6 ms·

ICS ecosystem is almost vaporware, it is supposed to be the best release yet, but i actually never saw it. Maybe its the best thing since sliced bread, but if n

by doron 14y ago

ICS ecosystem is almost vaporware, it is supposed to be the best release yet, but i actually never saw it. Maybe its the best thing since sliced bread, but if nobody uses it, what exactly is the point?! Your chances of getting ICS on your legacy device are virtually zero. whereas getting IOS 6 on the iphone 4S is assured. [EDIT] I have been an android user since it was essentially released, and have only recently switched to IOS, there are many things that i find absolutely maddening with IOS and find some elements poor in comparison to android. That said, I grew tired of upgrading my phone on my own. Cyanogen was great, but it became a real hassle, I just want a device that works, and upgrades easily. I am very disappointed with Android, primarily because its unfulfilled promise. We can blame the phone manufacturers for this mess and we will be right, but a chunk of the blame goes to Google as well, it was blind to entrenched interests, and now the users are paying the price. It smacks of arrogance, and lack of strategy.

Nemisis7654 14y ago
It's hard to compare getting ICS on legacy phones to getting iOS 6 on your iPhone 4S. Of course, first gen Android devices aren't going to be able to run ICS, but neither will first gen iOS devices. iOS 6 is not going to be on the original iPad, the original iPhone or the iPhone 3G.
- josegonzalez 14y ago
  I bought a Galaxy SII last October - about a week or so before the Galaxy Nexus was released - and here I am without an ICS. T-Mobile JUST announced support for it, saying it would be here within a week. The only update I have received was a patch update, with minor UI changes. Even depending upon CyanogenMod has failed me. T-Mobile loves getting non-standard devices and then not releasing drivers that could help boost their own popularity - likely for IP reasons. I have owned dev phones in the past, and this was my first consumer device, and coincidentally the first Android device that I could not easily unlock and update on my own. No, you can't compare a first gen Android device, but you sure as hell can compare a device more powerful than some netbooks.
  - eco 14y ago
    You'll have ICS before iPhone users have iOS6.
- ceejayoz 14y ago
  My coworker just purchased a new Android phone. It's on Android 2.x. Meanwhile, the iPhone 3GS is about to get iOS6. Chances are iOS6 will have a higher percentage of iOS users than ICS of Android users after the first day or so.
  - falling 14y ago
    Chances are that iOS 6 already has a higher percentage than ICS today ;)
- shadesandcolour 14y ago
  None of the Apple devices that you mentioned are sold at retail anymore. How many Android devices that are being sold in stores can't get access to the latest operating system update?
  - Tyrannosaurs 14y ago
    The Galaxy Note still ships with 2.3. That's not just available but pretty high profile. A quick look round a random sample from one of the big high street dealers here in the UK shows that a fair number are still shipping with 2.3.
jgroome 14y ago
I don't think it's fair to compare the iPhone 4S to legacy Android devices like that.
- ceejayoz 14y ago
  Compare the iPhone 3GS, then.
- rplnt 14y ago
  I have less than a year old (when I bought it) Android device. Running 2.2. It's not Android's fault (perhaps slightly), it's device manufacturers fault. And many of them suck in this.
manmal 14y ago
iOS 6 will even come to 3GS :)
- myko 14y ago
  Yes, but Siri wont, 3D maps wont. If the main features of the update don't make it to the device, what's your point? edit: the -> your (I know the point of updating the 3GS, I don't understand the OPs point in its attempt to mock Android)
  - alexbell 14y ago
    App and API compatability. New apps using iOS 6 APIs will still run.
    - myko 14y ago
      If that's the measure we're going by I'd like to point out that many APIs have been backported by the Android Compatibility Library as far back as Android 1.6 (http://developer.android.com/sdk/compatibility-library.html http://developer.android.com/sdk/compatibility-library.html). Some features are missing from the compatibility library, but have been made up by open source projects such as ActionBar Sherlock (which is great by the way if anyone hasn't tried it out yet).
      - manmal 14y ago
        I also happen to develop for Android, and yes, the ACL does help, but it's still a PITA to develop an app which will look the same on all devices. You will have to use ActionBar Sherlock (or use custom layouts if you want special features in there), style every single control, and test, test, test. Apple's decision to include the 3GS is IMHO a VERY clever one, enabling app developers to very soon use iOS6 as min target. iOS6 might hit 75% marketshare within weeks after release (only leaving out a few iPad 1s which can't upgrade from iOS5), leaving devs only with iOS 5 and 6 to support - and it's very doable to include 6's features and fall back to 5er APIs if necessary. On Android you would need to support 2.2, 2.3, 3.x, and 4.x to reach a similar user base percentage (http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-ve...). Also, it does not pay off yet to use 4.x features, that's only 7% currently. All those 3000+ different cheap Android devices with API version <= 2.3 are an obstacle for app innovation.
phsr 14y ago
Hell, the 3GS is getting iOS 6. What 3 year old Android phone will get ICS? Like you said, I'm guessing not many if any at all. Agreeing with your point, Android is heavily fragmented, with phone manufacturers having the final say on which software gets deployed to their phones. Many of them are going to use new OS version to force software upgrades
- dbaupp 14y ago
  > Hell, the 3GS is getting iOS 6 Do you know how much of it will be enabled? (e.g. will it have Siri working out of the box?) (Genuine question, btw.)
  - aarondf 14y ago
    This is just a guess, but since the iPhone 4 currently doesn't support Siri, I doubt the 3GS would.
  - pook1e 14y ago
    I'd be very surprised if iOS 6 included Siri for the 3GS (or even the 4, for that matter).
  - Tyrannosaurs 14y ago
    It won't get Siri. Even on iOS5 only the 4S supports Siri. As far as I'm aware this is a deliberate disabling thing as the original Siri app worked on earlier models (maybe not the 3GS but the 4).
  - tvon 14y ago
    No Siri (still), and I'm fairly sure I heard no 3D maps.
- mladenkovacevic 14y ago
  What does this mean? iOS6? What is ICS? (don't answer those questions.. I know what ICS is) My point is the average user isn't sitting there with their Galaxy-Titan-whatever in their hands feverishly checking what version of Android they're running and yelling "Where is my ICS!!" They're posting to Facebook, emailing, tweeting, searching for restaurants..etc It's all about features.. and the fact is that iOS6 is catching up with Android 2.2... not 4.0
deleted 14y ago
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zdouglas 14y ago
> _I just want a device that works, and upgrades easily._ As a loyal TMo G2 (stock Froyo) owner, I wholeheartedly agree with that opinion. As other replies called out, TMo has a knack for luring you in and never releasing OS updates. That said, I'm very happy running my "legacy" Froyo OS: My GPS is fast and spot-on, data pipe is 4G-wide, and my bit-laggy camera app is supplemented by dedicated hardware for anything cleaner than "LOL quality."
- bmelton 14y ago
  I agree with that statement about Tmobile, but if you just stick with the reference devices (G1, Nexus, Nexus S, Nexus Galaxy,) you get all the updates from Google as they're released. I've stuck with the Google reference models since the G1, and while I'm usually behind on "what's new" (I'm currently on a Nexus S, while the Nexus Galaxy has been out for awhile now), my wife is constantly buying the 'new' Android hotness, and is perennially jealous of my phone, even when it's older and has less features. I get the software updates faster, everything works, and nothing has been mucked with, ala Blur or whatever. Meanwhile her phone is dual core, has HDMI out, and is better on paper, but crashes often, becomes unresponsive and lags on Android updates.
- tadfisher 14y ago
  The G2 got an OTA update to Gingerbread last year. I remember because it was my birthday.
cageface 14y ago
Your chances of getting ICS on your legacy device are virtually zero. whereas getting IOS 6 on the iphone 4S is assured. Yes, but how important is this really in practice? With both platforms approaching maturity deploying major OS updates OTA is going to be less important. Google can ride the natural device upgrade cycle to get out new versions. If they can make the browser and email client and a few other key apps independent of the OS they can rev those a lot faster. No doubt they'd like to have Apple's upgrade muscle but I'm not convinced they really need it in the long term.
- technoslut 14y ago
  >With both platforms approaching maturity... I can't agree with that. Many felt that way in 2006 and definitely turned out not to be the case.
  - cageface 14y ago
    I'm not saying that we've seen the last word in mobile operating systems, but neither iOS nor Android have made any fundamental UX changes in the last few major updates.
    - bonzoesc 14y ago
      Have you looked at Ice Cream Sandwich at all?
    - Terretta 14y ago
      Have you looked at iOS 5 at all?
      - cageface 14y ago
        I spend the better part of every day writing iOS apps for a living. The user experience has barely changed since iOS 3.
    - fredoliveira 14y ago
      If "last few major updates" means, say, at least 2 major updates, I believe you've been hiding under a "few major rocks", because that's certainly not the case. Both platforms have seen tremendous UX changes/improvements.
SkyMarshal 14y ago
>ICS ecosystem is almost vaporware, it is supposed to be the best release yet, but i actually never saw it. Maybe its the best thing since sliced bread, but if nobody uses it, what exactly is the point?! Your chances of getting ICS on your legacy device are virtually zero. whereas getting IOS 6 on the iphone 4S is assured. There are two kinds of Android users in this world - those who care about this issue, and those who don't. The former tend to be the innovators and early adopters who pay attention to every new OS release and whatnot, the latter are the mainstream users who just want a working phone and don't follow the tech rags and don't really care about the details. So what I wonder is, if you're in the former group, why buy any Android phone other than a Nexus variant straight from Google, which is the only one guaranteed to get the latest greatest OS updates as painlessly as possible? I'm in that group, and I couldn't imagine buying some mangled, bloated carrier-modified version of Android. Is it just the marginally better hardware specs that attract people?
- dagw 14y ago
  why buy any Android phone other than a Nexus variant straight from Google Because the Nexus has been getting pretty mediocre reviews and none of the Nexus variants really interest me from a hardware point of view.
  - CrazedGeek 14y ago
    Eh? Basically every review I've read for it has said it's one of, if not the best phone ever (not exaggerating), save for the relatively weak camera.
    - qznc 14y ago
      In the reviews i read, the Galaxy S II was the best Android phone. I'm not sure about the current state with the S III released.
      - CrazedGeek 14y ago
        Not saying you're wrong (we probably just read different reviews), but a few examples: http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/17/2568348/galaxy-nexus-review http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/17/2568348/galaxy-nexus-revi... http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/10/sprint-galaxy-nexus-review/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/10/sprint-galaxy-nexus-revie... http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-Nexus-Review_id2915 http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-Nexus-Revie...
mtgx 14y ago
Like 250 million iOS users out of 365 can't use 2 of the biggest features of iOS - Siri and the 3D Maps (and also turn by turn I believe). How is that for fragmentation? Yes, Apple does port an iOS version to most devices, and yes manufacturers have been very slow with ICS, but Apple doesn't push all the features when they port the OS to older hardware either, and sometime they are major features.
- k-mcgrady 14y ago
  Siri and Maps are only 2 features of iOS 6. There are many other features that the 3 year old 3GS will benefit from.
- Tloewald 14y ago
  Not all the features of ICS would work on all phones if you could actually upgrade them. You're clutching at straws.
- robmcm 14y ago
  You have to remember that apple makes software to sell hardware. If they didn't restrict some features to the newest hardware fewer people would upgrade. Oh and the experience may not be as nice...
ZeroGravitas 14y ago
Basically all those features are available for Gingerbread and Froyo and your chances of getting turn-by-turn in iOS6 from Apple are nil if you buy an iPhone 4 or 3GS in the next few months. So there might be more nuance to this than you let on.

by doron 14y ago

Nemisis7654 14y ago

It's hard to compare getting ICS on legacy phones to getting iOS 6 on your iPhone 4S. Of course, first gen Android devices aren't going to be able to run ICS, but neither will first gen iOS devices. iOS 6 is not going to be on the original iPad, the original iPhone or the iPhone 3G.

josegonzalez 14y ago
I bought a Galaxy SII last October - about a week or so before the Galaxy Nexus was released - and here I am without an ICS. T-Mobile JUST announced support for it, saying it would be here within a week. The only update I have received was a patch update, with minor UI changes. Even depending upon CyanogenMod has failed me. T-Mobile loves getting non-standard devices and then not releasing drivers that could help boost their own popularity - likely for IP reasons. I have owned dev phones in the past, and this was my first consumer device, and coincidentally the first Android device that I could not easily unlock and update on my own. No, you can't compare a first gen Android device, but you sure as hell can compare a device more powerful than some netbooks.
- eco 14y ago
  You'll have ICS before iPhone users have iOS6.
ceejayoz 14y ago
My coworker just purchased a new Android phone. It's on Android 2.x. Meanwhile, the iPhone 3GS is about to get iOS6. Chances are iOS6 will have a higher percentage of iOS users than ICS of Android users after the first day or so.
- falling 14y ago
  Chances are that iOS 6 already has a higher percentage than ICS today ;)
shadesandcolour 14y ago
None of the Apple devices that you mentioned are sold at retail anymore. How many Android devices that are being sold in stores can't get access to the latest operating system update?
- Tyrannosaurs 14y ago
  The Galaxy Note still ships with 2.3. That's not just available but pretty high profile. A quick look round a random sample from one of the big high street dealers here in the UK shows that a fair number are still shipping with 2.3.

jgroome 14y ago

I don't think it's fair to compare the iPhone 4S to legacy Android devices like that.

ceejayoz 14y ago
Compare the iPhone 3GS, then.
rplnt 14y ago
I have less than a year old (when I bought it) Android device. Running 2.2. It's not Android's fault (perhaps slightly), it's device manufacturers fault. And many of them suck in this.

manmal 14y ago

iOS 6 will even come to 3GS :)

myko 14y ago
Yes, but Siri wont, 3D maps wont. If the main features of the update don't make it to the device, what's your point? edit: the -> your (I know the point of updating the 3GS, I don't understand the OPs point in its attempt to mock Android)
- alexbell 14y ago
  App and API compatability. New apps using iOS 6 APIs will still run.
  - myko 14y ago
    If that's the measure we're going by I'd like to point out that many APIs have been backported by the Android Compatibility Library as far back as Android 1.6 (http://developer.android.com/sdk/compatibility-library.html http://developer.android.com/sdk/compatibility-library.html). Some features are missing from the compatibility library, but have been made up by open source projects such as ActionBar Sherlock (which is great by the way if anyone hasn't tried it out yet).
    - manmal 14y ago
      I also happen to develop for Android, and yes, the ACL does help, but it's still a PITA to develop an app which will look the same on all devices. You will have to use ActionBar Sherlock (or use custom layouts if you want special features in there), style every single control, and test, test, test. Apple's decision to include the 3GS is IMHO a VERY clever one, enabling app developers to very soon use iOS6 as min target. iOS6 might hit 75% marketshare within weeks after release (only leaving out a few iPad 1s which can't upgrade from iOS5), leaving devs only with iOS 5 and 6 to support - and it's very doable to include 6's features and fall back to 5er APIs if necessary. On Android you would need to support 2.2, 2.3, 3.x, and 4.x to reach a similar user base percentage (http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-ve...). Also, it does not pay off yet to use 4.x features, that's only 7% currently. All those 3000+ different cheap Android devices with API version <= 2.3 are an obstacle for app innovation.

phsr 14y ago

Hell, the 3GS is getting iOS 6. What 3 year old Android phone will get ICS? Like you said, I'm guessing not many if any at all. Agreeing with your point, Android is heavily fragmented, with phone manufacturers having the final say on which software gets deployed to their phones. Many of them are going to use new OS version to force software upgrades

dbaupp 14y ago
> Hell, the 3GS is getting iOS 6 Do you know how much of it will be enabled? (e.g. will it have Siri working out of the box?) (Genuine question, btw.)
- aarondf 14y ago
  This is just a guess, but since the iPhone 4 currently doesn't support Siri, I doubt the 3GS would.
- pook1e 14y ago
  I'd be very surprised if iOS 6 included Siri for the 3GS (or even the 4, for that matter).
- Tyrannosaurs 14y ago
  It won't get Siri. Even on iOS5 only the 4S supports Siri. As far as I'm aware this is a deliberate disabling thing as the original Siri app worked on earlier models (maybe not the 3GS but the 4).
- tvon 14y ago
  No Siri (still), and I'm fairly sure I heard no 3D maps.
mladenkovacevic 14y ago
What does this mean? iOS6? What is ICS? (don't answer those questions.. I know what ICS is) My point is the average user isn't sitting there with their Galaxy-Titan-whatever in their hands feverishly checking what version of Android they're running and yelling "Where is my ICS!!" They're posting to Facebook, emailing, tweeting, searching for restaurants..etc It's all about features.. and the fact is that iOS6 is catching up with Android 2.2... not 4.0

deleted 14y ago

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deleted 14y ago

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zdouglas 14y ago

> _I just want a device that works, and upgrades easily._ As a loyal TMo G2 (stock Froyo) owner, I wholeheartedly agree with that opinion. As other replies called out, TMo has a knack for luring you in and never releasing OS updates. That said, I'm very happy running my "legacy" Froyo OS: My GPS is fast and spot-on, data pipe is 4G-wide, and my bit-laggy camera app is supplemented by dedicated hardware for anything cleaner than "LOL quality."

bmelton 14y ago
I agree with that statement about Tmobile, but if you just stick with the reference devices (G1, Nexus, Nexus S, Nexus Galaxy,) you get all the updates from Google as they're released. I've stuck with the Google reference models since the G1, and while I'm usually behind on "what's new" (I'm currently on a Nexus S, while the Nexus Galaxy has been out for awhile now), my wife is constantly buying the 'new' Android hotness, and is perennially jealous of my phone, even when it's older and has less features. I get the software updates faster, everything works, and nothing has been mucked with, ala Blur or whatever. Meanwhile her phone is dual core, has HDMI out, and is better on paper, but crashes often, becomes unresponsive and lags on Android updates.
tadfisher 14y ago
The G2 got an OTA update to Gingerbread last year. I remember because it was my birthday.

cageface 14y ago

Your chances of getting ICS on your legacy device are virtually zero. whereas getting IOS 6 on the iphone 4S is assured. Yes, but how important is this really in practice? With both platforms approaching maturity deploying major OS updates OTA is going to be less important. Google can ride the natural device upgrade cycle to get out new versions. If they can make the browser and email client and a few other key apps independent of the OS they can rev those a lot faster. No doubt they'd like to have Apple's upgrade muscle but I'm not convinced they really need it in the long term.

technoslut 14y ago
>With both platforms approaching maturity... I can't agree with that. Many felt that way in 2006 and definitely turned out not to be the case.
- cageface 14y ago
  I'm not saying that we've seen the last word in mobile operating systems, but neither iOS nor Android have made any fundamental UX changes in the last few major updates.
  - bonzoesc 14y ago
    Have you looked at Ice Cream Sandwich at all?
  - Terretta 14y ago
    Have you looked at iOS 5 at all?
    - cageface 14y ago
      I spend the better part of every day writing iOS apps for a living. The user experience has barely changed since iOS 3.
  - fredoliveira 14y ago
    If "last few major updates" means, say, at least 2 major updates, I believe you've been hiding under a "few major rocks", because that's certainly not the case. Both platforms have seen tremendous UX changes/improvements.

SkyMarshal 14y ago

>ICS ecosystem is almost vaporware, it is supposed to be the best release yet, but i actually never saw it. Maybe its the best thing since sliced bread, but if nobody uses it, what exactly is the point?! Your chances of getting ICS on your legacy device are virtually zero. whereas getting IOS 6 on the iphone 4S is assured. There are two kinds of Android users in this world - those who care about this issue, and those who don't. The former tend to be the innovators and early adopters who pay attention to every new OS release and whatnot, the latter are the mainstream users who just want a working phone and don't follow the tech rags and don't really care about the details. So what I wonder is, if you're in the former group, why buy any Android phone other than a Nexus variant straight from Google, which is the only one guaranteed to get the latest greatest OS updates as painlessly as possible? I'm in that group, and I couldn't imagine buying some mangled, bloated carrier-modified version of Android. Is it just the marginally better hardware specs that attract people?

dagw 14y ago
why buy any Android phone other than a Nexus variant straight from Google Because the Nexus has been getting pretty mediocre reviews and none of the Nexus variants really interest me from a hardware point of view.
- CrazedGeek 14y ago
  Eh? Basically every review I've read for it has said it's one of, if not the best phone ever (not exaggerating), save for the relatively weak camera.
  - qznc 14y ago
    In the reviews i read, the Galaxy S II was the best Android phone. I'm not sure about the current state with the S III released.
    - CrazedGeek 14y ago
      Not saying you're wrong (we probably just read different reviews), but a few examples: http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/17/2568348/galaxy-nexus-review http://www.theverge.com/2011/11/17/2568348/galaxy-nexus-revi... http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/10/sprint-galaxy-nexus-review/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/10/sprint-galaxy-nexus-revie... http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-Nexus-Review_id2915 http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-Nexus-Revie...

mtgx 14y ago

Like 250 million iOS users out of 365 can't use 2 of the biggest features of iOS - Siri and the 3D Maps (and also turn by turn I believe). How is that for fragmentation? Yes, Apple does port an iOS version to most devices, and yes manufacturers have been very slow with ICS, but Apple doesn't push all the features when they port the OS to older hardware either, and sometime they are major features.

k-mcgrady 14y ago
Siri and Maps are only 2 features of iOS 6. There are many other features that the 3 year old 3GS will benefit from.
Tloewald 14y ago
Not all the features of ICS would work on all phones if you could actually upgrade them. You're clutching at straws.
robmcm 14y ago
You have to remember that apple makes software to sell hardware. If they didn't restrict some features to the newest hardware fewer people would upgrade. Oh and the experience may not be as nice...

ZeroGravitas 14y ago

Basically all those features are available for Gingerbread and Froyo and your chances of getting turn-by-turn in iOS6 from Apple are nil if you buy an iPhone 4 or 3GS in the next few months. So there might be more nuance to this than you let on.