Is Jelly Bean Coming to Bionic and RAZR ?

[CurGeorge8]

Anyone here remember the Google I/O 2011 conference? One of the things that sticks in my mind was an announcement that all the major Android OEM's (Samsung, Moto, HTC, etc) made a commitment to deliver the latest Android updates to their devices for at least 18 months after their launch.

Google's New Partner Android Update Initiative: Very Promising

So, if Moto is going to hold to that commitment (and I assume their Google overlords will make sure they do), we should see not only this, but maybe one or two additional Android OS updates. This assumes that Google continues to release OS updates approx. every 6 months.

Now, as to how fast those updates are delivered .... that remains to be seen.

 

[jwilly216]

Sounds like it's you that needs the history lesson. GB was NEVER on the OG Droid, unless you had root access & a custom ROM.

Oh snap! Lol

 

[PriestSyrinx]

I'd be willing to bet Verizon won't allow it even if the Bionic can run it with no problem so people with unlimited plans will need to upgrade thier phone and lose unlimited data or upgrade at full price.

This.

Yea, I'm willing to bet ICS is the end of the (official) road for the Bionic.

 

[DROIDX2TN]

Anyone heard an update on the Razr getting JB?

 

[BroidDrionic]

How long is the normal amount of time before you can get an upgrade? Is it one year or two? If they designed the bionic to be used for two years then it's not unlikely that they'll upgrade us to 4.1

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Droid Forums

 

[zomnomnombie]

How long is the normal amount of time before you can get an upgrade? Is it one year or two? If they designed the bionic to be used for two years then it's not unlikely that they'll upgrade us to 4.1

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Droid Forums

There is a big difference between upgrade and support.

You signed a contract for a heavily discounted device that will be free of defects for 1 year. That is what you exchanged for the contract.

You did not sign a contract for a device that gets software upgrades.

If the manufacturer or the carrier chooses not to upgrade their devices and you don't like it you take your business elsewhere. That is the only way to change that.

If a company can get more business without software upgrades (additional cost) they will.

 

[bobbyp]

I believe the expectation from Google is 18 months. I don't have a source but it seems like I have seen that before.

 

[bigtex52]

That is the standard that Google has said publicly, firmware / software updates for 18 month from release date

 

[zomnomnombie]

You are referring to Google's pact with manufacturers that the manufacturer would release software upgrades for 18 months.

As I recall they also had pacts for unlocked bootloaders. That worked out nice.

What Google wants is usually in your best interest. What the manufacturers/carriers want usually is not.

 

[Bigv5150]

There is a big difference between upgrade and support.

You signed a contract for a heavily discounted device that will be free of defects for 1 year. That is what you exchanged for the contract.

You did not sign a contract for a device that gets software upgrades.

If the manufacturer or the carrier chooses not to upgrade their devices and you don't like it you take your business elsewhere. That is the only way to change that.

If a company can get more business without software upgrades (additional cost) they will.

I couldn't disagree more with your thinking why upgrade us to ICS or for that matter ever update any phone. That way you would have to buy a new phone every year. ICS has taken a long time on all devices it's a fully new operating system from gingerbread jelly bean is not. . Except the g s 3 and that was riddled with bugs. I will take it a step further I bet you every device they put I c s on will get jelly bean. I don't even believe that jelly bean is an operating system I believe it's an update to ice cream sandwich I think it's ridiculous that they're calling it an operating system. The way I look at it android was late to the party apple was kicking their ass. They were playing catch up with all the other operating systems they had nothing but problems I feel android has finally caught up with ice cream sandwich. They still had problems with ice cream sandwich and some other things that they wanted to implement they couldn't that's were jelly bean comes in I believe jelly bean finishes ice cream sandwich.

 

[zomnomnombie]

I couldn't disagree more with your thinking why upgrade us to ICS or for that matter ever update any phone. That way you would have to buy a new phone every year. ICS has taken a long time on all devices it's a fully new operating system from gingerbread jelly bean is not. . Except the g s 3 and that was riddled with bugs. I will take it a step further I bet you every device they put I c s on will get jelly bean. I don't even believe that jelly bean is an operating system I believe it's an update to ice cream sandwich I think it's ridiculous that they're calling it an operating system. The way I look at it android was late to the party apple was kicking their ass. They were playing catch up with all the other operating systems they had nothing but problems I feel android has finally caught up with ice cream sandwich. They still had problems with ice cream sandwich and some other things that they wanted to implement they couldn't that's were jelly bean comes in I believe jelly bean finishes ice cream sandwich.

They gave us ICS because they sold the Bionic and RAZR under the pretext that it would be upgraded to ICS. And also Motorola has been upholding the "focusing on fewer devices" plan thus far.

If they wouldn't have upgraded the phone the only way to move more devices is to drop the price. And that cuts into profits.

They had the financial incentive to upgrade because:

1) They would have left themselves open to lawsuits based upon the pseudo-promise of ICS on the RAZR and Bionic.

2) They would have had reduced profitability due to not as many units being sold.

3) Reduced profits = reduced investment

4) Verizon probably encouraged them to do so because their line of phones is getting dated since they skipped many high end phones.

5) Cost of producing the upgrade was less than the value of the additional units sold + Verizon's purchase of the upgrade.

They're there to make money not make the subsection of the Android consumer market that pays attention to OS upgrades happy. Sometimes the money is playing nice with our desires. But sometimes it doesn't.

 

[jayman350]

I don't even believe that jelly bean is an operating system I believe it's an update to ice cream sandwich I think it's ridiculous that they're calling it an operating system.

android is the operating system. froyo, gingerbread, honeycomb, ice cream sandwich, and jelly bean are all versions of said operating system. regardless of what your thoughts on how significant the updates are, it is still an operating system.

You can tell how significant an update is based on the numbering convention.
2.2 Froyo-> 2.3 GB (minor upgrade)
3.0 (honeycomb) tablet only
4.0 ICS -> 4.1 Jelly Bean

the 4.0 to 4.1 update seems to be polishing and finishing what they had set out to do with ICS.

 

[aaf709]

They gave us ICS because they sold the Bionic and RAZR under the pretext that it would be upgraded to ICS.

I only know about ICS because of this forum. Didn't see ads touting that an update would happen in the future. Take a look at http://www.droidforums.net/forum/motorola-droid-bionic/216430-remember-commercial.html
No mention of ICS. And how did they sell the RAZR? It's thin. And the RAZR Maxx? Long talk time. Maybe comments on a Verizon website, but a lot of people buy phones without a clue as to the current version or if an update is overdue.

That doesn't mean we'll get Jelly Bean, in fact earlier I had said no because no phone has ever gotten a OS change more than once (OTA, not using ROMs) and was told that 3 Verizon phones (one being Motorola) had. We'll see, but I'm not expecting it either.

 

[zomnomnombie]

I only know about ICS because of this forum. Didn't see ads touting that an update would happen in the future. Take a look at http://www.droidforums.net/forum/motorola-droid-bionic/216430-remember-commercial.html
No mention of ICS. And how did they sell the RAZR? It's thin. And the RAZR Maxx? Long talk time. Maybe comments on a Verizon website, but a lot of people buy phones without a clue as to the current version or if an update is overdue.

That doesn't mean we'll get Jelly Bean, in fact earlier I would say know because no phone has ever gotten a OS change more than once (OTA, not using ROMs) and was told that 3 Verizon phones (one being Motorola) had. We'll see, but I'm not expecting it either.

I think the RAZR will get JB but I wouldn't be surprised if the Bionic did as well or neither did.

 

[Bigv5150]

android is the operating system. froyo, gingerbread, honeycomb, ice cream sandwich, and jelly bean are all versions of said operating system. regardless of what your thoughts on how significant the updates are, it is still an operating system.

You can tell how significant an update is based on the numbering convention.
2.2 Froyo-> 2.3 GB (minor upgrade)
3.0 (honeycomb) tablet only
4.0 ICS -> 4.1 Jelly Bean

the 4.0 to 4.1 update seems to be polishing and finishing what they had set out to do with ICS.

I agree with you I over simplified it what I meant was ICS was a huge update 330 MB compared to the others. I dont know what the size of JB is but I bet its not very significant. My point was your last sentence It seems JB is ICS completed. I will be very disappointed if we don't get JB. I would imagine if it was a totally ground up new build it would have been 5.0 not 4.1