what do you think? Google Android's self-destruction derby begins

[jimnutt]

I won't buy another phone with a locked down proprietary OS. Period. But I suspect that I (and others on this forum) am in the minority in this regard. I want the rich application ecosystem and the ability to treat the phone as something I own, rather than rent at the sufferance of the carrier or phone manufacturer (which is why the iPhone is uninteresting to me).

 

[KZIWarrior]

I won't buy another phone with a locked down proprietary OS. Period. But I suspect that I (and others on this forum) am in the minority in this regard. I want the rich application ecosystem and the ability to treat the phone as something I own, rather than rent at the sufferance of the carrier or phone manufacturer (which is why the iPhone is uninteresting to me).

?? That statement is pretty stupid....
Android as it is installed on our phones is "locked down and proprietary." It's only 'open' to the developers (OEMs) not the end user(s). Read you 'Terms of Service' from both VZW and Moto. We have to 'hack' the phone to gain root access and this action is enough for them to void your warranty. As to 'application(s)' ect. the OEMs are each developing their own (M$, and Nokia already have them and the others will launch their own likely before the end of the year). So you don't/won't really have a choice (seeing as you currently OWN a 'proprietary and locked down' device).:icon_ devil:

 

[rkeller62]

Then look at the G1 to the Droid or N1 and compare it to the original iPhone to the 3GS or the 3G to the 3GS. The experience is the same except for some minor features.

I am just being open minded. I like my droid but I think this is an issue and might ruin android for me.

Really?? The experience it the same except for "MINOR" features?? My sister has the original iPhone - no GPS, or video recording capability regardless of software upgrades. A friend has the iPhone 3G - still no video recording regardless of software upgrade. These are just 2 "minor" experience differences in different iPhone hardware. Oh, and BTW - the G1 had GPS and video recording support when it first launched.

 

[rkeller62]

Do y'all think whenever they drop 4G will they start out with a new android os, say 3.0, to have an even platform. Or will they have them on different versions like they have now?

Who is "They?" Google will have to add LTE support to the base OS, much like that had to add CDMA support starting with 1.6 IIRC. Therefore, any LTE phone will have to be at that minimum Android version. Also - Google releases a new version of the OS source to everybody. Therefore, any manufacturer can update their existing phones to the latest OS version, if they so choose.

With regard to this OS Fragmentation discussion - I guess I just don't get it. The only people that really care what version of the OS they are on are people that frequent these forums. I have 4 relatives/friends that have the Droid and they don't even know that a 2.1 release is coming "soon," nor do they care. I think that 99% of the Android toting masses could care less what OS version is on their phone. They pick them based on the user interface - Sense UI version stock Androie, versus MotoBlur, etc.. Therefore, I think this whole OS fragmentation discussion is moot.

 

[640k]

As much as I like my phone I highly doubt that my next phone will be an Android device. It think that we will be moving more towards OEM developed/controlled OS's with accompanying market places.

Samsung is already well into development of their OS (which will be released later this year). Nokia of course (who is the LARGEST cell phone manufacturer by far) has had their own for a while now... Motorola and LG have both announced they have a desire/plan to do so as well.... Essentially the only major OEM that has yet to announce their own OS is HTC which seams content to stick with M$ for now (and Google).

Fiscally speaking this makes far more sense... You control your own R&D and are not dependent upon others. In addition this opens up the VERY LUCRATIVE 'market places' to each OEM. With many business's moving towards 'micro-transactions' as their preferred distribution these markets could prove VERY profitable to the OEMs (even more so than the hardware itself).

you're not looking at it from a big picture. if you're only observing each company silo, it would appear to make sense, but where are their developers coming from? do you think each phone OEM is going to supply an "endless" array of developers to make applications for every single device in their market segment?

i think THAT'S a pretty stupid observation...

apple already has to deal with market segment as their marketplace has plenty of apps that are compatible with one generation, but not the next. apple is no immune to what Google has already introduced.

no OEM is going to be immune to this type of segmentation. it's all about market saturation. what will be the underlying determining factor, will be how the coding scales between revisions. as long as developers are conscious of cross-platform support, these blanket statements will be inapplicable to anything real-world.

 

[weaz]

And let's not act like there isn't going to be an iPhone OS coming down the line that 1st Gen iPhone users won't be able to run. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't.

 

[KZIWarrior]

And let's not act like there isn't going to be an iPhone OS coming down the line that 1st Gen iPhone users won't be able to run. Just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't.

It will but then it won't be nearly as far spread as for Android (and cause a LOT less frustration for users). For starters there are likely very few 1st gen iphones still in circulation. Also there is a lot less difference between the 1st gen and current (3gs) phones than nearly any two competing Android devices (i.e. many of which use completely different CPU architects and other hardware).

 

[skidemn]

I

Google Android's self-destruction derby begins | Mobilize - InfoWorld

i kinda agree... too many fragmentation within our os... do you guys think this can be a potential problem?

I disagree with people hyping the fragmentation of android as destroying it. I can see the point of concern, but as long as most apps work across the platforms I don't see a problem. Sure, there are and will continue to be apps that only work on newer versions of android, mainly for screen resolutions and phone processor power, but I don't see this as an issue. If an underpowered phone comes out but does what the person needs when they buy it, then any added apps that work is a bonus. Crippling OS versions or apps to be backwards compatible with older or lower spec'd devices is silly.

By the same token, as android continues to grow and improve there will no doubt come apps that just plain won't run on our current hardware and I don't think that is a reason to complain either. Technology changes, and even if our phones can get an OTA to upgrade the OS we will at some point reach a hardware limit, but that doesn't make our phone unusable. Like any technology based product, you have to understand it will inevitably become obsolete, and just make sure the day you buy it it meets the needs you have at the time. I see nothing in the different versions of a particular android OS revision (i.e. 1.6, 2.0, 2.1, etc.), which when customized by another hardware supplier, ruins my phone or android experience. I applaud companies like HTC making their own little OS changes to enhance their position in relation to competitors. After all, I buy a phone for the experience I will have with it- not the experience I will have with the generic OS!