Samsung Galaxy S6 & S6 Edge Officially Unveiled; Full Specs & Design Revealed

[akhenax]

Quite frankly the people who care about locked bootloaders are few. Like you that would be the reason I would not buy. But the reality is there just is not enough for manufacturers to waste time caring about that. Especially when developer and Google play versions failed to sell. We had our chance to prove to manufacturers that we cared about that stuff a few years ago and the market responded by proving the oems right that not enough people care. In fact even among those that care about unlocked bootloaders we failed to show with our wallets that they matter. When it is all said and done the old saying stands that money talks....... walks.
So other than nexus devices do not expect manufacturers to waste their energy worrying about bootloaders as they know that factor has a negligible effect on sells.

Great. I would hope they would show themselves not worrying about them by not locking them.

 

[bkdodger]

Developer and Google editions don't work bc you don't give peeps the option to buy on contract.. They know exactly what they are doing... Throw the bone for the few and keep on..
I will never buy locked phone / locked bootloader again..
I've never had a phone run better when locked down..
For the masses regular phones will do... Get yourself the best phone for your needs and enjoy bc there are plenty good choices for all...

Tap'd by Big 6

 

[bsweetness]

Great. I would hope they would show themselves not worrying about them by not locking them.

That would be sound logic if it wasn't for the carriers.

While the overwhelming majority of consumers don't care about locked or unlocked bootloaders, most of the big carriers in the U.S. do care about them. Almost every time you have a situation like that, Samsung is going to give the carriers what they want. From a business standpoint, it's an extremely easy decision.

And for those who do care about an unlocked bootloader, Samsung has been steadily making Developer Editions available for Verizon. AT&T/T-Mobile users can pick up an international version. While these options aren't as wallet friendly as an on-contract device, at least they are options.

 

[bsweetness]

Developer and Google editions don't work bc you don't give peeps the option to buy on contract.. They know exactly what they are doing... Throw the bone for the few and keep on..
I will never buy locked phone / locked bootloader again..
I've never had a phone run better when locked down..
For the masses regular phones will do... Get yourself the best phone for your needs and enjoy bc there are plenty good choices for all...

Tap'd by Big 6

If they were available as an on-contract option, they really wouldn't make all that many more people interested in tinkering around. Most folks would never look into doing anything, even if they had that option. Since that's the case, at the end of the day it makes more business sense for Samsung to give the carriers what they want.

I do think carriers in the U.S. have far too much control over devices, but that's an entirely different can of worms. As the way the market here currently stands, the way Samsung has been doing things makes the most sense for them.