“As is the case with most other alternative smartphone platforms, Android users appear to often remain stuck with the firmware version their phone shipped with originally,” McLean reports. “This is primarily due to fragmentation problems that require the hardware maker, software platform vendor, and the mobile provider to work together to create and deliver custom updates for each model.”
McLean reports, “According to Android OS ad traffic figures published by AdMob, there was an initial migration from Android 1.5 ‘Cupcake’ to 1.6 ‘Donut’ last fall, followed by another shift to Android 2.x ‘Eclair’ during the holiday season. But rather than being the result of user’s software upgrade cycles, it appears that the shifts were largely the result of new hardware being sold with the new version already installed on it… Many Android phone models do not get the latest operating system updates for months after the official update is completed, due to delays by the provider or hardware maker, either of which may want or need to address layers of customization they’ve made to the generic Android distribution.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Dale S.,” “Wandering Joe,” “James W.,” and “Ottawa Mark” for the heads up.]
but, but, multitasking.
Androids don’t take off they fall…
This is no different than the existing “feature” (i.e. dumb-)phones. If you have a Sony-Ericsson, you may be surprised to find out that during the (ever so short) life cycle of your handset (approximately two years), there may be three or four firmware updates for your handset. There is absolutely no way for you to discover this, though, unless you actually seek it out. I have done this to three different Sony-Ericsson phone models, and in every case, the fixes were marginal (for example, they fixed the ability to properly display some unicode characters, such as čćđžš).
There is a fundamental difference between anything Apple and everything else: the ‘Just Works’ message is the driving philosophy and it reflects in everything Apple ships. Across the board. And that’s why practically ALL iPhone owners run the most recent system software available for their handset, and why practically ALL Android phone owners are stuck on the original, shipping version of their Android phone, almost two years later.
That’s why cell phone manufacturers and cell companies love Android…customers have to buy new phones to get new features, meaning more money in the big guys’ pockets.
Doesn’t Droid have an app for that?
“These aren’t the ‘droids we’re looking for. Move along! Move Along!”
When anyone and everyone can change the OS, moving to a new release blows away those changes. Look at all the alerts you get every time Firefox is updated; every plugin needs updated. Central control wins in this case.
Jailbreakers and open sourcers remember the reality. For you “freedom’s just another word for nothing else to lose;” it gains you very very little and only shortterm wins.
Android is already so far ahead of Apple there isn’t a need to upgrade. When Apple debuts the new iPhone OS this summer it’s still going to be behind the Droid OS in the Incredible. Even sadder, it won’t have all the features I have with my jailbroken iPhone. Stevie is making the same mistake he’s made in the past with the Apple II and Mac – build a superior product and sit on it and only make tiny improvements (or none at all) while your competition eats your lunch. Prediction: in five years the iPhone will have less than 10% market share.
Bubba W, you’ve been iCal’ed!
Bubba,
I know you are just trying to defend Apple on the rumor of impending DOJ investigation. Since most Android OS cannot be upgraded, effectively you cannot write one app unaltered that can run on all Android platforms, let alone all mobile OS’s.
Bubba
Have to agree, looks like this who Macintosh thing is a failure. I don’t know how they can stay in business with such paltry sales. And I hear they will soon run out of money, they have less than $41 billion left. I actually pity the poor Apple employees and stockholders. Don’t you?
Are guys who still live in their mother’s basement allowed to be nicknamed “Bubba”?
@ Bubba
“Android is already so far ahead of Apple there isn’t a need to upgrade.”
Really? Try to do a simple “Copy & Paste” of some text in one of your e-mails from your G-Mail account on your “advanced” Android phone.
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So much for “OPEN”..
Open to propeller heads maybe.
Open to greedy handset makers and telco’s, YES..
Thank you, MDN.
I forgot about this one.
I’ve now updated my iPhone vs. Android Comparison Chart to include this information.
That is why you fail.
@thethirdshoe
“That is why you fail.”
Who is you and what failed?
Cupcake, Donut, Eclair? Can you get one with sprinkles?
The next one will be called Twinkie!?!
Apple is far superior in this regard precisely because Apple keeps control in a way that is appropriate for mobile devices. It’s a win-win-win for consumers (who can get meaningful updates for the expected lifetime of the device), developers (who can create ONE version of their apps for a non-fragmented audience), and Apple (who can sell ever more hardware).
If the complainers want to call that “closed” (versus Android being “open”), I’ll take Apple’s “closed” methodology any day.
I love my Android phone, and even prefer it over my iPod Touch. I’ve updated my phone from Cupcake to Donut, and just a few weeks ago to Eclair. The only reason my phone won’t get FroYo is because of the hardware requirements. iPhone OS is too limited Based on hardware.