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I love that people accuse Apple of planned obsolescence in the phone market when Google releases operating systems that don't even work on devices that came out

I love that people accuse Apple of planned obsolescence in the phone market when Google releases operating systems that don't even work on devices that came out in the current year.

J3L2404 14y ago
Yeah, but theirs is unplanned obsolescence.
- mkaltenecker 14y ago
  Hihi, you are funny. You view of the companies clearly colors your view. It’s not really clear that either company plans or does not plan the obsolescence of their devices. The end result, however, is that iOS devices become obsolete much more slowly than Android devices. What do I care about the reading of tea leaves as to whether some company plans something or not?
  - InclinedPlane 14y ago
    Apple owns the entire ecosystem, they can't claim anything they do to it is unplanned. Google merely owns the OS and a few devices, they can't control what samsung and htc and everyone else decides to do or not do.
    - mkaltenecker 14y ago
      “Planned obsolescence” implies that a device is made obsolete to force people to buy newer devices as opposed to other reasons. Just because a device becomes obsolete doesn’t mean it’s “planned obsolescence”, even with total control over the whole ecosystem. That’s at least how “planned obsolescence” is commonly used and defined. “Planned obsolescence” as a term implies a reason (forcing people to buy newer devices), so not all forms of planned obsolescence (not as a term, notice the lack of quotation marks) are really “planned obsolescence” (as the term implying the reason). Since we can’t read minds it’s definitely akin to reading tea leaves when you want to find out whether “planned obsolescence” plays any role for Apple.
      - gurkendoktor 14y ago
        So do you imply that the iOS6 features missing on the iPhone 3GS are missing for hardware reasons - or that intentionally leaving out features is not planned obsolescence? Whatever it is, I don't think Apple is maximizing hardware lifetime here. http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/12/new-features-in-ios-6-receive-spotty-support-from-older-devices/ http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/12/new-features-in-ios-6-re... (I'm not complaining about the average lifetime of my Apple devices here, the iPad 1 and iPhone 3G were abysmal but my laptop & Mac Mini made up for it. I actually think that's why they have to add stronger, artificial incentives.)
        mkaltenecker 14y ago
        You can debate about this forever. It's like reading tea leaves. The real world consequence, however, is this: if you want to be able to update your device for as long as possible you should get an iOS device. I'm talking consequences, not so much intentions.
        gurkendoktor 14y ago
        I agree with the consequence and buy accordingly. I don't have anything to add to your first posting, where you've stated how things factually work out. But I haven't seen anyone argue that Apple's feature cut-off is hardware-bound. This is not reading tea leaves by a far margin. It's a business decision (like many) that goes against the interests of users. No harm in keeping that in mind.
- winter_blue 14y ago
  Which makes it okay?
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
    - awolf 14y ago
      Fine, let's all just agree to fault Android as a whole and move on.
warfangle 14y ago
"don't even work on other companies devices that they have no control over" Fixed that for you. The Nexus (minus the G1) line of phones gets regular updates - my old Nexus One was always updated within a few weeks of a new version of android coming out. If you want updated OS software on your phone, be smart about which droid phone you get. Ain't goog's fault Samsung won't allow updates to Phone #4123.
- narrator 14y ago
  You know, the point of a computer is to do work or play games with it. You do not need the absolute latest release of whatever to do useful work or play games.
- jamesaguilar 14y ago
  I'm just a user of Google's Android OS. My three-year old Windows and Mac computers still get the latest OS versions, as do my iPhones. I don't care about the particular reasons why my phone with Google's Android OS doesn't get updated. I just know it doesn't. Those are Google's problems, not mine. My problem is that I own an Android phone that is not on the latest version. > be smart about which droid phone you get My solution to this problem is to get an iPhone. Even the phones Google makes don't have the kind of update longevity Apple's do. The Nexus One did not get ICS, much less Jellybean. The 3GS is getting iOS 6.
  - wvenable 14y ago
    You didn't buy your OS from Google. You didn't buy your device from Google. Your phone doesn't have the latest OS because your device manufacturer isn't giving it to you.
    - jamesaguilar 14y ago
      Yeah, I don't really care. It is Google branded, was developed primarily by Google, was marketed as "Google Android" and/or "Android by Google" at various times, has Google apps, has a store run by Google where I get more apps, and has Google's name associated with it in every news article I find about it online. It's a Google device to me, Joe Average Consumer. Your technicalities don't mean jack to me. Also, everything you said in this comment applies likewise when I get a laptop with Windows installed by an OEM. Are you prepared to argue that a Windows computer is in no part a Microsoft product and that Microsoft would not be responsible if the OS failed to update on my laptop?

I love that people accuse Apple of planned obsolescence in the phone market when Google releases operating systems that don't even work on devices that came out in the current year.

J3L2404 14y ago

Yeah, but theirs is unplanned obsolescence.

mkaltenecker 14y ago
Hihi, you are funny. You view of the companies clearly colors your view. It’s not really clear that either company plans or does not plan the obsolescence of their devices. The end result, however, is that iOS devices become obsolete much more slowly than Android devices. What do I care about the reading of tea leaves as to whether some company plans something or not?
- InclinedPlane 14y ago
  Apple owns the entire ecosystem, they can't claim anything they do to it is unplanned. Google merely owns the OS and a few devices, they can't control what samsung and htc and everyone else decides to do or not do.
  - mkaltenecker 14y ago
    “Planned obsolescence” implies that a device is made obsolete to force people to buy newer devices as opposed to other reasons. Just because a device becomes obsolete doesn’t mean it’s “planned obsolescence”, even with total control over the whole ecosystem. That’s at least how “planned obsolescence” is commonly used and defined. “Planned obsolescence” as a term implies a reason (forcing people to buy newer devices), so not all forms of planned obsolescence (not as a term, notice the lack of quotation marks) are really “planned obsolescence” (as the term implying the reason). Since we can’t read minds it’s definitely akin to reading tea leaves when you want to find out whether “planned obsolescence” plays any role for Apple.
    - gurkendoktor 14y ago
      So do you imply that the iOS6 features missing on the iPhone 3GS are missing for hardware reasons - or that intentionally leaving out features is not planned obsolescence? Whatever it is, I don't think Apple is maximizing hardware lifetime here. http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/12/new-features-in-ios-6-receive-spotty-support-from-older-devices/ http://www.macrumors.com/2012/06/12/new-features-in-ios-6-re... (I'm not complaining about the average lifetime of my Apple devices here, the iPad 1 and iPhone 3G were abysmal but my laptop & Mac Mini made up for it. I actually think that's why they have to add stronger, artificial incentives.)
      - mkaltenecker 14y ago
        You can debate about this forever. It's like reading tea leaves. The real world consequence, however, is this: if you want to be able to update your device for as long as possible you should get an iOS device. I'm talking consequences, not so much intentions.
        gurkendoktor 14y ago
        I agree with the consequence and buy accordingly. I don't have anything to add to your first posting, where you've stated how things factually work out. But I haven't seen anyone argue that Apple's feature cut-off is hardware-bound. This is not reading tea leaves by a far margin. It's a business decision (like many) that goes against the interests of users. No harm in keeping that in mind.
winter_blue 14y ago
Which makes it okay?
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
  - awolf 14y ago
    Fine, let's all just agree to fault Android as a whole and move on.

warfangle 14y ago

"don't even work on other companies devices that they have no control over" Fixed that for you. The Nexus (minus the G1) line of phones gets regular updates - my old Nexus One was always updated within a few weeks of a new version of android coming out. If you want updated OS software on your phone, be smart about which droid phone you get. Ain't goog's fault Samsung won't allow updates to Phone #4123.

narrator 14y ago
You know, the point of a computer is to do work or play games with it. You do not need the absolute latest release of whatever to do useful work or play games.
jamesaguilar 14y ago
I'm just a user of Google's Android OS. My three-year old Windows and Mac computers still get the latest OS versions, as do my iPhones. I don't care about the particular reasons why my phone with Google's Android OS doesn't get updated. I just know it doesn't. Those are Google's problems, not mine. My problem is that I own an Android phone that is not on the latest version. > be smart about which droid phone you get My solution to this problem is to get an iPhone. Even the phones Google makes don't have the kind of update longevity Apple's do. The Nexus One did not get ICS, much less Jellybean. The 3GS is getting iOS 6.
- wvenable 14y ago
  You didn't buy your OS from Google. You didn't buy your device from Google. Your phone doesn't have the latest OS because your device manufacturer isn't giving it to you.
  - jamesaguilar 14y ago
    Yeah, I don't really care. It is Google branded, was developed primarily by Google, was marketed as "Google Android" and/or "Android by Google" at various times, has Google apps, has a store run by Google where I get more apps, and has Google's name associated with it in every news article I find about it online. It's a Google device to me, Joe Average Consumer. Your technicalities don't mean jack to me. Also, everything you said in this comment applies likewise when I get a laptop with Windows installed by an OEM. Are you prepared to argue that a Windows computer is in no part a Microsoft product and that Microsoft would not be responsible if the OS failed to update on my laptop?