“Android started as an immature mobile platform designed to handle smartphones. Google has added functionality to Android so it now handles tablets in addition to handling smartphones much better than that first version,” James Kendrick writes for ZDNet. “Unfortunately, the growth of the platform has magnified a horrible update problem to the point that every update seems to break as much as it improves.”
“Google brought smooth operation to the platform at long last [with Nexus 7]. Typical tablet operations such as scrolling was clearly better on the Nexus 7 than on any other Android tablet,” Kendrick writes. “”
MacDailyNews Take: They just got “smooth scrolling” and they’re (momentarily) happy about it. Thank you, sir, may I have another and track me 24/7 while you’re at it, too, please!
Kendrick writes, “That only lasted a few months as Google pushed an update to the Nexus 7 that broke the smooth operation affecting all aspects of the tablet’s performance. Scrolling is herky-jerky in all apps and for general system operation. The biggest improvement in Android since its inception has been broken by Google.”
MacDailyNews Take: What’s the problem? Google was simply returning Fragmandroid settlers back to what they’re so obviously used to: staccato performance.
“It was so bad that Google had to push out a quick update designed to fix the other update. Some Nexus 7 owners are happy to get smooth operation back but I’m not one of them. My Nexus 7 is still exhibiting laggy operation across the board. I’m not alone as I’ve heard from quite a few others in the same situation,” Kendrick writes. “Some Nexus 7 owners have inherited other problems with the last update on top of the performance issues. I’ve heard from a number of owners who are experiencing multiple system reboots daily since the last Nexus 7 update.”
MacDailyNews Take: Dear Misguided Masochist: You should’ve bought an iPad mini; bigger screen, far better battery life, and smooth, smooth scrolling. Like buttah!
Kendrick writes, “Hopefully Google will push out another Nexus 7 update to fix the update that didn’t fix the other update.”
MacDailyNews Take: An oldie, but a goodie:
As we’re fond of saying, if you’re finally tired of downloading and installing patches to patch patches that patched patches issued to fix patches that broke while patching a patch that didn’t patch the first patch, but broke the last patch you patched, you might want to try
a Mac[an iPad mini] instead. — MacDailyNews, August 3, 2004Jobs, did we really write that over eight years ago?! Ah, well, the circle of life: Apple wannabes wasting the time, money, and patience of the ignoranti, the stupid, and the cheap. Same as it ever was.
Kendrick writes, “If Google can’t get Android updates right what chance do its partners have to get them right for their own devices? We often hear horror stories about delays of updates or updates that break things as happened on the Nexus 7. It’s clear that Android is incredibly difficult to maintain properly… Android is too complex for Google to maintain properly. It’s to the point that installing an Android update is a crap shoot that may break functionality or adversely affect performance.”
MacDailyNews Take: Hey, Jimmie, how’s your battery life? (smirk)
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: It is to laugh.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Edward W.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Millennial Media: iPad mini is a game changer, must have gift’ of the year; impressions grew 28% per day in November – December 10, 2012
VentureBeat reviews Apple’s iPad mini: The best iPad ever and the best tablet on the market – November 16, 2012
InfoWorld reviews Apple’s iPad mini: Far superior; outclasses Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD, Google Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 – November 6, 2012
Thurrott reviews Apple iPod touch and iPad mini: ‘demonstrably better than the competition; incredibly desirable tech devices’ – November 6, 2012
Ars Technica reviews Apple’s iPad mini: You’ll find yourself reaching for it over a full-sized iPad with Retina display – November 6, 2012
24 hours with Apple’s iPad mini: This is the real iPad – November 6, 2012
Why I just dumped my iPad 3 for iPad mini – November 5, 2012
DisplayMate: Apple’s iPad mini offers ‘just a very capable display’ – November 5, 2012
Apple’s iPad mini and ultra-mobile computing – November 5, 2012
Demand for Apple’s new iPad mini is huge – November 5, 2012
The Register reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘The tablet even Apple anti-fans won’t be able to leave alone’ – November 5, 2012
Apple sells three million iPads in three days; double previous first weekend sales – November 5, 2012
The Independent reviews Apple’s iPad mini: High-end gadget is worth the price – October 31, 2012
CNET reviews Apple’s iPad mini: The new standard for little-tablet design – October 31, 2012
NYT’s Pogue reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘All the iPad goodness in a more manageable size; it’s awesome’ – October 31, 2012
USA Today’s Baig reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘A splendid choice; terrific for reading, watching movies and playing games’ – October 31, 2012
Mossberg reviews Apple’s iPad mini: ‘An impressive feat; the perfect solution’ – October 31, 2012
This is what happens when you don’t come up with your own ideas- it happened to Microsoft (still happening), and it will, and is happening to Google.
Google is just so darned incompetent, I don’t think they’ll ever amount to much.
Android users are like those crazy fools you find living under the underpass. They’re mumbling to themselves because their tablets don’t work expecting that things will look up in the future. Those crazies just don’t learn that they’re not Google’s customers. They’re the pipe through which the Google crack is fed.
Don’t know what you talk bro.
My tablet works just fine under de overpass as long as my chalk don break.
Ouch!!!
Hey MDN, do you use bones and shells to make your predictions? Because that was scary accurate!
Just plain obvious. I predicted that iTunes would take over the world back in 2002. That was before MP3s were hot and nobody knew was an MP4 was. Those that believe in Apple know why Apple is excelling on so many fronts.
That was *when* MP3s were hot…. grrr.
How cool! Any thoughts on the Mayan calendar? I presume they could not complete it because they did not have Apple inc. products then.
They Mayans were beta testing Android Balché
When they dig up the bones of Surface & Android users in a thousand years time scientists will assume that the orchestrated crashfest regularly endured by these unfortunates led to a mass suicide event or something. Only so much crap you can take in a lifetime etc etc…
Probably conclude that survival of the fittest left all the happy Apple users to rule the earth – the age of true enlightenment beckons…
Non-physical torture techniques secretly planned by the government. You drive yourself insane without even knowing it was all part of the plan . . . .
“Hopefully Google will push out another Nexus 7 update to fix the update that didn’t fix the other update.”
How stupid you have to be in order to buy this kind of low quality products?
It is like the girlfriend that waits for her boyfriend to stop beating her or stop drinking and never realize she can dump her when ever she wants.
The sad part is millions of people will accept these Android-based devices as cool, wicked, fast, smooth, functional, smart, neato, and generally good enough. That will keep Android alive.
And if you believe everything you see on TV, you’ll want to trade in your Honda or Toyota for a Ford. yeah, right. Touch phones, make percussion sounds trying to stand up your surface. Then what?….
No, Google is based on search. They deployed Android to compete with a Blackberry. Then the iPhone came out and wiped androids copy of Blackberry off the Map. Then they bolted on the touch interface to it. Now tinkering with it is more art than science. Googles core is search and has yet to fully understand the concept of OS development, security, and stability. Maybe when they choose to break Android and rebuild it from the ground up to be like Apples model will it work. Then again, it will break every other company as well.
Looks like Google will be deciding which foot to shoot.
That is what happens when you don’t want to pay the alleged Apple “tax”.
Glad to see the Talking Heads link. Same as it ever was!
Sounds like the pot is calling the kettle black here. I have personally had lots off issues with iOS 6 on my iPad. Basically have to reboot every time I want to update apps because the iTunes App Store freezes and apps never download. Battery life has gone down the drain as well. Family members who got iPhone 5’s are dealing with devices that don’t notify on incoming emails and calls (problems persisted even apple replaced phone).
Google sucks, Microsoft sucks and Apple is no different either…
Troll alert.
I’m an iFan my self, but he’s right. I have problems with my iphone 5 once or twice a month… A simple reboot fixes it…
I remember my android days would require daily reboots, some problems couldn’t be fixed without rooting, and rooting caused other problems in it of it self…. it got old fast, and that’s because I LIKE to tinker…
I know a 11 year old who might be able to help you out. Her iPad rocks.
Nevermind.. she read what you wrote and doesn’t want to help.
But remember, Android only has to serve us until Chrome, Chrome Books and web apps take over the world.
Any day now…
I have an iPhone 4 and a Nexus 7. The 4.2 and 4.2.1 update did cause issues. However, its not entirely the OS. Google currents was causing a problem and HD WIdgets. The lag did get bad but is now much better. Swift key 3 caused lag issues too. However, Google Now is pretty cool. Maps blows iOS out of the water. The dictation is excellent. The ios ui is more consistent and smoother though. The flipside on android is the customization. I’m glad I have both. I wouldn’t trade the Nexus for an iPad mini, if it had a better CPU and retina screen, maybe.
Inconsistent analysis. What you see is what you get.
Strange that all the people I know (about 5) who have an Android phone really want an iPhone!
lol then you know some strange people…i keep hearing that same old song and dance “all my friends with androids want iphones”….this isnt 2007 anymore get with the times..android is a good operating system now with cutting edge tech
I can understand why people who bought a new device would be upset at stuttering and laggy performance.
Those sort of behaviors in a new device is unacceptable.
(cough) retina macbook pro (cough)
“multiple system reboots daily”
And all the hype and complaining about Apple Maps dwarfs this? Seriously? At least I don’t have to reboot daily just to use Maps.
Wow…I have never stumbled on such a one sided debate. I have been a long time iOS user but jumped to Android when I got tired of the whole walled garden. I am not saying Android is perfect, but I have not had any of the problems described in the article or comments. Maybe the author is right that Android is getting very complex,but I don’t see the problem. Maybe the user experience will suffer. Maybe not. Either way, it seems like a risk worth taking to keep innovation alive.
I was just searching for the method to run Whatsapp on Nexus 7 and landed here.
No surprises, apple users here are gonna bash Google/Android only.
Android and iOS are both good platforms. It only depends upon your usage, likeness etc. which platform you’re going to use!
Come on you Macheads.. Get a life and enjoy your iDevices and stop bashing Android!
Wow. Iv’e found it. I’ve found literally the most biased, one-sided, BRAINWASHED group of people to ever form and partake in a website on the internet. Everyone here has been fucked so hard in the head by Apple, they have their create own community where their beliefs are reflected off of each other so often they start thinking they are true. I swear, if Apple came out told you idiots to muder your family, you’d all do it. Get over yourselves. Try thinking with your own brains and not someone else’s for a change. “Coolfactor” gets a middle finger from me personally.