Comments on: Android Distribution Charts Updated – Same Gingerbread Story, Just Another Month

By: hyperbolee

hyperbolee — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 14:35:00 +0000

Once Google starts using Motorola for their phones I’m fairly sure the updates will happen much more timely and will be closer to acceptable. I still expect carriers like Verizon to take their sweet time, but it will be more like a Nexus timeframe.
I.E. Galaxy Nexus being updated to JB on GSM quickly and the CDMA version coming out 2-months later.

By: michael arazan

michael arazan — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 08:01:00 +0000

With the new verizon iphone 5 with lte, I doubt Verizon will give apple the proprietary code for the updates to lte iphone just like android phones. Verizon is going to have to approve of the lte iphone updates now just like android phones, since their LTE code is so super secret which is why they grant the updates and don’t allow anyone to have their code.
So if iphone owners bitch along with the rest of the people, maybe verizon may take notice of update delays and actually invest more than the bare minimums.

By: Devin Nickle

Devin Nickle — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 05:06:00 +0000

I have all the same hardware, software, and disgust as you.
The Prime with JB is awesome.

By: Lady Di

Lady Di — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:33:00 +0000

I’m in the 55.5%. YAY!!

By: jeesung

jeesung — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 23:29:00 +0000

i got JB on my OG Droid and ICS on my Razr Maxx. Boo!!

By: Anon

Anon — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 22:40:00 +0000

Which goes to show how Google needs to take a much more active role as an advocate for phone owners against wireless carriers, and work with (or in some cases, actively push) phone vendors to ensure better support for devices.
If we’re going to be locked into a 2-year (or 3-year, for the Canadian folks whom I feel sorry for), you would think they’d want to guarantee a little more support vs. their primary competition, whose updates are carrier-independent and generally guaranteed for a period of time. With locked bootloaders becoming the norm, it’s not like customers get the choice to take things into their own hands without a fair degree of work.

By: ClarenceY

ClarenceY — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:52:00 +0000

I’ve had it with Verizon. I had a Droid 2 for 2 years, never got an OS update. Have had the Bionic since 1/1/12, and no idea when I;ll get an update. I think the delays are fundamentally a Verizon problem, besides I don’t like all of the bloat-ware and the hassle of getting it off – does anyone use their “value added” bloat-ware??? And it will not be AT&T, and I do not want a long term contract – I’ve spent some time in Europe and Asia, and the large carriers are giving us the shaft in the U.S.

By: master94

master94 — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 21:43:00 +0000

You know Android is the best when the usa decides to install Android onto all new super computers from now on.

By: Shawn

Shawn — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:57:00 +0000

Well said. It also stands that every single update the GSM Gnex has received, so has received the VZW Gnex…both shipped with ITL41(X)/4.0.1 builds, both got ICL53F/4.0.2, both got IMM76(X)/4.0.4 builds, and both got JRO03(X)/4.1.1 builds. So we have to wait for VZW to test and approve them. Big deal. Is it a little frustrating waiting that 1-2 months for the update, sure it is. But at least you know it’s coming. That’s more than I can say for other phones where one minute it’ll see an update and the next minute it won’t because of “unforseen hardware limitations” or “not providing a good enough user experience.”

This exact same argument applies to the Xoom. Google released the Jelly Bean update for the WiFi Xoom in late July…so we should see it on VZW soon. The VZW build from Google leaked back in early August, so now that we’re in early October, it should release any time now. But again, at least we know it’s coming, no ifs, ands, or buts…because Google releases the software updates for the device, not OEMs.

Bottom line is, carrier approvals don’t matter to me so much. What matters to me is OEMs taking forever and a year to get the new version of Android on their devices because they have to customize it all over the place.

Take the Galaxy S III: Upgrade process = Jelly Bean released, Samsung customizes it with Touchwiz, does their own testing and QA, then submits to VZW for approval, then finally gets released.

Galaxy Nexus and Xoom: Google releases the new version of Android, they build it for both devices (since after all, these are AOSP devices), maybe get some radio fixes from the OEM (which never takes long), then submits it directly to the carrier for approval, then rolls it out.

The customization step at the OEM level is what always takes the most time. So when you eliminate the OEM from the UI and go straight Google->Carrier->End User, it’s much better in terms of wait time.

By: Daniel Russell

Daniel Russell — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:55:00 +0000

I’m sick and tired of waiting for updates. My Droid Bionic has patiently waited for ICS let alone JB (I don’t even think this will happen). After playing with JB on my Transformer Prime, I’m officially disgusted with how terrible the update process has become. Let me download the newest one for my phone NOW, and then once the OEMs and carriers tweak it to add their terrible bloatware or custom skins, they can have us updated later to their version later. In the mean time, don’t keep me stuck in Gingerbread and Motoblur hell for the next 2 years of my phones’ existence.

By: Chris Hollenbeck

Chris Hollenbeck — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:29:00 +0000

The Thunderbolt has had a cursed existence since it was first announced. This phone has to be the template on how not to market or support a phone.

By: paul_cus

paul_cus — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:19:00 +0000

Thanks to the recent ICS updates to the Xperia phones by Sony, all of my phones are running 4.0.4. And my Nexus 7 is completely up to date, so that’s nice.

By: Pedro

Pedro — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:16:00 +0000

Oh my gawd! Can you see the fragmentation??

I have two XOOMs and a GNex on JB. I may be personally responsible for JB > 1.7%

By: Buckoman

Buckoman — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:12:00 +0000

Can we give all of the users who are still on Eclair and lower a medal and a free phone?

By: kover

kover — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 20:09:00 +0000

Yeah, I really can’t believe that many Honeycomb devices are still in service.