Are Immediate Updates That Important?

[onthecouchagain]

Is it me or are immediate OS updates starting to matter a bit less these days?

On Android... it's gotten to a point where I honestly don't know where else they can take it. They'll tinker on additional tweaks, improvements, some new features, sure but how dramatic of an improvement could it be? I mean, I guess I stand to be surprised by those who will keep innovating, but at this point, looking toward 2013, the OS has gotten so good and stable that I don't think it's that big of a deal anymore to not get the absolute latest update on day one. Some might argue this is already true, that OS updates doesn't suddenly render your current OS obsolete in anyway. It's refreshing that Google believes they're only "one third" done with Android. What else can they give us that we must have right away, though, I wonder?

On iOS... it's great updates come on day one, but they tend to be missing the main feature of the updated OS which makes the update really not as big of a deal as some might think. These updates come once a year anyway. And depending on your device, the update can actually cripple battery life and/or add lag. Recently, users had to sacrifice Google Maps.

Do we place too much value on updates? Is it a misguided necessity?

I'm not sure. But I'm starting to feel the Nexus line is becoming somewhat less necessary, while the allure of alternative phones, like say the Note II, is starting to look more and more attractive and acceptable. Part of me also wants to wait for the Galaxy S4. These are two devices that I know won't get the latest updated OS right away...

Thoughts?

 

[dalbir4444]

The reason I don't like getting upgrades asap is that they are usually filled with bugs and often break compatibility with some apps. I like to wait a few months for all the bugs to be ironed out before making the jump.

 

[MonkeySee....]

My thoughts are you think Android is so good updates don't matter and iOS is ****.

Right?

 

[paulsalter]

Not vital for me

I like seeing whats new on my Nexus 7, but my Samsung phone is on ICS and does everything I want from it

New features seem to get added anyway without a major OS upgrade, so core apps get features added even if the OS doesn't

 

[onthecouchagain]

My thoughts are you think Android is so good updates don't matter and iOS is ****.

Right?

Sure.

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The reason I don't like getting upgrades asap is that they are usually filled with bugs and often break compatibility with some apps. I like to wait a few months for all the bugs to be ironed out before making the jump.

Valid point.

 

[cynics]

I find it annoying when for example you have a device on 4.0 and the same manufacture has another newer device on 4.1 or 4.2.

Carrier delays are just as aggravating. The Xoom wifi has had 4.1 forever now. The Verizon version is still on 4.0. What is Verizon doing? Hurting user experience is not how you keep customers!

That said, I'd rather have android 4.0 then iOS 6.0.1 like my 4S has.

 

[onthecouchagain]

It really just goes to show how strong the competition is getting. I thought I'd never get a non-Nexus phone, but I'm considering the Note II, and I'm looking forward to what the Galaxy S4 might bring.

LG's also stepping up their game with these supposed Optimus 2G specs: http://www.phonearena.com/news/LG-O...n-and-2GHz-quad-core-to-arrive-in-May_id37016

Specs don't give the full picture, of course, but my point is, the competition is getting wild.

 

[mattopotamus]

They are really important to me, and not really for the advertised features, but for the subtle ones. For example, IOS 6 finally gave me the option to leave my bluetooth on when in my car, but use siri for the voice commands. Prior to IOS 6, I was yelling at my car stereo to try and pick it up.

I think they are more important for IOS users vs android users b.c of the "walled garden." We need the updates to progress. From an android perspective, if you have 4.1 not having 4.2 is not a huge deal, as with IOS and 6.0 vs 6.1.

I honestly think IOS 7.0 will bring some big changes. What they are? I have no idea, but having them right away is very important to me.

 

[onthecouchagain]

They are really important to me, and not really for the advertised features, but for the subtle ones. For example, IOS 6 finally gave me the option to leave my bluetooth on when in my car, but use siri for the voice commands. Prior to IOS 6, I was yelling at my car stereo to try and pick it up.

I think they are more important for IOS users vs android users b.c of the "walled garden." We need the updates to progress. From an android perspective, if you have 4.1 not having 4.2 is not a huge deal, as with IOS and 6.0 vs 6.1.

I honestly think IOS 7.0 will bring some big changes. What they are? I have no idea, but having them right away is very important to me.

I definitely understand this.

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Maybe I'm just becoming disenchanted by smartphones in general...

It's insane that it's such a "necessity" in our lives now.

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I also find myself less needing to tell others which OS is better. One of them definitely is, but who cares if they don't agree? It's their choice and they live with the consequences of that choice, be it less features or no LTE, whatever it may be.

 

[dalbir4444]

My thoughts are you think Android is so good updates don't matter and iOS is ****.

Right?

Flamebait comment.

 

[ugahairydawgs]

Maybe I'm just becoming disenchanted by smartphones in general...

It's insane that it's such a "necessity" in our lives now.

Amen

 

[kdarling]

I still use tablets stuck on Froyo or Gingerbread, even though I also have ones on the latest versions.

Doesn't bother me a bit, as most of the major apps I use daily are available on anything with Froyo or above.

I suppose if I could only have one Android device at a time, it would be more of an issue.

--

To me, the big difference and talk about fragmentation boils down to this:

iOS started out pretty and has been adding functionality.

Android started out with functionality and has been adding prettiness.

Sooner or later they'll meet and end up being on the same path

 

[dalbir4444]

There are people in my office that enjoy using XP and don't see much of a reason to upgrade. Some people might argue that the UI is not polished, but it doesn't matter to many people.

 

[strausd]

On Android... it's gotten to a point where I honestly don't know where else they can take it. They'll tinker on additional tweaks, improvements, some new features, sure but how dramatic of an improvement could it be?

There is a huge problem with this statement. Believing that just because you can't think of something new means there isn't anything new is a logical fallacy.

The whole point is that features weren't thought of right away, so a big group of people get together to think of new and awesome ideas that haven't been done before and constantly pushing how far technology can go.

Of course updates are important. I don't think it is reasonable for anybody to say they aren't. Can you see the future? Can anybody say with absolute certainty that Google will never have any major OS features? No, nobody can say that because we don't know.

 

[Stuntman06]

As long as my phone is working fine without any issues, I don't care about updates. I only want an update if I have an issue that I want fixed.

 

[Technarchy]

Absolutely important to me.

 

[cnguyen0320]

I think updates are important. You may say they aren't important because you may not need the features. But when something, even something little, comes and you want it, you'll dread it. Updates on day one are very important. For iOS, when they added notification center, that was a little thing but if I was forced to not have it, i'd be mad. If you're on android, think about how mad people are that they aren't getting the Project Butter of Jelly Bean. Imagine if Project Roadrunner (battery life improvement) were to come out. How disappointed would you be?

At this point, there isn't that much that can be added but the little things that are, are worth that much.

 

[dalbir4444]

I think updates are important. You may say they aren't important because you may not need the features. But when something, even something little, comes and you want it, you'll dread it. Updates on day one are very important. For iOS, when they added notification center, that was a little thing but if I was forced to not have it, i'd be mad. If you're on android, think about how mad people are that they aren't getting the Project Butter of Jelly Bean. Imagine if Project Roadrunner (battery life improvement) were to come out. How disappointed would you be?

At this point, there isn't that much that can be added but the little things that are, are worth that much.

I agree they are definitely important, but not day one important. Updates often cause some incompatibilities, so IMO it's better to wait until most of the bugs are ironed out. But it definitely is important.

 

[matttye]

I'll hold you to that when Key Lime Pie comes out with a plethora of amazing new features

 

[Black Magic]

Surprised that you would make a bizarre statement like this. Updates are absolutely important. Without them, progression stops. Bugs and glitches are usually fixed in most updates so many would want them right away.

Do you really want to spend all that money on a phone and not get any bug fixes, feature enhancements, and other goodies during your 2 year contract? It's annoying as hell being forced to have to buy a new phone just to get the update that finally resolves the issue you had on your old "still working fine" phone.

Software fragmentation is probably one of the biggest issues with Android. If carriers and manufacturers got a clue and embraced pushing out updates for all their phones in a timely fashion, they would gain a lot of customers on that premise alone. They don't get it.

 

[matttye]

Surprised that you would make a bizarre statement like this. Updates are absolutely important. Without them, progression stops. Bugs and glitches are usually fixed in most updates so many would want them right away.

Do you really want to spend all that money on a phone and not get any bug fixes, feature enhancements, and other goodies during your 2 year contract? It's annoying as hell being forced to have to buy a new phone just to get the update that finally resolves the issue you had on your old "still working fine" phone.

Software fragmentation is probably one of the biggest issues with Android. If carriers and manufacturers got a clue and embraced pushing out updates for all their phones in a timely fashion, they would gain a lot of customers on that premise alone. They don't get it.

I don't think android can have it both ways though; you either have just a few devices which you can keep updated, or you have hundreds of devices at varying price levels that aren't all going to be updated in a timely manner. It would be impossible to have all of those phones updated quickly.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I don't need to have updates right away. I usually wait a month or two before downloading any updates to see if they are ok.

 

[TheHateMachine]

Considering that Google can just update the core Android apps whenever they want to add new features the OS update is not as important anymore.

 

[matttye]

Considering that Google can just update the core Android apps whenever they want to add new features the OS update is not as important anymore.

It is when they add things like Google Now and Quick Settings.

 

[dalbir4444]

Surprised that you would make a bizarre statement like this. Updates are absolutely important. Without them, progression stops. Bugs and glitches are usually fixed in most updates so many would want them right away.

Do you really want to spend all that money on a phone and not get any bug fixes, feature enhancements, and other goodies during your 2 year contract? It's annoying as hell being forced to have to buy a new phone just to get the update that finally resolves the issue you had on your old "still working fine" phone.

Software fragmentation is probably one of the biggest issues with Android. If carriers and manufacturers got a clue and embraced pushing out updates for all their phones in a timely fashion, they would gain a lot of customers on that premise alone. They don't get it.

I agree with most of what you said but Samsung doesn't push updates in a timely fashion and their user base is still rapidly expanding. It has more to do with marketing, if anything.

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Considering that Google can just update the core Android apps whenever they want to add new features the OS update is not as important anymore.

This is a very important distinction in the way updates are handled between Android and iOS.