nothing to force Motorola and Verizon to fix this situation. How dare she sit there and do absolutely nothing!!! ;-)

I didn't say force, I said incent - i.e. pay them, give them a piece of the ad revenue, give them early access to future updates versus their compeitors, whatever. Otherwise, there is no reason for Motorola, Verizon, Samsung, AT&T, etc. to push and support updates. It's a lot of cost to them and no additional revenue.

eric

 

[Sock-Monkey Pete]

What's ICS? is it that thing that's been on my phone since December, and the other Xoom's since January?

I must in a state of repression/denial like Googlerola

 

[Maikai.Guy]

I didn't say force, I said incent - i.e. pay them, give them a piece of the ad revenue, give them early access to future updates versus their compeitors, whatever. Otherwise, there is no reason for Motorola, Verizon, Samsung, AT&T, etc. to push and support updates. It's a lot of cost to them and no additional revenue.

eric

So... Google should pay the phone vendors to support their own phones? I don't like that idea at all. Which phone vendors do they support? All of them? How much will they pay? Unless it's 100% funding for the effort, you better still expect companies to orphan fairly new phones that haven't done well.

And where is this all this money coming from? It has to come from somewhere. Google isn't the US Government. ;-)

And what exactly does Google get out of this? Activations are up to 850K per day and growing like a weed.

 

[mloebl]

Hot off the presses:
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/04/1...eed&utm_campaign=Feed:+DroidLife+(droid+life)

-Mike

 

[p08757]

Hot off the presses:
http://www.droid-life.com/2012/04/1...eed&utm_campaign=Feed:+DroidLife+(droid+life)

-Mike

Keeping my fingers crossed for a 4/23 release!

 

[ericbergan]

So... Google should pay the phone vendors to support their own phones? I don't like that idea at all. Which phone vendors do they support? All of them? How much will they pay? Unless it's 100% funding for the effort, you better still expect companies to orphan fairly new phones that haven't done well.

And where is this all this money coming from? It has to come from somewhere. Google isn't the US Government. ;-)

And what exactly does Google get out of this? Activations are up to 850K per day and growing like a weed.

Why would the phone vendor want to update the software on their phone? It's not going to generate any more money for them, in fact, they want to encourage you to buy a new phone with the latest software/goodies on it.

Why would the carrier want to update the software on your phone? It's not going to make you pay them any more.

In both cases you could argue that it helps generate customer loyalty, but they are going to balance that against the cost of pushing out the upgrade, and the fact that they are basically in a commodity market where they are trying to keep costs/prices down.

Why would Google want to update the software on your phone? Because they are in a fight with Apple and MS to control the universe, and to then be able to sell ads. But you're right, activations are running high, so it may not be worth it to them, either.

So don't count on seeing many upgrades - no one has a good business reason to do them...

eric

 

[Maikai.Guy]

Why would the phone vendor want to update the software on their phone? It's not going to generate any more money for them, in fact, they want to encourage you to buy a new phone with the latest software/goodies on it.

Why would the carrier want to update the software on your phone? It's not going to make you pay them any more.

In both cases you could argue that it helps generate customer loyalty, but they are going to balance that against the cost of pushing out the upgrade, and the fact that they are basically in a commodity market where they are trying to keep costs/prices down.

I don't agree with your reasoning here. I think vendors and carriers have a good business reason to support their products and they will eventually suffer if they don't.

Because it's a product they make and sell. Typically, vendors support their products. Why would Dell or HP or [fill in the blank] support their products after they are bought? Why would anyone? It is to create value for their brand.

Same goes for the carrier. They need to support firmware upgrades on devices from the manufacturers. Phones get updated all the time for all sorts of reasons. Upgrading to the next version of Android is just one of them. It also creates value for their brand.

An immediate example of this is outrage some people are showing at Motorola and Verizon for the lack of ICS on the 4G XOOM. How many customers do you think they have lost due to this? I'd say quite a few.

I work with people in sales. One guy told me of the "law of 250." It essentially says if you really piss someone off, they will tell a bunch of people. And since bad news tends to travel, they tell a bunch of people. Eventually, on average, 250 people will have heard the bad news about one person being let down and pissed off. The story seems anecdotal, but I believe it.

Why would Google want to update the software on your phone? Because they are in a fight with Apple and MS to control the universe, and to then be able to sell ads. But you're right, activations are running high, so it may not be worth it to them, either.

So don't count on seeing many upgrades - no one has a good business reason to do them...

eric

I do think Google wants Android products to be upgraded. They've tried to put together a program with vendors to do just that and announced last year. It's gone nowhere.

IMHO, there's just so much Google can do. I don't believe they could or should shell out the kind of money it would take to incentivize these vendors to upgrade their devices.

 

[richdroidx]

how I look at it is.... If all these devices software/os got upgraded consistently then the newer devices wouldn't sell as much as they do. Yet people still chase and spend money on the latest and greatest devices out there primarily because of the lack of support for their devices. I think it's done purposesly as all carriers usually after 12 months if even that long stop updating there devices. Had a DROID x and loveddddd it. Can't remember the last update I saw for it. But if it was running ics and software was updated I'd be still using now. Good battery life updated os screen size good etc. I think that's what they're afraid of. The majority of people hanging on to their "old" phones longer with consistent updates vs few updates and "outdated" phones being replaced by new "updated" devices. Just like the car business. A new engine comes out they don't call you and say let's put the new engine in your old car. They stop advertising the old and sell you the improvements of the new engine. I'd love a 370z motor in my 350z. But that's just not how it goes. We just gotta spend our money to stay updated. Period!