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Editorial
Earlier today, Samsung revealed that it won't update the Galaxy S, its most successful smartphone to date, to the latest version of Android. You might shrug and dismiss that as just more evidence of Android's inherent fragmentation or the need for buyers to beware, but I take grave issue with it. This is a decision based not on technical constraints, as Samsung would have you believe, but on hubris.
Consider, firstly, that the Galaxy S sold 10 million units within its first seven months on the market and was recently nudging up against the 20 million mark. It wasn't merely Samsung's flagship phone for 2010, it was Android's. As if to confirm that, Google later chose the Galaxy S hardware as the base around which to build the Nexus S, its second Android showcase device. The Galaxy S was a big deal, as close to a halo Android phone as we've had prior to the grunting arrival of the Galaxy Nexus powerhouse.
It's not just ancient history, either. The Galaxy S was still the top Samsung phone you could buy in the US as recently as this September. In light of that fact, Samsung's choice not to upgrade this phone to Ice Cream Sandwich is simply unacceptable. As an owner of a Galaxy S, I would feel betrayed. As a technology journalist, I am appalled.
The Nexus S is receiving ICS over the air right now, while we've seen the hacking community install and run the new OS on older devices like Motorola's original Droid. Samsung protests that there's not enough RAM and ROM on the Galaxy S to operate Ice Cream Sandwich, but the Nexus S precedent tells me that the company could provide an unskinned build of Android 4.0 to users who'd like to upgrade their months-old phones. Unfortunately, however, Samsung doesn't seem to care. The company's failure to support its Android products stretches back to a promised Behold II update that never came, through the Fascinate that got it months late, to today's Galaxy S news.
The problem is a cultural one: Samsung considers its relationship with the consumer to be concluded the moment the sale is completed. Whereas Apple, Microsoft, and other software vendors have learned the value of supporting current users in the hope of enticing new ones, Samsung's attitude remains deeply rooted in its history as a hardware manufacturer. It sees production and R&D costs in one column and it tries to balance them against sales revenue in the other, never raising its gaze to the long-term consideration of whether anyone would come back for a repeat purchase.
People stand in line for the new iPhone because they believe Apple cares. If Samsung wants to start competing with those lines instead of just making fun of them, it had better start caring too.
Comments
S is a terrible phone on TMO, nothing but constant trouble. Will never buy a Samsung anything. Apple or HTC for me.
Macclone - December 23, 2011
Samsung consistently produces the best hardware. It’s their software updates that lag. As far as Android handsets go however, nothing touches Samsung hardware.
apcommunicate - December 23, 2011
Thin != The best. Infact i would argue the opposite. Everyone Including Moto, HTC, Apple. and Nokia have figured out that you dont use plastics as the frame for phones. They feel cheap, and on showfloors, Will give people the impresion of cheapness next to HTC’s aluminum and Apples glass phones. They might be Durable, but they wont ever truly feel well made.
I would know, i have an Atrix, Made of plastic, it takes bad falls all the time. yet is still in great shape except for some scratches on the back. But it feels cheap and lowend. Same goes for Samsungs phones. putting the Aluminum back cover on the Captivate was the best thing AT&T have ever done.
If you wont take my word for it just read any samsung review. PLasticky and cheap feeling hardware, EVERY SINGLE TIME.
pcgamer - December 23, 2011
Plastic != cheap. Cheap = cheap. The Nokia Lumia 800 is made of a composite plastic, but it’s still basically plastic.
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
That’s exactly what he said. He didn’t say plastic is cheap, he said plastic feels cheap compared to aluminum and glass.
DLebs - December 23, 2011
What I am saying is that most people agree that the Nokia Lumia 800 has an extremely nice feel, however it is also just plastic.
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
A Polycarbinate is the same as a plastic as a 911 is to a VW Golf.
pcgamer - December 23, 2011
No. Polycarbonate is to plastic what a GTI is to a VW Golf.
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
nope. polycarbonate is a type of plastic. a 911 is not a type of golf.
also, most phones are made of a polycabonate. but they aren’t cut from a single, high-quality polycarbonate block that has no seams.
azulum - December 23, 2011
No. Polycarbonate is to plastic what a R32 is to a VW Golf.
Eric Morgan - December 23, 2011
No Golf is to baseball what updates are to samsung.
dtzitz - December 24, 2011
The true car guy has arrived. Kudos.
S0lidsnake - December 24, 2011 via mobile
+1 to Eric Morgan for mentioning the best VW Golf/GTI ever made. Sex on wheels.
Fumetsu - December 25, 2011
INSERT STUPID CAR ANALOGY HERE:
TheDewd - December 23, 2011
Polycarbonate is to plastic what a Jaguar is to a Neo-Geo.
theineffablebob - December 24, 2011
Polycarbonate is to plastic what a Jaguar is to a car.
Captain Megaton - December 24, 2011
Aluminum and glass is fine until you drop it. I’ve seen a lot of shattered iPhones after minor drops while wearing a case. My GSII has been dropped, and flung off the car center console to the floor with no case and doesn’t have a scratch. To be fair the iPhone 3Gs was pretty tough but the glass sandwich that is the 4 and 4s an accident waiting to happen, which is why pretty much all of them are sporting massive bumper cases that cover both the look and feel of that “superior” construction.
FreshPizzaSauce - December 23, 2011
My friend has a 3GS. She has dropped it down the stairs, and once in the sink while it was full of water. She didn’t even get it immediately, it was down there for a while. Still works fine.
I on the other hand have had an iPhone 4 and a 4S. The first day i had my 4 i dropped it on tarmac and the back glass cracked. (Luckily not too bad)
When Apple made the 4, they made a phone for the perfect human, who doesn’t exist.
engadget.refugee - December 24, 2011
You sir are wrong. I have never dropped my iP4 in the 9 months I’ve owned it, not once. I AM THE PERFECT HUMAN.
JRX16 - December 24, 2011
Me neither. Cases are for goofs.
gtg465x - December 25, 2011
Agreed! I feel like a large portion of my money is going towards the incredible iPhone 4S design. Why would I put a case over it, which effectively hides what I just spent my money on and adds unnecessary bulk? That’s why I’ve always respected the iPhone bumper — it protects the phone from drops somewhat better, and you can still see the design.
Jack Glenn - December 25, 2011
The iPhone Bumper works great. I’ve dropped my iPhone 4 a few times and have had no damage. The reports of its fragility are greatly exaggerated.
starxd - December 25, 2011
Exactly!
Jack Glenn - December 25, 2011
I have to say I am tired of aluminum and glass, plastic like Nokia’s N9 is actually quite great, both visually and in hand, and it’s light. A 4.65’ phone with glass would be heavy and hard to hold firmly…
Cyaniris - December 25, 2011
Plastic does not necessarily mean cheap. Plastic allows for a thinner and lighter profile. Just take the Galaxy Nexus for example; plastic, but not cheap. Being an owner of the Galaxy S myself, I’m offended by samsung’s persistent inability to update software. My Captivate still hasn’t even ‘officially’ gotten a gingerbread build yet – although I’ve been running ICS for a couple weeks. Samsung’s hardware is top of the line, they just need the software to keep up with it
mikel.canovas - December 23, 2011
I actually just recently handled a Galaxy Nexus at a Verizon store. It felt incredibly cheap.
sonicmerlin - December 23, 2011
Samesis… I love the profile of the device, but the whole “REMOVE CHEAP PLASTIC BACK TO INSERT BATTERY” just doesn’t cut the mustard for me…
TheDewd - December 23, 2011
Super glue the back on then it will be just like the iPhone.
FreshPizzaSauce - December 24, 2011
How is that true since the iPhone is not made of plastic?
JRX16 - December 24, 2011
The design will be as stupid as an iPhone is what he meant.
To make a Galaxy S2 as stupid ans an iPhone you have to super glue the MicroSD card in its slot first.
Hans Pedersen - December 25, 2011
nope… then it will just be a cheap hunk of plastic with super glue on it.
TheDewd - December 24, 2011
then how will you get to the sim card
Enzo91 - December 26, 2011
The iPhone 4/4S back opens with 2 screws. Yes, they have been changed to weird screws, but it’s still 2 screws that are easily replaced.
digitalbobby - December 27, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErXqnQKs-tA
“Cheap” Plastic surely does take abuse well. Not even a fatigue in the finish while being bent completely
ph00ny - December 24, 2011
I am not saying that that little shell doesn’t have any resilience, but that whole design just isn’t ideal. I have had 4 phones constructed exactly like that. As the little arms that hold the back to the chasis wear, they fit gets looser and looser and eventually it starts sliding off when you pull the phone from your pocket.
A thin plastic shell that covers the internals of the phone just feels cheap. The reviewers here at the Verge complain about it all the time. There is absolutely no reason that Samsung can’t use their brain to come up with something unique and high-end.
They just keep pumping out these cheap ass handsets because they have no intention of having a “one phone to rule them all” business model.
They would rather spray 10+ handsets per year from the barrel of a shotgun. All 10 of them with insignificant differences in construction and specs.
Everyone ragged on the iPhone 4S when it launched because they didn’t improve the design, they just bumped the specs. Samsung has been and will continue to follow this model and their fans will still sniff their throne regardless.
You are the consumer. Ask for something better and stop defending this cheap shit.
TheDewd - December 24, 2011
Yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.
ohyo - December 29, 2011
I agree, especially the the back battery cover of the Galaxy Nexus.
I swear to god, It’s a fucking joke.
MrSeanWashington - December 24, 2011
Funny, because I thought it felt awesome. It is absolutely amazing that it can be the size that it is, have so much performance, and be so light (10g more than iphone). This notion that plastic = cheap and metal = premium is absurd.
Minjin - December 24, 2011
It is preference. Some people don’t mind the cheap plastic interior of a C5 Corvette (the older model), but its still an amazing performing car. Some will opt for a BMW M3 instead. But I had a Galaxy Nexus for 3 hours and returned it. I found it to fall far short of the performance all the reviews and hype promised. They keyboard has a ridiculous bug where it lags terribly in landscape mode (documented issue), and when you put on a slightly more complicated live wallpaper, the screen scrolling frame rate drops significantly. I found that phone to be average at best, it’s only feature is ICS. A standard Galaxy S 2 has far smoother better performance and a much better plus screen, not pentile. The Galaxy Nexus is a huge dissapointment for me.
JRX16 - December 24, 2011
even if you take pentile into account (which is 33% fewer effective pixels total than the maximum resolution, not 33% in each dimension), the Nexus still has a higher pixel density despite the larger screen. I’ve held the two side by side and there’s simply no comparison
billobob - December 24, 2011
Unless you are taking your Galaxy Nexus on a backpacking trip or to the moon I don’t see why a few ounces would matter. Phones are getting wider/longer, but thinner at the same time. One entire side of every smartphone is glass. Why would you WANT it to be built cheaper?
I’m not saying they shouldn’t use plastics at all, but this design of using a tiny little thin plastic shell that snaps into the plasticky chasis to protect the battery, SIM, and SD card slot just feels like no one gives a shit.
I don’t know what the answer is, but it feels fairly obvious that this is the cheapest way to manufacture smartphones and rather than do something unique, all the OEMs just keep pumping out the same junk with the same design.
TheDewd - December 24, 2011
Wooden backs are clearly the solution
or maybe leather
C’mon LG Prada – you should be leading the way on this!
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
If phones were breaking, I might understand the concern about them being made “cheaply” but they aren’t. The screens are breaking, not the case and the use of metal makes it MORE likely to break the screen.
Minjin - December 24, 2011
How does the use of metal make it more likely to break the screen? That doesn’t make sense.
starxd - December 25, 2011
Plastics absorbs more energy before it is transmitted to the screen.
Minjin - December 26, 2011
Exactly. Plastic is a more pliant substance, which allows for greater shock absorption than the much more rigid and stiff metal.
JmLeuzzi - December 30, 2011
totally disagree. I played around with my coworkers Galaxy Nexus at length. It sure as hell doesn’t feel cheap to me. It is incredibly light, yet sturdy. I bet if samsung would just have thrown in a lead dummy weight to give the phone some more heft, all else being equal, no one would be complaining about a cheep feeling.
deitiphobia - December 25, 2011
Well, I would say, plastic is more durable and light. Also, its easy and cheap to replace if you get a scratch or break it accidentally. I have owned iPhone 4 and HTC phones earlier and I would say that I got a broken glass on iPhone 4’s back cover in the very first week. Aluminium case on HTC phones is easy to dent specially on the corners. Checkout the crash test of iPhone 4s and Galaxy S 2 and you’ll know which one is more durable as opposed to classy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elKxgsrJFhw
shashankramuk - December 23, 2011
How cheap and easy is cheap and easy? You can replace the back glass on the 4/4S for like 30 bucks, maybe less if you do it yourself and buy some parts on eBay
TheDewd - December 23, 2011
Sorry, bro, I dont think $30 is cheap for an $199 iPhone(on contract). While the plastic cover for Galaxy S costs as little as $5-$7 http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-galaxy-Fascinate-Cover-battery/dp/B004VB6C92
Its easy to replace as well by just taking it out using your nail. However, for iPhone, you need to have a screwdriver just to replace the cover. Just by using costly material for construction doesn’t mean that its high quality.
While I have used iPhone4(S) and do believe that its once of the best smartphone ever made, I dont really agree that its better or more durable as compared to other phones out there.
shashankramuk - December 24, 2011
Do we have to have this discussion ad nausea every frigging time Samsung is in the post?
The OP was about software updates people. Let’s try to stick to the program this time!
Captain Megaton - December 24, 2011
SOOO sick of people bitching about plastic.. uhh iphone 3g/3gs were PLASTIC too… did people complain? uh no.. samsung phones are FINE. yes they ain’t metal or titanium.. but they are FINE.. jesus. get over it or just don’t buy samsung. WTH.. no one’s forcing anyone to buy samsung phones. i’m completely happy with the galaxy nexus..
bqrius - December 23, 2011
Some people did complain. It felt cheaper than the first iPhone, but it didn’t bend or anything unlike the Galaxy Nexus.
bootareen - December 24, 2011
Have you actually held a Galaxy Nexus? There is no bending.
Scottish - December 24, 2011
Well, a lot of reliable tech sources have reported that it does. So apparently…
engadget.refugee - December 24, 2011
the bending part is the removable back plastic. the entire phone does not bend.
Fillduck - December 24, 2011
all the new samsung phones have metal internal skeletal structure. They don’t bend. No flex in chassis whatsoever
ph00ny - December 24, 2011
They don’t “bend” but they sure creak like plastic Shenzhen KIRFer’s.
MrSeanWashington - December 24, 2011
Yeah… people did complain… cause it was cracking.
TheDewd - December 24, 2011
Because of the stupid design. Samsung’s phones do not crack.
gtg465x - December 25, 2011
Actually a LOT of people complained about the iPhone 3G/3GS being plastic.
starxd - December 25, 2011
My nexus feels very solid and doesn’t feel cheap. They could execute this better on their othe plastic phones, I agree.
Aubz - December 23, 2011 via mobile
The new Nexus is all plastic. Feels premium though. If you use cheap plastic it will feel cheap. The battery cover for the nexus is a new plastic compound that looks and almost feels like metal. Glass and aluminum is expensive and heavy. It boils down to choice, not which one is better than the other.
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
people will just stick a silicone cover on it anyway
dbrenha - December 23, 2011
Dude, it’s a phone and mobile internet device. Who freakin’ cares how “cheap” it feels?
Fact is that it works great, knocks the socks off any other device on the market in terms of speed, the screen looks wonderful, the sound is great. The battery life could be better, but still, it makes the iPhone look like a toy for children.
Some people use their phones as devices instead of as status symbols.
otto42 - December 23, 2011
I dislike your implication that wanting decent build quality in your phone somehow makes you vain. It’s really personal preference. I would disagree with someone choosing a phone ONLY because of its looks, but if you’re choosing between two phones that will suit your needs equally, why not pick the one you think looks better?
And regarding the iPhone looking like a toy for children, that again is personal preference. In 2011, all three major mobile operating systems (iOS, Android, and WP7) have something to offer for everybody.
Tubamajuba - December 23, 2011
But this is the real argument… build quality has nothing to do with the materials used. Plenty of the phones out there that could be said to feel cheap is actually of a stronger build then other phones made with metals. The real point here is getting over the opinion that it “feels cheap” and realizing that it is actually stronger even though its plastic. The iPhone does not look cheap, but its glass front and back is by far not the strongest thing out there. I recently handled a Galaxy Nexus, and although it was obviously made out of plastic, I have a strong feeling it could take more of a beating then an iPhone. Certainly there are weaker plastics then others, but thats not to discredit all plastics as being of inferior quality.
wackyanimation - December 23, 2011
Yes, it is a key point that all plastics are not made equally, and plastics do offer some advantages depending on the usage and type of plastic. Plastics can be durable; they can easily be more durable the glass or gorilla glass. That’s not the say that metal or glass isn’t good on a phone, but there are many ways to go about it and still end up with a good, solid product.
jptech - December 23, 2011
We need better nomenclature. Plastics aren’t more durable than metal in the sense of standing up to day to day wear for long periods – they aren’t even more durable than glass. They are more rugged, when subjected to a shock or impact, certainly than glass, and sometimes even than metal.
The iPhone-4 enclosure will, if treated with care last for many years in excellent condition, something that can’t be said for phones with more plastic in the construction. If you drop it onto the wrong surface however, things may not be so rosy.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
I challenge this assertion. Anything but the lowest quality of products will hold up just fine for many years if treated with care. The worst that can be said is that certain families of plastics will discolor after several years which can also be true of metals (especially depending on their coating)
fcheslack - December 23, 2011
fcheslack has the right idea.
I’m pretty sure the plastics used in Samsung phones aren’t biodegradable. Therefore, they’ll actually last for hundreds, if not THOUSANDS, of years even when in a compost pile.
Taehee - December 24, 2011
Not in perfect condition they won’t. There are pieces of glass that are centuries old sitting in museums, but plastic objects are already causing curators conniptions.
http://smithsonianscience.org/2009/08/problem-plastics-in-museum-collections-have-conservators-on-alert/
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
Plastics scuff easily, which is why none of the smartphones we discuss here use them for the screen.
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
It’s 100 times easier to scratch the glass iPhone back than it is to scuff the plastic Galaxy S II back. Sliding it across concrete with force would do it, but it certainly isn’t easy in everyday use.
gtg465x - December 25, 2011
No – glass is harder than plastic by a considerable margin. You know how you can tell that? Because they’re using glass on the screen of your galaxy nexus, not polycarbonate. If it was harder to scratch plastic why would they do that?
Same with something like a watch – Swatches have cheap plastic faces that scuff up if you wear them day in day out, but a good watch has a glass face that will resist anything but a piece of metal or stone.
Cloudgazer - December 25, 2011
when i get back to work, i’ll take a picture and upload it to flickr, of my draw of dead blackberries. It’s easy to see. Aluminum generally isn’t better though, because it dings.
glass, if you cover it, and it doesn’t break, will shine back up, so he has a point. That being said, once you put a case on a 4, i’ve not had problems. It does use gorilla glass, it’s just it goes up to the edge, so if you don’t have a case to redistribute that energy, the glass will take it fully.
JesseDegenerate - December 24, 2011
Cases defeat the whole purpose. They completely ruin any high end look or feel a phone has.
gtg465x - December 25, 2011
Thus, might as well get a plastic phone to begin with and use it without a case instead of getting a glass phone and putting a plastic case on it.
gtg465x - December 25, 2011
I usually go with what feels better rather than what looks better. The iPhone 4 looks great. So does the Droid Razor, so thin and all. But both phones don’t feel great in the hand. Not when compared to just about anything else. iPhone 4 edges and it’s weight make it uncomfortable to hold. Rounded plastic edges feel much better in the hand even though it doesn’t look as great as two slabs of polished glass or an insanely thin phone like the RAZR.
The unconventional reality for me is, when I purchase an extended battery for my phones with the replacement bulging battery covers to accommodate the huge battery, my phones always feel better! My fat Samsung Fascinate with extended battery was so comfortable (and still super light because Samsung phones are insanely light). My new Droid Bionic feels much better to me wit the fuller back now with the extended battery.
Now I’m much more of a function over form person any day. So I’ll take a phone that feels full and comfortable in my hand and gives me amazing battery life any day over a gorgeous glass masterpiece that is so fragile and won’t stand much of a fall (which is eventually going to happen).
deitiphobia - December 25, 2011
What do people do to their iPhones to get them to break? I’ve dropped mine from chest height at least to wood floors, concrete, asphalt, gravel, etc, and all I have is a tiny little nick on one side. I’ve owned it for about 1.5 years and in that time it has fallen from my arms, slipped out of my pocket while running, fallen off tables, and so on, and it has almost no damage at all. What do people do to destroy the glass?
ian.ryan - December 25, 2011
There are two ways to go when you differentiate with device build quality. You can make them feel high-end and flashy, or you can over-engineer them and make them out of strong materials to make them “unbreakable”. Cheap plastic phones fit into neither of these category and it makes them feel ordinary and boring.
If Apple can sell a $100 phone made of glass and aluminium the Nexus line can afford to upgrade the quality without breaking the bank.
That’s the difference in the two models. Apple is out to make a single phone that sells a lot and Samsung is out to rush a truckload of cheap handsets to the market. They don’t want to make one really nice phone from high-end materials. Then they would have to make every one of their 10 devices per year to those same standards.
Samsung is happy with where they are now, but their customers shouldn’t be. No legit upgrades for average consumers…. just buy a new cheap plastic hunk of shit and wait for next years!
TheDewd - December 23, 2011
So you’re saying they should have used a processor from two years ago and cut the amount of RAM in half to make the phone feel better in hand?
gtg465x - December 25, 2011
It’s odd though that you charachterize Samsung as being the cheep plastic phone manufacturer.
Samsungs phones have consistently received praise for being of the highest quality. The difference is, that they are really light. Light does not equal cheap. Cheap would mean that volume rockers fail, power buttons fail, plastic cracks, screens crack, speakers blow out, paint delaminates or chips, seams start to seperate.
So I ask you, have you ever heard of any of these happening with any frequency to Samsung devices? I’ve owned several and know many others that do to, and I have not heard even any reviewer on the net saying that Samsung devices are of poor build quality and break or fall apart or malfunction easily. Again, this is what would define a “cheap” phone.
Samsung phones are simply super light. If they simply placed a dummy weight inside to make them weigh more, the perception would be so different.
People equate low weight with feeling cheap. That is a subjective perception. The objective reality is that not all light materials are fragile or cheap.
So they are failing consumers like you only in perception, not in reality.
deitiphobia - December 25, 2011
Some people have taste and some don’t. Put the iPhone in a case and use it covered if you leave the house while inside the house I take the case off and I can appreciate the way it looks. Something I’ve never managed to do with a Samsung phone.
Wizerud - December 25, 2011
People with taste nd an appreciation for good design care if it feels cheap.
starxd - December 25, 2011
All I can say is that I would throw a HTC if I wanted to kill someone and I would throw a Samsung if I wanted to provide a life raft for a drowning person.
mayankbhagat - December 26, 2011
Stanley Goodspeed: Glass or plastic, glass or plastic?
PossumK - December 24, 2011
I would never buy a phone with a metal external surface.
nori - December 25, 2011
While I have to agree with the plasticky feeling of my galaxy S, I also have a Omnia 7 that is my day.to-day phone and it is a great piece of aluminium design. So Samsung does know how to make a good mobile phone in terms of material… it just doesn’t give them the margins a plastiky feeling one does.
jpcarvalhinho - December 26, 2011
I really wouldn’t say that at all. The Focus I had was flimsy and not well built at all. The battery cover popped off numerous times a day. Sorry, but plastic is not a superior thing to make electronics with.
ctt1wbw - December 23, 2011
Which hardware are you refering too I sure know it isnt their cellphones. I like their TV’s I have had 3 Samasungs, 1 iPhone (2g) and 1 HTC. All 2 Samsung phones where poorly made and put together plasticy pieces. The iPhone was 100x better and my current HTC Sensation was definitely better than a galaxy SII I played with. My sisters Samsung I pulled apart after she dropped it and the button mechanisms where shoddy to say the least and it was not a cheap model. I love my Samsung TV but always look for a quality put together piece of hardware, HTC, Apple and Hawaii are all way better hardware design and alot more solid than any current Samsung in my opinion
shaneblyth - December 23, 2011
I was actually very impressed with Huewii’s hardware design for the Springboard Tablet. Software was terrible, but damn the casing was great.
MrSeanWashington - December 24, 2011
Samsung might produce the best components, but they definitely don’t produce the best hardware. Apple, Nokia and HTC all produce much better hardware.
sickstysicks - December 24, 2011
So quick to forget the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Apple produces some of the sexiest hardware, but they definitely don’t produce the most durable hardware.
gtg465x - December 25, 2011
Not sure what your point is, but the iPhone 3G/3GS were incredibly durable.
starxd - December 25, 2011
Specs != hardware. As far as Android hardware goes, HTC easily beats Samsung, and generally speaking Apple, HTC and Nokia all produce higher quality hardware than Samsung.
sickstysicks - December 24, 2011
I like Moto’s build quality and industrial design better. Of course, Blur sucks, as do all OEM skins.
I’m hoping that once the Google-Motorola merger is complete, Google will order Moto to only make unskinned vanilla Android phones, and announce that those Moto phones will be receiving updates as soon as the source code is released. Other manufacturers can either make vanilla phones and keep up with Moto, or insist on using their own skins and fall behind…
RoninEdge - December 24, 2011
best hardware lmfao GOOD ONE.
sighclops - December 26, 2011
Samsung produces the best hardware? Samsung destroyed any chance of my repeat business with that terrible fiasco of a phone the fascinate. They built a piece of crap then refused to rectify or admit the problems. Mine is only one voice of almost everyone who owned a fascinate.
joe mn - December 28, 2011
To be fair where was this iPhone fan fan they stopped delivering updates to iphone 2g?
Apple fanboys as always!
Taran - December 24, 2011
iphones (and ipods) last for 3 major versions of iOS. Like the 3G, from os 2 to 4.2.1, way longer than any android phone i know
Fillduck - December 24, 2011
The 3G may have been updated to iOS 4 but there is no way it should have been. It rendered the phone pretty much unuseable. I’ve just had to revert mine to iOS 3 (or whatever it was called then) so that I could loan it to a friend. If ever there is an argument for not updating a phone the 3G is the prime example. Apple effectively forced people to upgrade their actual devices after that just so they could have a phone they could use again.
stevemccartney - December 24, 2011
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dyt97kowyTA
The 3G’s performance on iOS 4.2 is fine. 4.0 was terrible, everybody admits that, but Apple resolved the problem – and indeed as you just pointed out – reverting to iOS 3 was possible, and didn’t require rooting or breaking warranties – it was completely supported.
Apple did drop the ball on QA with iOS 4 on the 3G, but they clearly learned their lesson from the experience, and iOS 5 on the 3GS was a significant performance improvement to iOS 4.
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
While 4.2 may have been better than 4.0 (which couldn’t have been hard) it was still painful. I was on 4.2 when I reverted. A YouTube video of a few minutes won’t change my mind over a few weeks useage. I maintain it should never have been released for the 3G. You’re right, downgrading didn’t require jailbreaking but it did need third party software to complete the process and get it out of recovery mode. “Completely supported” is therefore simply not correct – unless I missed an official Apple method (which is quite possible).
I actually don’t have a problem with companies dropping upgrades if the hardware doesn’t support it. There is also an argument that some people may like Touchwiz and if that can’t be provided along with Android 4.0 then some would rather stick with Gingerbread. I would prefer the route that HTC took with Gingerbread on the Desire, though. It was made available with stripped Sense features and was an optional upgrade for those that valued Gingerbread over Sense. I would like Samsung to offer an optional stock ICS for the Galaxy S for those that want it. Those that don’t can stick with Touchwiz.
I guess I was really just pointing out that the iPhone 3G upgrades were a particularly bad example. Reminded me of Vista on some Celerons. It ran but nobody in their right mind would want it.
stevemccartney - December 24, 2011
It didn’t break your warranty, or your applecare – it’s supported.
Cloudgazer - December 25, 2011
I think that’s a tenuous definition. Having a 3G on iOS 3 is supported. The downgrading process is not. Therefore downgrading your phone is not supported. As long as you get through it ok you are fine. Make a mess half way through and you will be hoping to get a friendly Genius but you wouldn’t be entitled to help.
Just as if you jailbreak a phone and get it back to stock you would be fine but nobody is going to argue jailbreaking is supported.
stevemccartney - December 26, 2011
That’s not true. They didn’t have the intention of upgrading the 3G but they knew people would piss and moan if they didn’t. This is a classic case of “dammed if you do, dammed if you don’t” There is essentially no way to please consumers in this particular case.
You can tell the consumers repeatedly for a month that the 3G doesn’t have the speed it needs to run the new OS and the consumers will start class action lawsuits, write angry emails, etc. until they get their way. Then once they do, they will post on forums about how bad the experience is and how Apple never should have pushed the update.
“Apple effectively forced people to upgrade their actual devices after that just so they could have a phone they could use again.”
That’s BS. That isn’t Apple’s business model, oddly enough it IS Samsung’s. They just cut off updates and sell you a new one in 9 months.
TheDewd - December 24, 2011
Updates aren’t essential. The phone stays working. Nobody is forced to buy a new phone because they don’t have the latest and greatest – that is a choice. I know plenty people couldn’t care less what OS their phone runs (iOS and Android users). The phone stays useable without the update.
When there is an update and it makes the phone run like treacle and when there is no easy downgrade path for a non-technical user they are being forced to upgrade the device in order to have a useable phone again.
Not giving an update does not force a new purchase, an update that makes the phone worse does.
stevemccartney - December 24, 2011
The Galaxy S lasted for 3 major versions as well. Android is just moving at a more rapid pace that iOS. If you think otherwise, compare a G1 to an original iPhone and then compare a Galaxy Nexus to an iPhone 4S. It will be obviously which software is changing and improving more rapidly.
gtg465x - December 25, 2011
To be clear, it shipped with Android Eclair and got updated to Froyo and then to Gingerbread. No ICS is sad, but it got its share of updates.
gtg465x - December 25, 2011
I got an original iPhone “2G” in November of 2007, Apple continued to deliver OS updates until 2009 with iOS 3. I bought a Samsung Galaxy S Vibrant last year October 2010 and Samsung stopped delivering updates in October 2010, so comparatively, I got much more “value” out of my iPhone purchase with new features, additional functionality and bug/security fixes for up to 2 years than I got out of my Samsung purchase. Samsung effectively obsoleted my 1 year old phone by refusing to deliver software updates for it. For this reason alone, I will never buy another Samsung phone.
I’ve sold my Vibrant and will be purchasing an iPhone 4S because I know that at the very least Apple will continue to deliver software updates until 2013 when my contract will be up and I can opt to upgrade to a newer phone.
thekurst - December 25, 2011
@Macclone
I’ll take issue with that, I rooted and put a custom rom on my S some time ago and .. I’m on TMO and it’s golden. While Samsung may have borked up the software the hardware is still highly functional and relevant imho.
I won’t be trading in my lovely S until the S3 is released.
Muddysmind - December 24, 2011
This is going to sound awfully callous, so I apologize for the tone but:
I thought we all learned that any type of UI that isn’t stock UI generally experiences this type of thing. I don’t think TouchWiz UI is bad, I just think it has a lot of fluff that’s not needed.
Can anyone say they’re really surprised that no ICS is going to be applied to their devices?
supitsmike - December 23, 2011
thank you, none of this is surprising. My Epic 4G has 2.3 and that is all I expected.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
It is a US issue – separate versions for separate carriers, each requiring customization and carrier approval. The Vibrant (T-Mobile), Captivate (AT&T) and Infuse (AT&T) still have not received Gingerbread
stoobiedoo - December 23, 2011
I would be suspicious of those two carriers because Sprint and Verizon Galaxy S phone both got 2.3. I have no idea but it seems strange that some Galaxy S phones are on 2.3 and some are not.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
This is what really pisses me off.
Sure, it would be nice to have ics on my device, but personally, I wouldn’t be too disappointed cause to have to update all those current devices, then having to deal with two year old devices would probably cost more and run into more problems. The way that cellphones work these days is that they’re pretty much obsolete within 2 years. That’s okay. The fact that I have a Captivate that still hasn’t received fucking gingerbread is completely unacceptable. I want to say it’s at&t’s fault, but samsung needs to apply the pressure to them as well. At&t is selling their product. If they want people to continuously purchase their phones, then they need to make sure the carriers get out the updates when available. Period.
I shouldn’t have to root my device either. Why should I risk bricking my phone cause the carriers are preventing my phone from performing to it’s full capacity? It’s nonsense, and fairly frustrating.
..Godflow.. - December 23, 2011
As a tech enthusiast, I expect to be able to upgrade to the latest OS the day it comes out, which is why I will never own an Android as my primary device.
starxd - December 25, 2011
Yeah, Samsung’s history with the GS hasn’t been particularly stellar so I don’t know why this is an enormous surprise. The devices were some of the last of their contemporaries to get Gingerbread, with the Fascinate not even getting it until this month (while the Incredible and Droid X got their updates in September).
jonathancole - December 23, 2011
I think that was only in the US. Afair they got well timed updates everywhere else. Part of the problem is there are so many people to blame, Google Samsung and carrier so it is hard to know where to assign blame.
theaolway - December 23, 2011
I think the issue is them announcing it publicly. It just further proves that they don’t care.
jordanmcmahon - December 23, 2011
I just don’t like the heavy fragmentation coupled with these types of things. At first it was understandable, but with 3 years in, you’d think they’d create a “No Phone Left Behind” program or something so that this wouldn’t happen.
I just want the homogenization of updates across all phones.
supitsmike - December 23, 2011
Yeah, For someone who is capable and willing to root its not a big deal, but thats not the general target audience out there. I would support Samsung for the hardware, but if I had limited control over the software, no way would I settle for them. For people who are capable of swapping ROMs however, MIUI is hands down the best for synchronous updates, and seems to do very good with keeping up with Android builds. I just wish the carriers made it more simplified to root without restricting its users such as HTC has done on the Evo 3D.
wackyanimation - December 23, 2011
"Samsung considers its relationship with the consumer to be concluded the moment the sale is completed."
The carriers are doing a GREAT job of confusing even experienced observers like Vlad. You’re not buying a Samsung phone— it’s a Verizon (etc) phone with Verizon specs and software inspired by Google and only assembled by Sammy.
Take a look at the (e-)receipt. No Samsung logo on it. No email from them welcoming you to Samsung experience/family and encouraging you to register for their cust service or warranty. No Samsung stores where you take back a lemon for migrating info to a no-hassle replacement. No manufacturer’s warranty that will be honored at a different authorized dealer or mfr’s center.
People don’t buy a Samsung phone. Verizon contracts for them and sells people $2000 bundles of service that toss in hardware for a bit more.
With all these obvious signs it’s time for The Verge to STOP promoting products that don’t really exist.
WaltFrench - December 23, 2011 via mobile
That is one way to look at it, but there is no denying that the Galaxy S is a Samsung product. It is sold internationally in addition to the many U.S. variants. I agree that Verizon contracts out phones, but the Galaxy S is definitely a Samsung ordeal. Granted the carriers don’t help the update process.
jptech - December 23, 2011
Don’t think Vlad is confused. He lives in the UK and buys phones that are not strangled by carriers.
gtg465x - December 25, 2011
What on earth do you mean by your last sentence? How is the Verge “promoting a product that doesn’t exist?”
starxd - December 25, 2011
Ah well. I have a sammy captivate and we’ve had ICS roms for a few weeks now. I’m running ICS now as my daily rom, and it’s awesome.
shadvich - December 23, 2011
Any one who cares about having the latest updated phone can figure out how to get one.. I don’t know anyone selling their Epic 4G for a Nexus S or iPhone 4 why because an unupdated Epic is better than those phones can ever be with any amount of updates in many peoples opinions..
You can either get interesting form factors or fast updates but not both.. Android besides the Nexus line goes for many form factors which naturally hinders updates.. neither is right or wrong..
Celz - December 23, 2011 via mobile
I’m surprised because I can download a 95% working ICS ROM and flash it to my Galaxy S right now. All Samsung really has to do is slap proprietary drivers onto it and they could release it in less than a month.
stargazer418 - December 23, 2011
Normal people don’t flash roms.
Leica_Virgin - December 24, 2011
He is not implying any of the sort. He is wondering why, is a group of hobbysts can do it, why can’t Samsung do it as well?
cumanzor - December 24, 2011
I have an SHW-M110S (the Korean SK Telecom version of the Galaxy S) and I was really hoping, actually expecting, Samsung to give me ICS simply because the Nexus S was getting it too. But then, no, Samsung tells me to go fuck myself. Apple for me now, and I mean this.
2003aaa - December 24, 2011
I’ve owned 4 or 5 different Android devices, only one of which received a major OS update along the way and that phone was shipped with an old OS to begin with. Therefore it’s been my experience that the only reliable way to get updates is to root, buy new hardware or give up on the concept of choice and only buy the Nexus brand.
Certainly the lack of updates can be frustrating (unless you’re the type to defend the practice), however it’s not at all surprising. Honestly, this article would be more newsworthy if it were about Samsung actually providing updates to its customers.
Joey Calamaro - December 24, 2011
Android Update Alliance, wooh! Can’t wait for the new Samsung ads:
“Your phone is a year old and gets updates still? Wow” (the end) :P
slackguy - December 23, 2011
Samsung wasn’t part of the alliance. And the alliance was created after the launch of the Galaxy S.
Just saying…
Mike10010100 - December 24, 2011
Yes, Samsung was: http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/10/google-annouces-plans-partners-to-guarantee-android-phones-will-get-latest-updates/
And while the Galaxy S line was out two months before the announcement there’s no way that discussions weren’t happening before Google I/O. It should easily be able to fall in the 18-month period.
bradleyjp - December 24, 2011
Simple, don’t buy an Android phone then.
Kareemovich - December 23, 2011
This is Samsung’s fault, not Android’s. The Nexus line will receive their updates just fine.
kekspernikai - December 23, 2011
Ping me when the Nexus 1 gets ICS
theaolway - December 23, 2011
Totally true. Even Nexus Android has terrible support.
Concession - December 23, 2011
Ping us all when the iPhone 3G gets iOS 5, Siri, Ripped-off notification bar and iCloud.
lividcreature - December 23, 2011
I think you’re confused. The iPhone 3G is 3 years old, we are talking about phones not getting new software after a few months. It is acceptable to stop supporting a phone after 2 years because the customer can upgrade to a new phone.
tkbrdly - December 23, 2011
I’m most certainly not confused. If I remember CORRECTLY, the iPhone 3G was still being sold on AT&T since this last summer when the iPhone 4S was announced. So, let’s not blur the line between when a device was launched, and when it was sold. I don’t agree AT ALL with Samsung not providing the update, just as much as Apple not doing it for the 3G. But what it comes down to is outdated hardware and it’s software. By the way, the Galaxy S isn’t just a few months old, it came out in 2010. We’re at the end of 2011. Thanks.
lividcreature - December 23, 2011
You are most certainly confused. Apple stopped manufacturing the iPhone 3G in June of 2010. You are thinking of the 3Gs.
vergeuser2011 - December 23, 2011
The iPhone 3G came out in June 2008, 4 months before the T-Mobile G1, the first Android phone ever. Until October the iPhone 3G had the most up to date version of iOS. Think about that.
sonicmerlin - December 23, 2011
In a very bare-bones version with lots of stuff removed and still running really badly on the 3G. I know it only too well, because I can listen to my brother-in-law bitching about it regularly.
Strabo - December 25, 2011
You seem very confused. There are hardware limitations that prevent the 3 year old iPhone 3G from running the latest OS. There is no such constraint with last year’s Galaxy S. it is an artificial limitation that hurts consumers.
starxd - December 25, 2011
Let me know when the iPhone 4 gets Siri. Apple BS about the hardware sounds awfully like Samsung right now.
pdditty - December 23, 2011
Siri requires a huge amount of computational power. Notice the slowdowns in service every now and then? Apple’s adding millions of new iPhone users every week. Ramping up the servers is an extremely difficult task.
sonicmerlin - December 23, 2011
That “huge amount of power” is used on the remote servers, not on the phone itself. There is nothing technical keeping Siri from working on the iPhone 4.
stargazer418 - December 23, 2011
Yes, the iPhone 4 has plenty of power to run Siri. They are using it as a differentiation between the 4 and 4S because on the surface the 4S isn’t different. Yes, underneath it has a dual core A5 and a better camera, but consumers need a tangible feature, not techno terms like dual core CPU and SGX543 GPU.
jptech - December 23, 2011
The iPhone 4S had another sensor (I think a proximity) for Siri.
delta4s - December 25, 2011
Nope, Siri requires the ambient light sensor to be on constantly. That in itself makes it fairly power intensive, as well as a drain on the battery.
wackyanimation - December 23, 2011
Oh, I’m sure you need a dual core processor and updated GPU to run an ambient light sensor.
jptech - December 23, 2011
You don’t, but it’s something the iPhone 4 didn’t have. The 4 only had a proximity sensor, but the 4S has an always-on IR sensor.
bootareen - December 24, 2011
You are right, but if all o fthe iphone 4G people would buy into Siri all at the same time via software update…
jpcarvalhinho - December 26, 2011
That’s it. I’m out. Not coming to this comment section ever again until people who actually know what the fuck they are talking about decide to come here.
cumanzor - December 24, 2011
The real reason Siri is not on the 4 is because it requires the ambient light sensor to be on constantly. Doing that on the 4 is most likely too much of a drain on the battery. The real issue with Siri is its way too much of a hog.
wackyanimation - December 23, 2011
You can work around that easily. That’s just an excuse.
tuftslax18 - December 24, 2011
That’s exactly the point. The original Nexus was released nearly exactly two years ago. Its lack of ICS support isn’t all that outrageous. The Nexus S was released a little over a year ago and ICS updates are already rolling out to customers. The only delay has been because Google is careful to test the update with a random sample of customers for a couple weeks in case there are unforeseen issues.
The Nexus S is just a Galaxy S variant, so we already know that upgrading to stock ICS is not difficult on these devices. It’s Samsung’s approach to skinning and upgrades that is the problem.
Comparing to the iPhone isn’t very helpful. As you said, two years is really the important time span given the contracts.
mattcad - December 23, 2011
There is of course ALSO the unfulfilled promise by Rubin, six months ago, for upgrades NOT being blocked or limited by the carriers.
In my view this stands in pretty sharp contrast to the efforts by Apple to force-fit OS upgrades onto hardware that was marginally able to support the bigger OS footprint
WaltFrench - December 23, 2011 via mobile
???
Release dates:
iPhone 3G: July 11, 2008
iPhone 3GS: June 19, 2009
Nexus One: January 5, 2010.
Gadgeteer21 - December 23, 2011
Nexus one stopped sale July 2010. iPhone 3GS: STILL FOR SALE
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
iPhone 3GS – runs iOS5
grahamstevens - December 23, 2011
Slow as balls and no Siri.
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
No Siri – true.
Slow as balls – not true (mind you how fast do balls go?)
grahamstevens - December 23, 2011
Can you prove its slow as balls? I have one right now running iOS 5 and it’s buttery smooth as ever.
Super Tino - December 23, 2011
Maybe they’re Butterballs? It’s christmas after all!
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
Compared to ICS on Nexus S vs ICS on Galaxy Nexus, iOS 5 on 3GS vs iOS5 on 4s is slow as balls.
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
Nexus S came out, what? Last year? iPhone 3GS has been out for over 2 years, yeah its hardware is a bit outdated BUT it GOT the update…
iamjasonc - December 23, 2011
Nexus S has ICS. ALL the features of ICS. Not missing anything.
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
Everything…. except for Face unlock.
Deontre Hayes - December 23, 2011
Nope. Face Unlock is missing. So there you have it. In a fair comparison we have to admit that Apple currently does a better job with supporting their devices.
smartphoneblogging - December 23, 2011
iP4 doesn’t have Siri…Siri is a significantly bigger deal than a Face Unlock novelty
AbsoluteDesignz - December 23, 2011
What about the buttons on the nexus s compared to the soft buttons on the ics galaxy nexus? As in no multitasking button
benkim - December 23, 2011 via mobile
The Home button on the Nexus S works exactly the same on ICS as it did on Gingerbread. Tap to go to homescreen; long press to switch apps. Instead of your last 8 apps (displayed as icons), you see a scrollable list of every open app (displayed as thumbnails). Simply tap a thumbnail to a open the app, or swipe it to the right to dismiss the app. I like ICS on the Nexus S hardware.
Essex - December 23, 2011
Having an entire updated OS is a much bigger deal then missing features. Apple will continue to restrict new features on older models when they’re not doable. Still, at least you have the brand new OS.
TechMark - December 24, 2011
Count OS versions then apply it to your logic.
mrahh - December 23, 2011
The 3GS had weaker hardware than the BlackBerry Bold 9000…
KQ17 - December 24, 2011
3GS is Apple’s answer to cheap crappy phones, and it still does more feature-wise by comparison. This is a losing argument any way you cut it. Compare the 3GS to whatever $0 phone running the Android platform.
TechMark - December 24, 2011
I don’t know about the US. But in the UK it’s better than any phone in its price.
jaggedspike - December 25, 2011
1) The Nexus 1 actually has storage constraints that prevent a 1:1 port, though there are other ways to do it and there are custom ROMs out there.
2) The phone is nearly 2 years old. Remember, the Update Alliance asked for 18 months of support.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
Lol, there is an “Update Alliance”? Sorry, but that sounds pretty sad.
bootareen - December 24, 2011
nexus 1 is pretty old dude.
oshizo2 - December 23, 2011 via mobile
well the N1 is TWO years old!! not to mention the hardware can’t keep up the improvements that come along with ICS. sure it can “run” ICS but how sluggish and choppy would the OS be on such an ancient device?
teesquared - December 23, 2011
Check out the custom ICS roms. How do you think they fare?
sonicmerlin - December 23, 2011
dont lie bro, my Nexus S 4G still have not gotten ICS
kiddCharlemagne - December 23, 2011
That’s because Sprint hasn’t gotten it to work yet. The actual, contract-free developer version got it.
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
Another example of the Nexus name quickly being rendered meaningless.
esoterica - December 23, 2011
That the developer phone got the update? that’s the point of nexus phones, off contract developer phones.
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
Exactly what esoterica is saying. Sprint has rendered the Nexus name meaningless by releasing the “Nexus” S 4G that shouldn’t even be called a Nexus.
stargazer418 - December 23, 2011
Hey, while we’re going overboard, why stop with Android? let’s just make it..don’t buy a mobile phone.
avinash240 - December 23, 2011
Well because the bitching seems to stem from people buying Android phones and then realizing that they are getting shafted within a years of purchase. Although Apple tends to get crap for their phones, atleast you whether or not an update is coming.
What my problem with Android is that many updates are announced and you have to hope that an update will arrive to your phone.
Kareemovich - December 23, 2011
Just buy a Nexus phone. I recommend two phones to people an Iphone 4s or a Nexus Android phone. The funny thing though is that the average person who asks me, doesn’t care about updates, they just care that their phone will be stable.
avinash240 - December 23, 2011
Exactly…Always buy Nexus when buying Android…always.
AbsoluteDesignz - December 23, 2011
Where’s the ‘choice’ then. If you want to get updates “you should just get a Nexus”?
bootareen - December 24, 2011
But I want Android!! What if I don’t like WP7 or iOS? What if don’t like HTC nor Samsung but I DO LIKE THE OS??
Oh well, I’ll get a Nexus then.
cumanzor - December 24, 2011
Simple. By dishing out the best hardware available.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
The best hardware with the buggiest and slowest rooms in all the devices. What’s the point of having the fastest car on the road if you can’t even start it?
Sean Su - December 23, 2011
2 words: Alfa. Romeo.
Seriously though, this is annoying as hell.
Ghost650 - December 23, 2011
Analogy fail, let me fix that for you.
What is the point of buying a new 2011 car when you know a 2012 model will come out and your 2011 won’t get those updates?
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
That would be a great analogy, but it falls down if other car companies were delivering such updates. Not all markets are the same.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
Exactly. Samsung is like a beautiful woman. She can treat you like crap, but you’ll keep coming back for more.
gtg465x - December 23, 2011
Simple, get a Windows Phone, no fragmentation.
Seblc - December 23, 2011
Just because the masses don’t understand it, doesn’t excuse the behavior. If the Nexus S can support it, this is nothing more than greed in hoping to stoke sales for the Galaxy S III.
fupresti - December 23, 2011
No, they’re trying to maintain their UI branding on their phone. The Nexus S doesn’t have this branding.
avinash240 - December 23, 2011
Yet just about everyone agrees that TouchWiz is terrible. Besides, Samsung is getting sued all over the world over TouchWiz… You’d think they would just put a Samsung startup animation for ICS, maybe some custom icons and the stock widgets from Gingerbread and get it over with.
Sean Su - December 23, 2011
Actually, just about everyone on tech blogs agree TouchWiz is terrible. I got friends who don’t even understand that their Galaxy S isn’t running stock Android. They juts don’t know the difference, then to go out and push a 4.0 update which looks and works nothing like, and is absent of the features TouchWiz brings to the table, it makes sense why they are saying this.
Dino_the_Dino - December 23, 2011
This. Most people I know with Android phones don’t even realize their phone has anything to do with Google, much less Android.
stargazer418 - December 23, 2011
I’ve used touchwiz, it’s not terrible by any stretch. I prefer stock but I’m also a software engineer, i don’t even remotely think I’m the average user. Touchwiz is so radically different in looks than stock ICS, if they pushed an update to the Galaxy S phones that nuked Touchwiz, you’d be alienating your current installed user base who has grown comfortable with Touchwiz a lot more than them being pissed you didn’t give them touchwiz. Just because phone nerds and tech bloggers(Vlad) write an article saying they should be upset means they’ll care, if I go out an ask 9/10 random people on the street I doubt they’ll even know what the verge is.
avinash240 - December 23, 2011
oh..edit button. I meant "being pissed that you didn’t give them ICS:
avinash240 - December 23, 2011
some call it greed some call it basic business sense
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
sorry don’t want a phone that looks like a rubicks cube
Kurosawa-kino - December 23, 2011
Just wait until they’ve sold enough of them so that they can give it the “Xbox 360 as a marketing platform” treatment that I’ve been subjected to. It’s simple and fast to get what you want, just dodge through the ads taking up the biggest portions of your UI.
mehmehmehmeh - December 23, 2011
“Just wait until they’ve sold enough of them”
Yes, we can all dream…
Kurosawa-kino - December 23, 2011
Windows Phone is promising but lets not act like there’s any great hardware available there. Plus, most Android users can never go back to not having Google Maps turn by turn. There’s promise there though.
apcommunicate - December 23, 2011
Explain how the hardware isn’t great. And there’s free turn by turn on wp7 now by the way.
jbrandonf - December 23, 2011 via mobile
Fair enough – but I’ve got to tell you, I use a HTC Trophy, which is not a powerhouse spec-wise, and this thing is snappy, responsive, never crashes, and has pretty much everything I need out of a smartphone. I’m not a power user, however, so I’m probably not asking as much from it as the typical Verge reader might, but for my purposes, more impressive specs would be a waste.
A really nice free turn-by-turn app would be nice, I can’t deny it. Here’s hoping Microsoft will get one – it’s really the only missing piece to this phone.
Earth_or_Bust - December 24, 2011
For now… just wait until versions of the OS and/or features are not backwards compatible. Even iOS has fragmentation to an extent.
Ghost650 - December 23, 2011
Not really true already (front-facing camera and the stuff 1st gen phones can’t do because it is missing) and we are only in the beginning of the second generation of phones, with all still using basically the same outdated SoC configuration. The fragmentation will be worse in 1-2 generations, when WP7 finally catches up with Apple and Android phones in terms of hardware.
Strabo - December 25, 2011
I wonder the percentage of customers who actually care are. Sure Techies like yourself care, but most people just don’t understand at all.
For instance most people think all phones that run Android are Droids.
Another example is someone buying an 8GB iPhone 4 on VZW. When asked why did they not get the 4s they reply, “The 8GB just came out” as if it was brand new.
I agree that Samsung should update their phones but if they put stock ICS on each phone 90% of the customer base would be upset/confused.
They should just unlock the bootloaders instead.
normz.muufin - December 23, 2011
I need an edit button.
normz.muufin - December 23, 2011
Agree. While I know I would LOVE if Samsung just pushed out Stock ICS, it would confuse the hell out of people who are used to using TouchWiz-ified Android
Ghost650 - December 23, 2011
Yet HT. is explaining it to their customers and allowing their customers to upgrade to a stock ICS…. Samsun is just lazy. It won’t be hard for Samsung to just ship ICS with a Samsung boot animation and some of its gingerbread apps and widgets.
Sean Su - December 23, 2011
Problem is, they might now know or “care” they’re not getting the latest upgrade, but these are people who may simply fall off the Android bandwagon…in favor of other devices. Bring them ICS on a silver platter and they may be impressed and want to stick around.
dleinonen - December 23, 2011
It is not that simple. I work in the IT field and all I can say is that customers are stupid. The best solution would be to unlock the bootloader but they can’t do this due to some carrier constraints.
You know a tun of people probably buy Kias because they are so cheap but you would not find many skilled mechanics buying one.
Same with Tech. We don’t buy the $249.99 laptops from Walmart do we?
normz.muufin - December 23, 2011
Basically what I am saying is that most people don’t care we do so we buy different devices.
normz.muufin - December 23, 2011
That might have been true 15 years ago. Not now.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
I think you understand my point. As you can tell, I am not one of those mechanics.
normz.muufin - December 23, 2011
Actually, A good family friend of ours, who is a darn good mechanic, loves Kias because they are quicker and easier to repair than the fancy top of the line cars.
DLebs - December 23, 2011
lol great then insert X car that sells well but in reality sucks.
normz.muufin - December 23, 2011
Absolutely agree with you. We care because we have a vested interest in the latest and greatest whether by choice or by profession. The average person doesn’t care, and it’s a platform-and-odm-agnostic trait. I know plenty of iPhone users that don’t seem to mind, and some who don’t actually care, what version of iOS they’re on as long as their favourite apps still run.
Now bear in mind you’re talking about the Samsung Galaxy S, a mass-market phone that achieved phenomenal sales and just happened to strike a chord with many in the tech crowd. Sounds a lot like the iPhone, right? Now, Mr. Savov has a point. If Apple can do it, why can’t Samsung. Thing is, he fails to consider the difference in business models between Samsung and Apple. Apple relies on a very carefully controlled product marketed to the widest demographic. Samsung relies on quantity, ensuring they have at least a contending product covering every single niche. Their aim is not necessarily to have the best product out there, but to have a presence there, that’s why they have the Galaxy Tab, the Galaxy Note, etc. In short, It would be nice if they supported their most popular product, but at the same time they would never do so without a radical change to their business model, since their goal is to keep their phone reliable, not new.
…does this make sense? I have to admit I’m typing this on a tablet and bloody Safari keeps jumping the page due to the auto-updates. Serves me right for not using a full computer I guess.
moisiom - December 23, 2011
The last sentence sums up my reason for loving Apple products. Bash Apple all you want, they continue to support users as long as technologically feasible. This skinning shit is why I steer clear of Android. And before you yell at me Nexus this, give me the Galaxy Nexus on AT&T and we will have a conversation.
fupresti - December 23, 2011
This basically sums up my feelings towards android phones and why I stick with Apple products. Apple “cares” about the user or atleast wants to make people love their device and feel like the company cares, this in turn creates promoters and then people are influenced by those promoters which helps to increase sales. Either way, I just like that I have an unskinned, in fragmented OS on my phone that works well for me.
trevorhanson7 - December 23, 2011 via mobile
Because AT&T is SO amazing
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
How did you feel when Steve blamed you for holding the phone wrong?
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
He only blamed people who were intentionally trying to diminish their reception. Like people who show off working their car’s pedals with their legs crossed and note that it’s prone to crashing.
I simply can’t talk on a phone with my fist wrapped around the bottom half of the phone in the Grip of Death. It is absolutely a jackass stunt. No surprise that Apple didn’t anticipate people would give a shit about going out of their way to make your device less capable. Might as well complain that it’s impossible for most Americans to read the menus if you intentionally set it to run in Arabic.
WaltFrench - December 23, 2011 via mobile
He only blamed people who were intentionally trying to diminish their reception. Like people who show off working their car’s pedals with their legs crossed and note that it’s prone to crashing.
I simply can’t talk on a phone with my fist wrapped around the bottom half of the phone in the Grip of Death. It is absolutely a jackass stunt. No surprise that Apple didn’t anticipate people would give a shit about going out of their way to make your device less capable. Might as well complain that it’s impossible for most Americans to read the menus if you intentionally set it to run in Arabic.
WaltFrench - December 23, 2011 via mobile
I agree with the exception of OSX Lion. It’s buggy and a few steps backwards as far as useability goes. Now I wait for the LTE iPhone to hit so I don’t have to get a new AT&T contract.
DizWhiz - December 24, 2011
Apple isn’t quite perfect, as shown with missing features such as Siri on the iPhone 4, and (correct me if I’m wrong) no MMS on the original iPhone. They are, though, probably the best.
qakgob - December 23, 2011
Dont forget that Siri is also lacking from the iPad, for no good reason.
Ghost650 - December 23, 2011
Siri isn’t exclusive just yet. You have a chance that it’ll be released on older device by the time it leaves ‘beta’.
Renverse - December 23, 2011
Siri is computationally intensive. How do you suppose Apple can ramp up server support for all 100 million iOS users in addition to the millions of new iPhone 4S users added every week?
sonicmerlin - December 23, 2011
Even Microsoft is better than Google in this regard. Every Windows Phone 7 device released around the world was eligible to upgrade to 7.5 after 6 weeks. 6 weeks! Android OEMs can never seem to run a tight ship like that (and it also proves the problem isn’t so much the carriers as it is manufacturers).
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
Thats great and probably very easy when your OS is not open sourced. There are similarly short waits for phones that run on stock versions of android. The problem defitiely lies with the manufacturers AND the carriers. The carriers still require that manufacturers include bloatware which complicate the process. In fact, it is stated above that some of the reason these phones will not be updated is because of that same bloatware.
Ghost650 - December 23, 2011
Even easier when all the phones have identical specs…
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
Let’s be clear: the OS that ships on carriers’ phones is only released as open source AFTER the fact. Google is adamant about controlling the versions’ development until then
Anyway, to the extent that it IS open it should be easier to tweak for particular devices, with lots of savvy engineers volunteering to do what Samsung thinks is beneath them.
So you’re actually suggesting that the whole "open Always wins!" is BS.
WaltFrench - December 23, 2011 via mobile
when all the “variation” of phones are basically the same phone, it would be easy to do so.
phantomash - December 24, 2011
Well rumor has it that you should only have to wait a few months until the GSM version will be released in the states. So sit tight and you’ll get your wish. :)
dbdynsty25 - December 23, 2011
While their phone updates are admirable they aren’t perfect. New features of new OS versions have been left off of old devices for no good reason (and in some cases, for good reason).
And lets not even talk about the Mac. Where you could have owned hardware barely 12 months old before it was no longer supported by the latest OS versions.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
Erm – what 12month old hardware are you thinking of here?
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
Wish I had edit. That was closer to 2 years. It’s the odd occurrence usually the support is longer.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
Still not sure which you mean, even at 2 years.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
my macpro from 2008 runs lion and literally every piece of software written for it that i’ve tried – including all the latest apple stuff.
There is no 2-year-old mac hardware that is unsupported – it just doesn’t exist.
The closest thing would be powerpc hardware but that was only un-supported as of Lion, and the last powerpc machines shipped in ’06..
So even if you bought the last powerpc mac off the assembly line, you’d have had 4.5 years worth of current OS support.
nothingreal - December 23, 2011
The original intel Mac’s don’t support lion, but they’re only early 2006. By late 2006 early 2007, all the machines had Core 2 Duo, which Lion works on.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
ahh yes, you’re right.. the core 2 stuff doesn’t work properly with lion.
Still – they work fine with snow leopard and that’s not half bad i suppose :)
nothingreal - December 24, 2011
Eh? The core 2 duo macs work fine with Lion. It’s the core “1” duo macs that do not work.. So like was said, only early 2006 intel macs are incompatible. So that’s 5 years of OS support/updates, which isn’t bad…
darkcrayon - December 24, 2011
there was a “Core 2” and a “Core 2 Duo” — stupid naming, of course, but the original “Core 2” was a single core and came on the first batch of MacBooks before the Core 2 Duo emerged.
I think it was unofficially called the “Core 2 Solo” but that wasn’t the shipping name.
nothingreal - December 24, 2011
Nope, it was the “Core” which had “Core Solo” and “Core Duo”, then came the “Core 2” wich had the “Core 2 Solo” and “Core 2 Duo” which do support Lion.
jsolares - December 25, 2011
Sorry, as much as I hate apple for not running Lion on my 2006 MBP, anything after that runs it fine.
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
Google should take a stand on this issue, only way it will be fixed.
matt999000 - December 23, 2011
They did. Six months ago.
Back when they said they were going to control releases better.
Apparently the carriers, who actually are in charge didn’t bother to tell you that Rubin was making impossible promises again because he wasn’t really in charge. Kneel down! Bark! That’s a good beta dog.
WaltFrench - December 23, 2011 via mobile
This is the main reason I decided to buy myself a Nexus device. I know I will get the next update shortly after it’s made available. Samsung updated the Fascinate twice with isn’t horrible considering some phones out there. I think for the people that care about which version of the OS they use, Nexus is the only option.
voghan - December 23, 2011
Tell that to those with a Nexus 4G on Sprint. Oops, sorry, You’re actually not safe there either!
digitalbobby - December 27, 2011
You sure are pumping out editorials the last few days. These editorials are really great! Keep ’em coming!
Dylan Spronck - December 23, 2011
They won’t update it BECAUSE IT’S OVER 18 MONTHS OLD!!!!!!!!!!!
The only agreed to updating devices for 18 months not more, I see no issue with that AND I own a Vibrant
z0phi3l - December 23, 2011
Your statement is ironic because they didnt even update the Vibrant (non 4G) to Gingerbread.
Evan Halley - December 23, 2011
The two year old Samsung Galazy (not the S) is still stuck on 1.6 and the rom for it is so buggy and bad that the on screen keyboard has a half second delay between keypresses and gets confused if you type into it too quickly. Samsung has the worst support and the worst roms of all the manufacturers. You can’t trust them, they have to change their ways.
Sean Su - December 23, 2011
1) The Galaxy S is the 2nd best selling Android phone after the Galaxy S II.
2) The Galaxy S has almost the exact same hardware as the Nexus S, but no NFC chip.
3) XDA has already proven that they can run a competent 4.0 ROM on the Galaxy S.
It’s not a problem of hardware, but TouchWiz sucks up resources.
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
The first phone was release June 2010. ICS released in November, 17 months.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
You know what would be the greatest Christmas present this year? If all the carriers made their custom skins optional the moment you boot up your device.
TOMMMMMM - December 23, 2011
You sir are absolutely correct.
apcommunicate - December 23, 2011
Yeah, just as likely as having Santa himself deliver it to you on Christmas morning…never going to happen.
Reagy - December 23, 2011 via mobile
For us yeah, but for the average user its confusing. An opt-out on the other hand would be lovely.
callum.saunders1 - December 23, 2011
Like if Samsung made the Nexus S ROM available for the Galaxy S and posted it for download
stargazer418 - December 23, 2011
I actually posted on this topic not too long ago.
Someguyperson - December 23, 2011
I don’t have high hopes for any pre-Galaxy Nexus devices in terms of being upgraded to ICS.
The problem is that the customer is so accustomed to whatever skin they already have that they would only be confused as hell if ICS changed everything.
Furthermore, Google is taking a strong stance to minimize or even outright kill skins on top of ICS. Since OEMs don’t want to confuse their customers by changing the UI entirely with an OTA but also are being discouraged from wasting resources reskinning the new OS, they don’t see a point to upgrading older devices to ICS.
Mapex - December 23, 2011
Google isn’t taking a stance at all with skinning ICS. There have already been leaked ICS ROMs with skins on them. Heck, the Sense UI is so horrifically skinned, you’d have no idea you are running ICS!
Link: Android 4.0 ROM for HTC Sensation XE appears — with Sense 3.5
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
Point still stands. Samsung can’t grant an OTA to old TouchWiz devices without retaining most of TouchWiz, else they risk messing with customers’ established comfort zones. Since TouchWiz + ICS would be too bloated for the devices, they don’t see a point to upgrading the old devices.
HTC was able to strip down parts of Sense for their older devices when upgrading to GB, but GB is much smaller in size than ICS.
I am not defending any of the OEMs for their shoddy update support – I hate skins with a passion – but I am just being realistic here and acknowledging that as backwards as these guys are, they are making the right call by not supporting certain devices.
Until I saw your Sensation XE link, I was hopefully optimistic that ICS would be left untouched, but now I just want to cry. Since I’ve given up hope on HTC, it seems until Motorola shapes up, Samsung (and maybe even LG based off Nitro and Spectrum) is the only OEM worth checking out next year.
Mapex - December 23, 2011
Honeycomb tablets are getting it. Probably all of them.
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
You guys are really pulling no punches bashing Android today. Apple should be pleased. Maybe you’ll all get a $10 gift card to the App Store for your efforts.
Anyone who cares about software upgrades has the ability to put a much better of ICS on their SGS phone that Samsung would have provided them anyway.
Mr. Carner - December 23, 2011
This has little to do with “Android” and everything to do with “Samsung”.
apcommunicate - December 23, 2011
Then every Apple hater should stop complaining about missing features in iOS because anyone who cares about those features can Jailbreak their device and customize and sideload as much as they want.
Super Tino - December 23, 2011
You’re either privileged (in that you have a phone that can have a custom ICS ROM installed on it) or grossly misinformed (in that you think every Android handset is treated equally by the community). Either way, I’ll just say that I bought a Samsung Epic 4G on launch day (two of them actually, one for my wife) and the developer community has not been able to get a real AOSP build on the thing yet. No Cyanogen, no ICS…
So before generalizing and saying that anyone can just put a better build of ICS on our phones if we wanted to, understand that there are phones out there that don’t have the developer oomph behind them that other more dev-popular phones do.
Most Samsung phone owners are at the mercy of Samsung’s software updates, and they keep treating us like we’re customers of the carriers and not customers of Samsung.
jamie3d - December 23, 2011
As a former Galaxy S owner (now Galaxy Nexus), I realized that the best way to handle this whole thing is to simply subvert their control and ROM the hell out of it. It takes a little effort and a little persistence, but you’ll rhank yourself
NPfeifer - December 23, 2011 via mobile
As an owner of a Galaxy S II this somewhat scares me, it means we won’t see any updates after ICS either, official ones that is.
Icyicy9999 - December 23, 2011
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the “J” release on SGS2
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
You won’t see android 5.0 on the GSII. Almost guaranteed.
Concession - December 23, 2011
That depends on how soon it gets released. And it’s also because processing power doubles every 12-18 months.
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
There’s two sides to this story. One is that you get no OFFICIAL updates. The other is that you usually get a more hands on development community when the manufacturer itself lags. I noticed this with the Vibrant early on. It was obvious Samsung didn’t care so devs kicked into high gear and former users learned to be devs.
apcommunicate - December 23, 2011
Agreed. And the same applies to people who complain that Apple doesn’t let you sideload or customize iOS. Just jailbreak and go at it. There is a huge vibrant community that supports this.
Super Tino - December 23, 2011
You shouldn’t have to void your warranty. I do, because I enjoy it. The average user shouldn’t have to.
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
Remember when HTC said there wasn’t enough RAM / ROM to run Gingerbread on the original Desire, then did. Deja vu, guys, deja vu.
mayankbhagat - December 23, 2011 via mobile
And they had to remove Sense crap to get it to fit.
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
So there’s a precedent for an update removing customization, right there. Samsung should take notice.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
Well, Samsung has single handedly warded me off the entire Android ecosystem. When my contract is up, I’m getting a Nokia WP8, iPhone 5 or a BB10.
Concession - December 23, 2011
Really don’t see how that makes sense. Just don’t buy anything with TouchWiz.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
So what other android phone from last August is still getting updates?
None. Not one.
How often are android phones updated with bug fixes, or security updates?
Pretty much once, or twice if you’re lucky over its lifetime.
Really encourages one to get an Android.
Concession - December 23, 2011
Nexus S.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
Barely a year old, and wasn’t out in August.
If the Nexus One is any indication, The Nexus S is about to be abandoned.
Concession - December 23, 2011
If by about you mean in a year, sure.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
You really think it is going to reach 24 months? No android phone has ever come close to 24 months.
Think the record is 18 months, that’s the N1.
Concession - December 23, 2011
I think the 2.3.7 was pushed out to the N1 alot closer to 2 years than 18 months.
trentspalmer - December 23, 2011
I don’t think the N1 got 2.3.7 .
It had 2.3.6 in September, so 21 months, right in the middle.
Concession - December 23, 2011
The original T-Mobile G2 was released that time last year and received Gingerbread at the beginning of the summer.
stargazer418 - December 23, 2011
It should be pointed out that existing BB phones aren’t going to get an update to BB 10, so I’m not sure that RIM can really be set over Android on this.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
Not to mention the 5-6-7 transition where you may or may not have gotten the next version.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
WIth RIM it is simple. Unlike android, they don’t flat out abandon their older OSs. Even though many OS5 phones never got 6, 7. they still had OS5 updates come out at the start of this year.
Granted, it still isn’t ideal. It’ll be interesting to see how they treat their new OS.
Concession - December 23, 2011
I guess they get security updates if needed – but certainly no functionality updates, and that is becoming the standard.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
I thought after samsung swooped up cyanogen they’d be catering more to the hacker community or something. With that many phones sold and for them to drop support bums me out. The outleak is bleak for my inspire 4g… What with the whole desire debacle
Alex4lex - December 23, 2011 via mobile
ROOT
stargazer418 - December 23, 2011
If a phone isn’t going to have the latest version for most of the lifetime of a contract (especially if you pay for it and it’s not free on contract), I don’t think that makes for a good business plan long term. Especially when you have not one but two competitors who have proven to provide the latest update in a reasonable time frame (Apple – day of, Microsoft – within 6 weeks, Android – months, if at all).
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
Great editorial!
vdavidovic - December 23, 2011
Dropped plans to go for Galaxy Note. Would stick with Galaxy Nexus. I hope the version Samsung sells in version is going to be supported by Google and not Samsung. :|
Sushubh - December 23, 2011
I completely agree, Samsung don’t care about their customers. It’s pathetic!
JonathanBrett - December 23, 2011
I can see Samsung updating them now after all this negative backlash. There is no reason why these year-old phones shouldn’t be updated.
maattp - December 23, 2011
Stop complaining. For early adopters, the galaxy S is nearing the end of even 2 year contracts. How long do you expect companies to support old hardware. Samsung has begun to release incremental S models in an annual schedule (S3 in feb probably), and last i checked the S2 is getting the update. And what about Apples approach with Siri? Denying it for iphone 4 owners? Thats supporting “current customers”? The 3rd gen of galaxy phones are about to come out, dont you think its time to get rid of the first gen?
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
Samsung Vibrant came out July 2010 followed by the other US varients, How is it near the end of 2 years?!
Ghost650 - December 23, 2011
in that case its at the end of an 18 month cycle. Stick it out for 6 more months and get an s3 for god sakes
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
Who on earth would get a GS3 after sticking it out with this buggy, unsupported phone.
That’s like being beaten by your boyfriend, and then coming back for more.
Concession - December 23, 2011
Buggy and unsupported? Just because it didnt get ICS? Cmon it sold 20 mil units for a reason and the S2 is going just as strong. The touchwiz UI is the best skin out there and the galaxy line packs the most powerful bleeding-edge hardware. Pretty sure its going to break some sales records.
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
Broken GPS, random reboots, phone ramdomly wipes itself. All problems I have with my GS.
I don’t care so much about ICS but we don’t even get bug fixes, or security updates.
Concession - December 23, 2011
Guess i was wrong then. But i had an xperia x10 mini. got it when it first came out and it didnt even make the list for froyo. HTC are also late with updates and didnt even support the Desire for gingerbread. That makes 3 of the top android phone OEMs. So really its the best phone at the time (Touchwiz beats Sense anyday IMO) other than an apple. But i feel like a lot of the charm for of having an android phone is the ability to make changes to stuff you dont like, and fix bugs yourself with help from sites like xda developers. Better than customers being blamed by apple for “holding the phone wrong” and being excluded from a simple app just to boost sales. Samsung sounds like one of the better companies in comparison.
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
US got it very late. The Galaxy S series was launched in Korea April, Europe May 2o10
Boghog - December 23, 2011
People are upset because the Nexus S with nearly the exact same hardware (added NFC chip) is getting ICS but the Galaxy S is not. And the Galaxy S was the top phone until April of this year.
dagamer34 - December 23, 2011
Tie problem is with the skinned UI, not with the hardware. Root it and get ICS if you want. After all you bought an android phone. If you want to be spoon fed should’ve gone for an iphone
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
Spoon fed? Seriously? Do you do all your own mechanics work on your car or do you get spoon fed repairs? Do you do all your own electrics, plumbing, etc or do you get spoon fed upgrades to your home? Do you do all your own medical treatment or do you get spoon fed treatment?
Spoon fed indeed.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
There’s a point where an analogy becomes irrelevant. Android has always been about customization. Its a geeks phone. Its no secret that you need to be a lil more tech savvy to get the best out of an android. Its what differentiates it from an iphone, which has little no customization options, but is a very streamlined focused user experience for those who dont have time or are not that concerned with customization. Im sure rooting an android wont have as drastic effects to your everyday life as maybe not being able to drive to work, not having electricity, or killing yourself.
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
It’s over 50% of the US smartphone market, it’s not a geeky phone, it’s a mass market product. Unless you believe that all those 50% of the US smartphone owners are geeks.
Either that or you think that about 75% of Android buyers should be buying something else, because they’re not tech savvy enough to own Android.
Which is it?
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
My sister owns an android because she couldnt afford an iphone. I think thats where the majority of sales comes from. People who buy it for that reason wouldn’t be reading this article.
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
No – they won’t be reading this article, but they may end up feeling the burn when their device isn’t running the shiny version of the OS that they see friends with.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
The shiny version of the OS they see their friends with is also running on shiny new hardware, for which they got to put down their coin. You dont get it. Most people dont even care about what version of android their phones are running, as long as they have access to the basic features of a smartphone. The people who do are techies, and technology doesnt come cheap. Bottom line…you cant expect support for a phone thats more than 18 months old. It doesnt make business sense.
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
I get what you’re saying – I just don’t agree with it.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
He is just a typical fanboy … Don’t feed him.
javalin - December 23, 2011
That’s uncalled for. He’s engaging on the issues, but we’re discussing something where data is limited and disagreements are entirely reasonable.
I don’t agree with him, but I don’t think his opinion is untenable.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
My mom bought a droid charge over the iphone 4 because she liked the bigger screen, nothing to do with price.
My friend bought an iPhone 4s because it was cheaperthan a droid Razr or Galaxy Nexus.
Many people have different reasons.
tuftslax18 - December 24, 2011
Siri is a 4S feature, not an iOS5 feature
iamjasonc - December 23, 2011
Its an app that used to be available in the appstore way before 4S, which apple took down, bought and re-released as a 4S exclusive. Ethical?
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
The Siri that is running on the 4S is COMPLETELY different than the app was. I had the app
iamjasonc - December 23, 2011
Be that as it may…its an app. Not like the iphone 4 cant support it. And that’s acceptable but not supporting an update to a phone 18 months old isn’t? Cmon the iphone 4 was a little more than a year old. The 4S has an added S because its an incremental upgrade. Its not even an all new iphone. Yet, knowing apple customers, people were going to buy it anyway. Did they really have to specifically deny Siri?
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
Judging by the server capacity issues they are having I think there’s probably a good reason that it isn’t available on older iOS devices.
RoboticSpacePenguin - December 23, 2011
I’m still rocking Froyo on my Vibrant so, while upsetting, this is not surprising. I’d be amazed if I even get Gingerbread at this point.
Ghost650 - December 23, 2011
This is a real ad btw
patfactorx - December 23, 2011
Yeah, to “Wonder” if you’ll ever get a software update.
apcommunicate - December 23, 2011
But do I wanna say though that Galaxy S phones have a great dev community and if you have enough time to comment on this thread then you have enough brainpower and time to root + rom
patfactorx - December 23, 2011
lol thats so funny. come on Sammy!
jstine - December 23, 2011
Thank you Vlad, for saying this. I used to be an Android user and generally thought it was a great experience, though I switched to iOS in August because I got so fed up with issues like this. There is no excuse for abandoning customers, and I’m glad to hear your thoughts on this piece of news. Keep it up.
Jason Starbird - December 23, 2011
This is exactly why I will only buy Nexuses from now on.
durangojim - December 23, 2011
Well, it won’t keep them. I’m so definitely not going back to Samsung when my contract runs out (unless it’s a Nexus).
tomslominski - December 23, 2011
I think this is a great editorial. I know Samsung (nor any other company) is obligated to provide updates for 2+ years, but not doing so is not a good way to inspire and retain customers. I want a Galaxy Nexus, but who is to say that phone will be guaranteed updates for 2 years? It’s a Nexus phone, but with the Verizon apps and branding, I’m worried that it may be left hung out to dry like the SGS. The iPhone isn’t perfect by any means, but at least you get meaningful updates over the span of your contract.
Mazer - December 23, 2011
Dang it, NOT obligated. Doh.
Mazer - December 23, 2011
It’s interesting that how upgradeable a phone is has become a feature and selling point. Just think back a few years ago when you just got a dumb phone and that was that. No updates forever… save for a tiny 2 mb firmware fix.
bootareen - December 24, 2011
At least the nexus can run AOSP builds with relative ease. So even if Verizon screws around putting a rom on it is easy.
Yes I said it. If you’re buying a Nexus take some time to learn how to make it better. Just like you would be suited to learn alittle bit about your car to make it better.
tuftslax18 - December 24, 2011
I know that we have the option to update via the hacker community but we shouldn’t have to rely on them to keep our devices useful for the life of our contracts. Good work Vlad!
MrHaroHaro - December 23, 2011
Samsung has no incentive to push software updates, they don’t profit from it. They rather just sell more handsets.
SmartFah - December 23, 2011
That’s my point, they do.
Long-term profit depends on user goodwill. Samsung is patching over the fact it’s leaving customers unsatisfied with their ownership experience by having a spec advantage against most of the competition (Super AMOLED+ displays, Exynos processors, thin designs), but at some point smartphone specs will plateau, and that’s when good customer service will show its importance.
Vlad Savov - December 23, 2011
Would Apple really do that well if that was the case. Just look at how they destroyed phones like the iPhone 3G with updates that made the phone unusable and makes SIRI unavailable on handsets like the 4 and 3Gs,
Anyhow I don’t think Samsung is doing much wrong in this case, they have actually held for 18 months more or less and who actually uses a Galaxy S at this point?
tallem - December 23, 2011
iOS 4.0 wasn’t good on the 3G, but iOS 4.1 and 4.2 rectified the problem. As for Siri, Apple couldn’t have handled the demands of 200million devices hitting it on day one. Even Google can’t scale a service that fast. Apple could perhaps have taken the google approach of random invitations, but that’s not how they roll – so instead it’s an iP-4S exclusive until they have a handle on the scaling.
The Galaxy S is still for sale in the UK, on contract – so clearly some people already use it. I find it odd that they’re beneath your notice – aren’t Apple users supposed to be the snobby elitists?
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
Why should a consumer(like myself) care for Apple’s reasons? You found a practical excuse for Apple, I think Sammy deserves an equal “practical” excuse also. Things move fast in the Android world and they do not obey an apple-esque release schedule. Sammy decided that in order to update the S, it would have to sacrifice the skin that the user has gotten accustomed with. Perhaps they are aiming for a different kind of touchwiz for ICS. Ios updates by contrast have nothing to do with skins as there are NO skins on Ios so no confusion can ensue.
id4andrei - December 23, 2011
You’re entitled to not be happy with Apple about Siri, if you’re an iPhone-4 user – around as entitled as you were to be angry with Google about not getting a Google+ invite until it was no longer cool.
Samsung don’t have a practical reason why it would be impossible for them to deliver this, especially not for one of their biggest ever selling phones – and Galaxy S users are missing out on far more than iPhone-4 users are. Unless you believe that Siri is more valuable than the entire jump from 2.3→4.0, which would astonish me.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
As I said, ICS4 is too big of a change visually for the S users. Ios still looks the same by comparison so this is a non-issue for Apple. Why confuse the luddites with dramatic GUI changes. They might think their phone got “broken”. They can’t maintain the old touchwiz on the new ICS so they made a choice. Seems pretty practical to me.
Siri was just an example that should’ve won at least an editorial, but Apple never gets criticism from its own users where criticism is due.
id4andrei - December 24, 2011
Isn’t ICS also a big visual change from gingerbread? Seems like users would understand – and HTC Desire users didn’t get upset at the partial loss of Sense did they?
Siri was never advertised as patt of iOS-5, which devlopers and many users had been using on beta in the run up to October. The reason that there was so little criticism is that there wasn’t any expectation that Apple would supply it to all devices.
When Apple fully integrates Siri into the OS, and provides an API for 3rd party developers to use it, there will be an expectation of it being provided to older devices.
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
Samsung, as opposed to HTC, cares more for its touchwiz as a feature of differentiation. Don’t worry Vlad’s dead serious piece on this will buckle Samsung.
Oh come one, so what if it wasn’t advertised, are you sure people did not expect Siri on their older gear ? It wasn’t even a hardware issue just a problem on Apple’s end. Anyway Siri is not as important and I just made an example with it. Apple are indeed perceived as perfect from top to bottom; check Mr. Ziegler’s piece on how Apple’s approach on less devices or strict release schedule can only be good.
id4andrei - December 24, 2011
What killed the 3G’s performance was the spotlight search, and that has never been fixed.
And yeah, the Galaxy S may still be for sale but that does not necessarily mean that people buy it, or even use it, I got rid of mine over a year ago. The people that do actually still use a Galaxy S probably have no idea of what firmware actually is and are probably happy with the phone as well.
But sure, it would be awesome if the Galaxy S got ICS, and something that would be even better was if Samsung just decided to drop the Touchwiz skin all together and give us customers pure Android. I’m about to ditch my Galaxy S II for a Galaxy Nexus just for the pure Android experience.
tallem - December 24, 2011
..lbecause one feature (siri) is the same as an entire OS?
Most people were satisfied with the iOS 5 improvements before they even knew about Siri. You might have more of a comparison if even the 3GS didn’t get most of the major iOS 5 improvements (notifications, iMessage, PC free, new APIs).
darkcrayon - December 24, 2011
Yeah, long term it would be better that they support customers with updates. Otherwise when it’s time for people to upgrade phones, they may choose another brand. We’ll see how it plays out over time. Hopefully Samsung changes their stance on updates in the future.
SmartFah - December 23, 2011
Vlad,
The problem is that it’s not simply an issue of will. It’s a premise that the Galaxy devices promise a “TouchWiz” experience — just as much as Nexus devices promise a “Google experience.” Right?
So, to switch a TouchWiz device for a Google device would be tricky and probably a support disaster as millions of “average” (read: Non-Vergians) people get confused as everything changed on them w/o their asking for it.
Do you know how many millions of people hated the Vista/Win7 GUI updates and demanded to go back to XP because it was what they’re used to?
It’s the same thing with TouchWiz. Many here don’t like it much, but I think it’s proven to be quite consumer-friendly (and lawsuit-friendly, as well)…
I think the best thing Sammy could do is to provide an OPTIONAL ICS ROM for the gearheads who are happy to lose TouchWiz in exchange for the upgrade. But it should not be forced, and it should not be automatic.
JonDeutsch - December 23, 2011
After what HTC did with the Desire this is hardly a shocker
theaolway - December 23, 2011
I think as a gadget junkie this is a big deal, but I think for people who don’t know or care about what TouchWiz is this isn’t a big deal. I would bet most people who use Android phones don’t know what version they are on, and if it is skinned or not, and prolly call them a Droid.
It sucks for people like us who read tech blogs that know there is something better out there, and that we can’t have it. Of course I say that as I’m still eagerly waiting for my Nexus S to get it’s update.
Gadginator - December 23, 2011
I’m slightly suspicious about their argument. Didn’t HTC use the same argument, and then produce a version which was missing a couple of apps, which otherwise worked pretty much fine?
amlcurran - December 23, 2011
HTC could not upgrade the Desire via OTA since it was necessary to change the ROM partitions. They had to release an update via RUU, resetting phones completely.
flapic - December 23, 2011
Well, I don’t know how it is in other countries, but in Italy Samsung doesn’t care of bloggers either, and those who review their devices do it at their own expenses or through agreements with some store.
Have a look also at their social media channel: no replies to their Twitter followers, nor to their Facebook page commenters, which BTW can not post on their wall. Their arrogance is even worsse than Apple’s!
flapic - December 23, 2011
“People stand in line for the new iPhone because they believe Apple cares. If Samsung wants to start competing with those lines instead of just making fun of them, it had better start caring too.”
I’m not going to argue that Samsung cares, but I personally don’t think this statement is entirely true. People stand in line for the new iPhone because it’s the “cool” device, it’s what their friends have, it’s seen as a luxurious, enviable item and in a basic sense, it does what it’s supposed to very well. After plunking down hard earned money, Apple customers generally don’t have buyers remorse. Apple “caring” I don’t think really enters the equation. There have been uproars about Apple’s update strategy, which I also don’t think is reliant on squeezing new features out of old hardware. They have a schedule and they generally stick to it. Simple as that.
Samsung may have a problem “caring” but I think they’ve failed to create devices that people really want, envy those who have, work as advertised, etc. The OG Droid has survived so long because it’s, firstly, accessible to those hackers (no locked bootloader, easy to hack, etc) and, secondly, because the hardware itself is good. So Samsung is losing on both fronts, they’re not making the “envious” products and they’re not making “good” products.
RoldGold - December 23, 2011
Galaxy S 2 says hi
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
why would you want ics with touchwiz_ it is damn ugly, just downlaod CM9 when it comes out.
marnuc - December 23, 2011
Yup, this is not the first time Samsung has let customers down. Samsung i8910 and Samsung Innov8 before it all had the same fate – they were abandoned a few months after release. Shame on Samsung!
Panashe - December 23, 2011
The overwhelming vast majority of Galaxy S users will NOT care about the lack of ICS. Samsung isn’t going to drop TouchWiz off these devices, which again the vast majority probably likes, to add a stock skinned version of Android.
Mustang5Oh - December 23, 2011
“If Samsung wants to start competing with those lines instead of just making fun of them, it had better start caring too.”
That’s what irked me about Samsung’s recent ad campaign. Yes, I’m an iPhone user, but I didn’t find myself insulted or offended. Yeah, there are stereotypes and the ad hit them right on.
But this quote says it all. Samsung made fun of the people in those lines—not Apple, but the people. Potential customers who, upon seeing a great product, would make the switch. Instead of making an effort to draw them, however, Samsung outright makes them look stupid and desperate. Samsung could have written those ads for any of their phones, but it wasn’t about the phone—it was about the burn.
It’s like Burger King handing out flyers inside a McDonald’s, talking about how unhealthy McDonald’s food is.
riko.menzies - December 23, 2011
The ads clearly touched on the fact that the iphone doesn’t have 4G and the SGS2 has a bigger screen.
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
That’s an argument most smartphones can make against the iPhone. I never said that the Galaxy SII received no screentime or even a mention—I’m making the point that the ad was more about Samsung and Apple’s feud.
riko.menzies - December 23, 2011
I should say that not most smartphones have 4G, though the bigger screen has always been mentioned.
riko.menzies - December 23, 2011
Completely subjective, I know but who gives a shit about a bigger screen?
I hope Apple keeps the screen size the same.
Reagy - December 23, 2011 via mobile
Haha a lot of people prefer a bigger screen. To each their own, I’m glad we have choice.
After my 4.3 in screen I could never go back to a 3.5 iPhone screen, let alone after having my Galaxy Nexus for a week.
tuftslax18 - December 24, 2011
I would honestly like it. I don’t mind the current screen on the iPhone 4/S, which is comfortable for me. That said, my hands are a bit larger than average, so a 4-4.5" screen would be welcome for me.
Of course, if they do decide to up their screen size the resolution will have to go with it. The high ppi display is gorgeous (even though it’s not AMOLED) and it’d be a shame to lose that.
riko.menzies - December 26, 2011
That would be a great point if Samsung didn’t have phones that use the same tech as the iPhone-4S, and are marketed as 4G. By Samsung’s product marketing the iPhone-4S is indeed 4G.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
why is this such a huge issue?
you bought a phone. it works and it will continue to work. at no point had Samsung – or in most cases the carrier (whos really the one you bought the phone from) promised that you’d be receiving new software enhancements.
the bottom line is if you want the latest software as soon as its available, get an iPhone.. if you want it in a reasonable amount of time post release, get a nexus or winmo phone.
anyone buying a carrier or handset maker “enhanced” android phone should expect just what they got on the day they purchased it – nothing more – anything else is just a bonus.
nothingreal - December 23, 2011 via mobile
I’m sure if Samsung got a more attractive slice of Google’s ad/app revenue pie, they would be more willing to support their devices after sale. That’s why Apple does it – they want to keep people spending in iTunes and the App Store for as long as they can. Of course, the side benefit is they look better for it.
FaustsHausUK - December 23, 2011
Dear Samsung,
We don’t give a damn about Touch Wiz. That is all.
I'mMike - December 23, 2011
That was an alternative headline we considered.
Vlad Savov - December 23, 2011
“Dear Samsung,
We, the vocal minority don’t give a damn about Touch Wiz. That is all.”
warisz00r - December 23, 2011
That’s because the majority doesn’t even know what it is. So they don’t give a damn either. Just not as vocally.
RoboticSpacePenguin - December 23, 2011
..and if you were a samsung customer that might mean something.
unfortunately even if you own a samsung phone, you’re only an incidental player in the equation. Tell Samsung’s customer – your carrier – that you won’t settle for anything less than a galaxy-esque experience.
nothingreal - December 24, 2011
Fragmentation is a problem, and it’s not specific to Android. iOS also suffers from fragmentation – for instance, you can buy a game and it will run terribly on your device. However, that’s a very, very small problem when compared to Android – and to try and defend this with “the regular user don’t care” is to take a very simplistic attitude. I’ve been with Android since 1.6 and up (and iPhone since 3.0) and trust me – the regular user will care when he or she buys an app and it won’t run properly.
With iPhone, your odds are somewhere in the range of 90% certainty that any given app will run just fine; for games presumably less given the hardware requirements. But the vast majority of Android phones out there are the cheaper ones with smaller screens (last time I checked there were more than 200+ on the market, at the same time) and any given app won’t work on even half of those, giving “the average consumer” (who DONT buy the latest and greatest) at best a 50/50 chance with each purchase. I for one have experienced buying apps that simply didn’t work at all – sure, they ran, but the buttons in the app weren’t even on screen. Furthermore, running older versions of Android means that you are effectively running outdated, unlatched (with time) software that gets more and more susceptible to viruses, malware and other problems, and thats a pretty big problem for Android already. Look for Angry Birds in Market; do the numbers – the odds that “the average guy” would get the proper game and not a ripoff or potential malware/equivalent is at best 50%)
So, does that mean Android as a whole suck or something? Course not, Android is great, and so is iOS, they are just different. But it does mean that just because “the average guy” won’t KNOW that he or she may want or need to upgrade, not doing so (or even being reasonably able to do so) has serious ramifications to the overall experience. Running old software is bad, sometimes inevitable, but never good.
The onus lies on Samsung – and Google – on this one.
johanejohansson - December 23, 2011
Last night I had a wild dream… I’m still not sure if it was a nightmare or not. I dream that I was in samsung HQ with the task to redesign TouchWiz.
I would love to do it, just don’t say: keep the legacy….
Angel Jimenez - December 23, 2011
It’s easy to redisign Touchwiz, it’s called stock.
charliekwalker - December 23, 2011
I believe that manufactures need a form of differentiation but not at OS level. You see imagine if you could get a stock Android but with added widgets, greatly designed Apps, some wallpapers.
There’s room for differentiation just don’t do it at OS level.
Angel Jimenez - December 23, 2011
Agreed!
johanejohansson - December 23, 2011
I agree. I had the Galaxy S original and even though the Galaxy S 2 had great reviews I switched to iphone for that reason alone. I hate to feel frustrated about not getting updates
cocochannel - December 23, 2011
The Galaxy S is, actually, a well put together phone. For all of the criticism of the plastics, it actually feels solid (albeit a bit too shiny on the back).
That TouchWiz is of such importance to Samsung is rather appalling, it’s a resource hog for one thing, and it makes the phone look bad (not to mention the whole Apple thing).
I also feel like mentioning how weird the ICS announcement was. For all the talk about how great the Nexus was, and how nifty ICS was, Samsung seemed to get out the way awful quick. The sale is the end of involvement? My first thought was that that was an unfair statement, but the more I think about it, the more I think that they would like the obligation to end sooner than that (‘he said yes, you heard him, no tapbacks’).
atomicsolar - December 23, 2011 via mobile
TheVerge: Gotta say, reading comments is difficult when everything jumps around because updates are auto-loaded. Also, the post textarea is too small, and also jumps around while other comments are posted. It’s annoying. How about let Chrome do it’s thing and be able to re-size the textarea?
RoldGold - December 23, 2011
Hey, look! You can get 4.0.3 on your Galaxy S right now!
graison - December 23, 2011
Honestly, if you really care all that much about having the latest version of android, I see no reason why you are incapable of getting it. Otherwise, why even care. Learning how to root and install ICS on a galaxy s device should take less time than it does to update an iPhone 4 from 4.x to 5.0.1 including all the backing up and stuff if you find the website xda-developers.com, so the argument “i have a life and can’t spend time learning how to root” is a moot point in my opinion.
magicman0 - December 23, 2011
Most devices have a 1-year warranty, and even mentioning to a tech that it’s been rooted means they hand it back to you and laugh. Not everyone is as comfortable with rooting as we are, which relegates our answer to a minority of smartphone users.
And I’m sure XDA-Dev appreciates people who have never seen a command prompt/terminal before on their boards asking folks how to install Cyanogen. (Or they just handle them like they always have: by ignoring them.)
uninventive - December 24, 2011
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1398223
link didn’t work before.
4.0.3
graison - December 23, 2011
This article assumes two things that aren’t true:
1. That end users are Samsung’s customers. WRONG. Carriers are Samsung’s customers, and most recently Samsung got a big customer in GOOGLE.
Now ask yourself. If Samsung wants to keep its customers happy (especially El Goog), what will they do?
A) Upgrade their most popular handset to the newest standard, thus delaying the consumer urge to upgrade to the latest and greatest or
B) Push the NEW latest and greatest until IT becomes the #1 handset. And leave the old top seller in the past forcing the less savvy to find an upgrade path?
If the Galaxy S gets ICS it becomes in many ways the Nexus S. That cuts into the carriers money and into Googles. And THEY are Samsung’s customers.
The second assumption is that they don’t care about the end user. I’d argue that they do. They’re just trapped in a game they can’t win right now. If they torque off Google and the carriers how easy do you think it will be for them to get a device to market for the consumer? It’s a retail business and presence and promotion are everything. Torque off a crier and watch them under promote your brand into oblivion. It’s not hard. It’s agenda setting and carriers do it all the time.
In my opinion, these two assumptions give the article a shaky position to start with.
Maxwell Hammer - December 23, 2011
All I would say in regard to this post is that Samsung by adding TouchWiz is creating their own problem when it comes to updating. They sold me on the hardware, not on TouchWiz.
charliekwalker - December 23, 2011
If you are sold on the hardware, but not on Touchwiz then you should have not bought the phone anyway, unless if you are one of those power-user types who like to tinker with their Android phones.
If everyone does this then I’d take much less time for Samsung to acknowledge that Touchwiz is much less desirable than they think it is.
warisz00r - December 23, 2011
If the end user is a customer of the Carrier or Google, then why is Samsung’s logo on the device? Why not just call it OEM at that point? If Samsung wants me to market for them every time someone asks me “what kind of phone is that?” then they should care about my opinion of the way they treat the end user.
jamie3d - December 23, 2011
Very nice article. Thanks for posting… I fully agree with what has been written by Vlad. I don’t really believe that Samsung will listen, but sincerely hope they do!
Dreamep - December 23, 2011
I hate to be “that guy” but…¿aren’t we overreacting a little?
The editorial complains that the Galaxy S won’t get ICS, and say that proves that Samsung don’t give a damn about software updates. Vlad so conviniently forgets that the Galaxy S already got at least one Froyo update and Gingerbread, while so many devices launched about the same time didn’t even make it to Froyo (Sony Ericsson, i’m looking at you). Same with the Galaxy Tab.
And everyone bashing Touchwiz. Actually touchwiz, as an Android skin, isn’t half as bad. It even included some nice features stock Android lacked at the time, such as power managment in the notification tray. To my Galaxy Tab, Touchwiz provided with a tablet-optimized mail app, file manager and calendar, where the stock apps in Froyo sucked badly.
So here we are, complaining that a phone a year and a half old will not get Android’s latest. It even seems to deserve an Editorial in The Verge. We’re behaving like spoiled child that have been given all the updates we asked for (some Galaxy S models were shipped originally with Eclair, for Christ’s sake), and when finally Samsung says “enough, we have a hardware business to run”, we cry foul.
Enough with this. Whoever believes that getting ICS is such big of a deal, get a Galaxy Nexus. Or a Galaxy S2 (wait…those are both Samsung devices? how come they’re getting ICS updates if Samsung doesn’t care?).
If you thought that Samsung was going to update an 18 month old device, you only have your own naiveness to blame.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
I need a +1000 button
J3R3MY_H - December 23, 2011
And if we were discussing 18 year old devices, I’d agree with you.
And if Samsung did NOT have a prior track record with their Android lineup, I’d be less forward with this reply: go to Sprint.com, open their forums, and look up Samsung Moment for a history lesson. It didn’t even last 7 months before Samsung called an end to it’s updates.
uninventive - December 24, 2011
Naiveness? LOL!!
starxd - December 25, 2011
Nice ad.
mejicat - December 23, 2011
Which makes me love The Verge even more. No Payola.
Leica_Virgin - December 24, 2011
Dont understand why Microsoft is mentioned as a supportive company. Didn’t they just launch their first phones with WP7? As i remember Microsoft’s last venture into the mobile business was an epic fail and unceremoniously abandoned.
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
You must have a short memory.
RoboticSpacePenguin - December 23, 2011
okay, you know what? If you have an Android phone, don’t expect it to be updated to the latest version of the OS. It’s as simple as that! Android = no updates to the latest belles and whistles. That’s just it. That is just how Android is, that is how the Android Ecosystem is.
IF you want a constantly updated phone, get a Windows Phone, or an iPhone. Just don’t expect updates on Android. Plus, worse, don’t whine about having any. You’re not getting it.
FalseAgent - December 23, 2011
This isn’t true at all. That is all.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
That’s pretty much false. If you get an Android device, you can expect at the very least an update to the next version of Android.And you can be quite sure you’ll get it. What you may not get is capped, toned down version of a second update trying to run in a hradware that was obvoiusly not designed to run it like Apple will give you.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
Except ICS runs faster than GB on everything it has been installed on, minus the OG pretty much.
Danrarbc - December 23, 2011
Got two software updates for bug fixes within a month of buying the galaxy nexus. Hows that for prompt service
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
My Optimus 2x just got updated to 2.3.4, but LG assure us that we will get 4.0 eventually. I suspect it’ll be about the point that Android 5.0 comes out, but at least there’s some support. I have rooted it, so I could install CynogenMod 9 when it comes out as a stable build.
I also got the Optimus for less than the cost of the Galaxy S. It really is a nice little phone.
If only they’d been able to grab iPhone’s 960 × 640 screen off the production line (I am told LG make iPhone’s screens) but 800 × 480 is still pretty good.
JasonWC - December 23, 2011
I haven’t read all the comments, so this may have been mentioned, but that’s not the Galaxy S pictured above.
http://www.theverge.com/products/galaxy-s/824
lament - December 23, 2011
So true.
markiz von schnitzel - December 23, 2011
My first Android phone was the Samsung Captivate and I loved it. I also got a Galaxy Tab (the original). Samsung basically abandoned both of them. I then switched to the Xoom and the Atrix 4G. While Motorola might not update to ICS either I feel they do want their devices updated as much as possible.
SpaceRodent - December 23, 2011
I think that’s wrong. I think they consider their consumer to be the carrier, not the actual end users who purchase the devices. And the carrier’s are probably perfectly fine to not have to roll out updates that might keep people happy with their phones for longer than the 2 year contract.
Andy Sexton - December 23, 2011
F*ckin’ A, man! Android world suffers mostly from abandonment by manufacturers.
— Here’s your new phone. Thanks for your pile of hard-earned cash (or contract commitment).
— Welcome.
.. Some time after ..
— Hey, what about those updates, huh?
— What the f*ck are you talking about, man?
spaceye - December 23, 2011
Do you buy a phone based on the software it runs, or based on the software it may or may not run 18 months later?
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
I buy my products based on software compatibility 18 months down the road.
jonmilani - December 23, 2011
Funny. i buy mines based on the features and the user experience they provide the day i buy them.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
I buy mine based on the support they are getting from rom developers a couple months after launch. Plus you can usually get them on Craigslist by then.
trentspalmer - December 23, 2011
Ironically rom developers base their support heavily on how many units of the device are out there, favoring the most popular devices. Kind of a virtuous circle there.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
Who the heck buys phones based on how it’s going to perform 18 months down the road with the latest update?
18 months = time to get upgrade your phone
So by then, carriers and manufacturers expect you to get their latest phones.
mightymoose02 - December 23, 2011
I live in Canada, where we are subject to 3 year contract terms (with early upgrade eligibility after 2 years). If I’m going to drop $200 and spend almost $4000 over the course of those three years, I’m going to buy a phone that I know is going to be properly supported for as long as possible.
jonmilani - December 23, 2011
It is properly supported. You thought it was awesome when you bought it. It still does everything it did the day you took it out of the box.
FreshPizzaSauce - December 23, 2011
Every recent Android phone reviewed on the Verge other than the Nexus has had low marks for not running ICS, and in every single comment section an android user has complained that this is unfair, because the device will/may get ICS in the future.
So apparently all those commenters believe that you buy based on the future OS.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
Which to me doesn’t make sense. People should buy (and review) a phone based on what it is, not what it may or may not be 18 months from now.
In fact, they probably do.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
It will be interesting to see if they do or not – we might find out if we start to see surveys asking consumers why they switch platforms. Unfortunately that kind of market research tends to stay behind the pay-walls.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
We don’t know the big numbers, fair enough. But it seems to me that the average costumer walks in the store, plays with the device a little, and if they like what they see, they get it. If they don’t like it, they look at something else. I don’t think future updates play a role in the purchase decision outside the nerdy minority.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
Not on their first purchase no. But subsequently? The iPhone user who got a free update to iOS4 and then iOS5 is gonna be pretty happy. The Android user who didn’t may be less happy. Especially if he compares notes with his iPhone owning friend.
This isn’t the kind of thing which is going to affect people buying their first smartphones, but it’s absolutely the kind of thing that is going to affect how they perceive the platforms in the medium to long terms.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
We’re still talking from the perspective of users in the know. Average users don’t know about platforms. They buy an iPhone, or a Samsung, or a Nokia. They don’t buy iOS, Android or WP7. Most of times they find out about those things later.
For subsequent purchases, i agree that iPhone users may be more prone to stay with iPhone, but for the same reason they may be less prone to get a new phone. So business-wise, it’s kind of a tricky decision wether to release an update or not.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
That’s a really good point – from a business perspective perhaps it’s better to screw your users and force them onto new hardware – but there’s no doubt whatsoever what’s better from a consumer’s perspective is there?
As for the business perspective – well until such time as Apple drops below 50% of industry profits, I think we have to assume that their way is working pretty well.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
Samsung’s business model must’n be that bad either, looking at their sales figures. Actually i think Samsung has found some kind of middle ground: they do support their devices longer than the average Android manufacturer (we have US carriers to blame for distorting Samsung’s image on that), but they do push new hardware at a pretty fast path. For consumers, that means fairly acceptable support while getting the chance to significantly upgrade the hardware soon enough.
As for Apple, things happen in the tech industry. Wii’s domination of the home console market was overwhelming at launch, and kept dominating for years. Look at Nintendo today
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
Samsung’s current sales figures are doing ok, but Samsung’s user satisfaction levels are not – lower than HTC’s for instance, and much lower than Apple’s.
It’s quite possible to do very well for a long time while pissing off your customers, if you can keep finding new customers faster than you lose old ones. But eventually, you run out of prospective new customers.
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
You’re right, keeping costumers with such low satisfaction rating is difficult. However, when comparing Samsung’s numbers with Apple’s, we should consider one thing: Samsung makes all kinds of devices, including low-ends. Apple only makes premium devices, and very few models.
Which brings me to a question: the Galaxy S2 sell even better than the S did. ¿how come?¿are all s2 costumers new costumers?. I think the answer is obvious: Samsung’s bad satisfaction ratings can’t be extrapolated to the Galaxy S line, because they include low-end users with which the S line has nothing to do with.But without specific numbers for the S, the S2 or the Galaxy Nexus for that matter, it’s hard to say.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
Samsung is winning consumers from Nokia, RIM, and other Android OEMs that are more disliked than it is. They actually didn’t have a particularly big smartphone base 2 years ago, now eligable for upgrades. So even if they had huge satisfaction levels, their current sales would have to be new consumers (or new to them in smartphones anyway).
Key is getting clipped but dark red is Q3 2009, orange is Q3 2008. So you can see that repeat consumers can’t be significant for Samsung even if it is retaining them.
Via Ars Technica
Cloudgazer - December 23, 2011
I invest into the whole package (hw/sw+ecosystem/support/you name it). And it doesn’t cost like USD 100 to be okay with it. Much more than that, we both know it.
And to answer your question: with current software cycles you would expect a bunch of new versions in modern phone’s lifecycle (not just a freaking minor one). I’ve been to Moto’s Defy in between 3G and 3GS. Now, the former is still running very old version of Android and there’s like zero update policy. Zero. Can’t tell the same about 3GS. And let’s not jump to CM and all. We’re talking companies here.
spaceye - December 23, 2011
I wouldn’t call the changes from Eclair to Gingerbread minor ones. Anyway, you expect new versions of your software. I don’t. I don’t think the device that served me well for months suddenly becomes a piece of grabage just because it didn’t get an upgrade to a version no one knew about when the device was released.
Apple’s upgrade policies are certainly nice, but comparing Samsung to a company that only has to upgrade ONE model every year is kind of unfair. Plenty of Samsung devices will get ICS.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
I would’ve agree with you man, if we were living in 90s. And it sure depends on personal satisfaction with SW component initially. I for one don’t think Android was there prior to ICS and consider it still being in on the way (which doesn’t necessarily mean you should have the same stance towards it). That also brings a question of an ecosystem: whether you’ll get abandoned by developers come new OS version or not. But that’s another story.
And it’s Sammy who got themselves into this situation, not Apple, not Google. So it’s quite fair for me.
spaceye - December 23, 2011
There were no such things as Smartphones in the 90’s, so i don’t understand that reference. Although i agree that it may be seen as subjctive, i really think Gingerbread is “there”, if by "there " we mean a perfectly usable smartphone OS that satisfies all the needs of a smartphone users. And that’s my point, really: Galaxy S owners shouldn’t be all that pissed about not getting ICS: their phones are still very capable devices with very capable software, which is probably why they bought them in the first place.
And Gingerbread abandoned by developers? not very likely:
http://developer.android.com/resources/dashboard/platform-versions.html
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
It’s called support, and if it’s not included then the price should be lowered to reflect the lesser value.
RoboticSpacePenguin - December 23, 2011
Who said there’s been no support? until now the Galaxy S not only has received all the Android updates, but it has always been one of the first non-nexus devices to get it, wherever updates depended solely on them and not the carriers (read: not in the US).
Even so, the price is lowered alright. It would be foolish to keep the launch price in an 18 month old device.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
It seems like Samsung believes that it’s customers are the wireless carriers and not necessarily us.
Jmccomas85 - December 23, 2011
Because that is the fact of the matter. Samsung doesn’t sell to you (except in a very small number of cases), your carrier does.
Boghog - December 23, 2011
Exactly. Apple is the ONLY phone manufacturer in the world who has the clout to bypass the carriers and develop a relationship directly with the users. That is one of the main reasons the overall iPhone experience is so much better.
starxd - December 25, 2011
You can run Cyanogenmod with a touchwiz theme.
The whole issue of “skinning” is a joke. You could take a stock AOSP rom, give a touchwiz theme and launcher, and no one would know the difference except that suddenly you wouldn’t have the hardware restraints.
trentspalmer - December 23, 2011
If Android fragmentation has no play in Samsung’s decision to not bring ICS to Galaxy S, then why did you hold Samsung to Apple and Microsoft’s standards for uprading existing devices to the latest OS? Why compare Samsung to them and not to Motorola and HTC?
TheSeph - December 23, 2011
Unfortunately, the majority of consumers really don’t care. They buy the phone based on how it performs at that point in time and if it gets better then that’s just icing on the cake.
oghowie - December 23, 2011
Why should any phone maker care. They want you to buy the “next big thing” when it comes out. As long as they can get away with it, they will.
ClayManBob - December 23, 2011
I agree. Galaxy S is a 2010 phone. It’s already outdated in terms of hardware. Since then, Samsung has released the Galaxy SII (which was also very popular and probably their best smartphone), Galaxy Note (bigger SII with stylus and excellent camera) and Galaxy Nexus (Google phone).
That’s THREE major phones with really good specs that just came out within the past year.
So I don’t get why they should even bother with Galaxy S anymore.
mightymoose02 - December 23, 2011
..because, as the article said, this was the top of the line phone less than 6 months ago, so many users have 18 months to run on their contracts. So, they’re going to experience shitty service and support over that time and will look elsewhere when it comes for their next phone if theyv’ve an ounce of sense.
marty_75 - December 24, 2011
6 months ago… it was NOT a “top of the line” phone. At least not in the world. In the U.S., yes it was “top of the line” (which is pathetic)
It’s not Samsung’s fault that AT&T, Sprint and Verizon did not release the Galaxy SII in a timely fashion and waited SIX MONTHS to release it in the U.S.
To be honest, I think the blame is going to the wrong place. Blame the carriers for not giving us Galaxy SII for AT&T and Verizon customers 6 months ago and giving us only the Galaxy S, Nexus S and Infuse 4G.
On a side note, most users probably don’t know anything about these updates. You know there are still people who don’t know that Bill Gates founded Microsoft. “So many users” also did not know who the heck Steve Jobs was until his death.
This update issue is only a problem if you are knowledgeable about smartphones and other tech stuff. Most people don’t know… and they don’t care.
mightymoose02 - December 24, 2011
The way these Verge comments work is amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it.
trentspalmer - December 23, 2011
I do feel betrayed by Samsung. I didn’t know they wouldn’t update my phone in a timely manner when I got it. Nexus or iPhone for me now I guess.
ahitchen - December 23, 2011
Mango is pretty tasty too now.
And you will get updates.
aThingOrTwo - December 23, 2011
You are missing the point.
Average Samsung customer doesn’t give a damn about updates, he/she (yes, a lot of Samsung customers are female) will be looking to replace the phone anyway.
Planned obsolescence.
Boghog - December 23, 2011
“You are missing the point.
Average Samsung customer doesn’t give a damn about updates, he/she (yes, a lot of Samsung customers are female) will be looking to replace the phone anyway.
Planned obsolescence.”
This. The only reason iPhone customers will upgrade is that they need to use iTunes as the core piece of software, and that prompts them. This goes for really any other piece f hw that involves the same kind of complex sw that phones have.
Further: Let’s not forget about the Samsung 10.1v debacle…
PooJou - December 23, 2011
Seeing some Android apologists’ reaction, so glad I’m just a barista.
ArseneKarl - December 23, 2011
Thanks for the comic relief, much appreciated.
spaceye - December 23, 2011
The reviewer needs to consider that getting upgrades for phones that are more than 18 months old should be considered as a nice gesture on the companies part, not an obligation. It doesn’t make business sense. Samsung is after all a company and needs to turn a profit to continue improving and making new products. 750,000 new android products get activated everyday, how can one expect a company to keep up with that kind of growth and still focus on users for whom it is about time for an upgrade anyway. Maybe you should blame US carriers. Their plans are considerably more expensive than UK (used to live in US and now in UK) so it makes it harder on users to afford phones, but at the same time pressure OEMs to pump out custom equipment at a rate that makes a phone they sold a week back on a 2 year contract obsolete. And this compounds the problem of fragmentation of the system and difficulty to support so many phones at once.
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
Why aren’t you flat-out making the conclusion that TouchWiz is too bloated to work with Ice Cream Sandwich? Call it what it is.
trunksy - December 23, 2011
Even if thats the case…the hardware sold 20 million units which means people liked the UI at the time. Is it Samsungs fault that UI they designed cannot support the newest version of an OPEN SOURCE operating system thats undergone a massive overhaul? Your’e asking them to invest time and money in creating a whole new skin for a phone that will be well and truly obsolete within six months.
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
We can only hope Samsung learns from this and designs a skin for ICS that makes minimal changes, or maybe not skin it at all.
silv3r8ack - December 23, 2011
Whole heartedly agreed. I am glad there is press coverage on this.
owbert - December 23, 2011
samsung is ripping the consumer its a fact .
android continues to be a bag of hurt.
but its consumer choice when they bought their products, don’t be idiot twice….get a iPhone
tapit0 - December 23, 2011
…and discover so many new ways in which Apple will rip you that Samsung couldn’t even dream of.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
The Galaxy S has been out for a year and a half. It would be unproductive for Samsung to put developer effort into upgrading a phone when most of the people who own it are eligible for a new phone.
FreshPizzaSauce - December 23, 2011
I’m not eligible until 22 months. The 18-month upgrade pricing on T-Mobile is terrible.
WilliamF - December 23, 2011
Cyanogenmod
siunit - December 23, 2011
I really don’t like the Galaxy Nexus besides the display, so I got an S2, but as soon as Googorola produces something I’ll be all over it.
vroomvroomimabroom - December 23, 2011
I would say I’m done with Samsung phones after this, but maybe it’s T-Mobile that’s the problem. Or the unholy combination of the two.
Also the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus are both Samsung devices.
WilliamF - December 23, 2011
@williamf yes sir those phones are made by samsung but they are supported by google, and made for google. Those phones will be updated promptly. those are the only android phones i will buy.
oshizo2 - December 23, 2011
And the interesting part is that the Apple haters bash Apple for restricting features in software updates for older hardware when they are the only handset manufacture that has multi-year software support/updates.
BrianTho - December 23, 2011
just put your obsolete galaxy s phone inside the turkey @ss
take to the oven (4 hours )
your phone is now well baked.
enjoy you christmas meal.
tapit0 - December 23, 2011
YOU’RE ALL WASTING YOUR TIME HERE!
If you want the manufactures to pay attention, you and everyone you know should tell them:
I won’t buy another one of your phones because you lied to me about updates being available.
I won’t buy another one of your phones because the plastic you use feels and looks cheap.
I won’t buy another one of your phones because the display is poor.
Give your own reason.
THEN, DON’T BUY THEIR PHONE NEXT TIME AND SEND THEM THE RECEIPT WHEN YOU GET YOUR NEXT PHONE ALONG WITH A COPY OF THE LETTER YOU SENT THEM ABOUT WHY YOU WEREN’T GOING TO BUY ANOTHER ONE OF THEIR PHONES!
Loss of income is the only thing they understand, and until manufacturers wake up to the fact that people do care about such things, they won’t give a damn.
However, I doubt the updates thing will matter much anyway for any phones, eventually. Even Microsoft and Apple charge for updated operating systems for their computers, so eventually you should expect that to happen for phones too. After all, what they really want is for you to discard your old phone and buy their “next big thing” so they’ll continue to make money.
All smart manufacturers of anything want your device to fail after awhile or just become obsolete so you’ll buy something new and “better” than the old one. Without selling new hardware, they go out of business.
You’re just “preaching to the choir” here and wasting your time.
ClayManBob - December 23, 2011
High-end Windows XP computers were capable of running Vista, are even capable of running Windows 7 today, and will be capable of running Windows 8 tomorrow.
High-end Samsung “computers” (since people are so eager to bundle phones with computers for statistics) receive only the equivalent of service packs, and require users to pay to get the latest and greatest.
Great job with that, Samsung.
rsanchez1 - December 23, 2011
Like I said above, carping about it does no good. Let them know by letter AND with how you spend your money. Otherwise, why should they give a damn?
ClayManBob - December 23, 2011
Why should they give a damn that you sent them a letter?
Ok, don’t buy a Samsung device if you’re so mad with Samsung. That’s OK. But frankly, the letter thing is just silly.
Hamaki - December 23, 2011
Um, actually no. a computer with the greatest DX9 GPU ever made (GeForce 7950?) can’t fully run Win7 or Win8
markthema3 - December 23, 2011
I own Tmo’s S variant, the Vibrant – bought it on day one it was available. It irritated me how long it took to get Froyo (doesn’t even have Gingerbread), but to be honest, I’m over it. The phone does everything I want it to do and it’s running smoothly after several OTAs and the Froyo upgrade.
I will buy another Samsung when it’s time to upgrade.
If I were Samsung I would say “look, we will upgrade a line of phones through 1-2 Android versions or until a replacement line comes out. This allows us to focus our development efforts on the latest hardware and allows you to buy great phones at a reasonable price.” or something to that effect.
Let’s just face it, Android phones are going to have a shorter shelf life.
not a geek - December 23, 2011
As an owner of a Galaxy S I9000, I have to say that I strongly disagree with this post.
I don’t feel betrayed by Samsung at all, and I believe I can say that from a variety of perspectives, the “custom rom” one and the normal stock user one. I always put the newest custom roms on my Galaxy S, currently an ICS test build, and I like it the way it is. Two friends of mine are still running the stock firmwares they eventually got through an update from Kies, and they are happy with it. ICS is not this big deal if you forget about the UI changes, looking at the SII ICS leaks, the UI stays Samsung style so that doesn’t matter. Android Beam could never be used on a Galaxy S, so that makes two features dissappear. And for the rest? Well there’s mostly an app for that!
I never thought that ICS would come to the Galaxy S, since it is by now far too behind in the product line up. If you’re stating that “Apple cares” then how about this one?
Galaxy Nexus → Galaxy S II → Nexus S → Galaxy S
iPhone 4S → iPhone 4 → iPhone 3GS → iPhone 3G
Now don’t tell me that the iPhone 3G still get’s the newest updates and features, my father still has my old one and I don’t see a shining iCloud anywhere …
I don’t get why people are getting upset about not having ICS on a phone like the Galaxy S. It’s old, but still a very nice handset. If you want something new, after a while you just have to get some new piece of hardware with it.
Smirnoff4u - December 23, 2011
Well said – agree 100%
not a geek - December 23, 2011
This is not an apt comparison. The iPhone 3G is a 3 1/2 old phone. The 3GS is still getting updates after 2 1/2 years. The Galaxy S was realsed in June of 2010 when the iPhone 4 came out.
It’s not even close to the same situation.
This is a joke and you know it. The time range of the iPhones you listed is almost 4 years. The time range for these Samsung phones have been 15 months.
poisonpatch - December 23, 2011
If your argument is that Apple is doing a better job then buy an iPhone. Problem solved.
FreshPizzaSauce - December 23, 2011
Are you serious?! The iPhone 3G is 3.5 years old, the Galaxy S is 1.5 years old. I hope you are joking.
Chloiber - December 23, 2011
This post really misses the point of how brands and markets work. The Galaxy S line of phones are touchwiz-based phones. Yes, Android powers the phone, but the interface and experience is driven by Samsung. It’s their ‘take’ on Android. Like it or not.
If they upgraded their phones to an unfamiliar GUI like ICS without TouchWiz, they might not only really piss off a vast swath of users who have invested in understanding and using TouchWiz, but also create untold numbers of support calls when things that used to work one way now work another way.
Can you imagine 10 million people with a new, unfamiliar OS? Ha! That’s why we’re seeing leaks of the GS2 with ICS having TouchWiz in it.
TouchWiz is part of the Galaxy experience. Vanilla Android is the Nexus experience.
JonDeutsch - December 23, 2011 via mobile
Exactly! I have family members with these phones and if you tronned-up their interface overnight they’d be confused as hell.
Scrudy - December 23, 2011
Space isn’t the problem. Galaxy S has over 2GB of user space or over 8GB of NAND. They could update it if they wanted to. I’m really not sure if you REALLY don’t get that or just want to defend “your” system. It’s REALLY obvious, as the specs would easily allow ICS to run proberly, even with TouchWiz
Chloiber - December 23, 2011
You’re right that introducing a changed interface would confuse some users, but that hasn’t stopped OEMs from changing before. How many versions of Sense, Motoblur and Touchwiz have we already seen? Furthermore, the changes in ICS are by design. They are more user friendly and even include tips for how to navigate around.
Regardless, it would not require much effort to make the stock ICS experience available for users without forcing it. Among 20 million customers, it’s fair to assume that there’s a very sizable number who would appreciate the option.
mattcad - December 23, 2011
Well, there are many versions of Sense, Motoblur and TouchWiz, sure. But how many different versions on the same device?? None, I believe.
This is a “device” argument and people are making it into an OS argument.
I think Samsung and other manus see themselves more like Apple with a borrowed OS than simply an Android OEM. That’s their right, btw, and also I think many customers do in fact prefer touchwiz… just not the ones that come here to The Verge to hang!
JonDeutsch - December 23, 2011
Holy comments Batman.
kwiiboy - December 23, 2011
This makes me so glad I chose NOT to get a Samsung Galaxy S. Android OEMs should hang their heads in shame. They are truly appalling at delivering updates to Android phones due to all the crap they load on them. In the case of the Galaxy S, it’s not that the hardware is incapable, the Nexus S runs ICS fine on pretty much the same hardware. If the choice is stock ICS or Gingerbread with TouchWhiz, I know what the vast majority of Samsung customers would opt for. . . Samsung just don’t give a shit, and that is the problem.
TomLee - December 23, 2011
while the fact that samsung won’t be updating those phones sucks one should keep something in mind when buying phones (android phones in particular). Buy them for the software they are running at the time of purchase. Assume that the phone will not be able to get future software updates.
hotsizzle - December 23, 2011
As an owner of the Galaxy S i9000 on Bell in Canada I’m disappointed not to get the update but not entirely surprised. As for the complaint that they should put stock ICS on the phone without Touchwiz that is ridiculous. For nerds like us it might make sense (no pun intended) to leave out the custom skin for the newer version of Android. However I don’t think regular users would be pleased if over night their phones were to change the way they look and work entirely. I bought a Touchwiz skinned phone so it’d be weird if it worked in a radically different way tomorrow that abandons the Touchwiz stuff I’m used to. I did get Gingerbread+Touchwiz for the record.
Scrudy - December 23, 2011
I’m seriously thinking about quitting on Android. N1: 2 years old, no update. Same with every phone older than 1.5 years. Samsung or HTC phones, 1.5 years old: no update. The only phones getting an update are the newest ones (actually only Galaxy S2 from Samsung, for Europeans). Seriously?!?!?!?!
I won’t buy another Android phone until this gets “fixed”. I don’t care about the Galaxy Nexus: it probably won’t get any updates in 1.5 years from now.
I’m not buying anything else Android related until Google or the manufacturers decide to do something against it. Despite having over 40 paid Apps – I don’t give a s***.
Chloiber - December 23, 2011
Why do you have to add such an article. I am not a samsung fan but still in todays time you are talking about the Galaxy S. The average PLC of a phone is down to about 3 months from 24 months. Why would a futuristic company like samsung update the S when they have the beastly handsets like the SII and Galaxy Nexus. Would you want a S with ICS running. I know 10 million people will be disappointed as they can’t have ICS but look at the samsungs perspective They don’t want to give another life to the dying S. They have to make room for the new line and want people to recycle their phones so that samsung can create phones like the SII which is the phone of the year 2011.
When ICS won’t work properly on your S then you will be the first one to complain about the things that don’t work and how desperately you want the gingerbread back.
Do you want companies to take care of you so that you can go back to them again and again. You would never try something new like that. Samsung wants you to buy and have fun and if you don’t like it then sell and move on. People change partners more often than they change phones and you are talking about organisations like Apple and Microsoft papering you. Grow up and get a Galaxy Nexus.
wadhwagaurav - December 23, 2011
I really don’t care about Samsungs perspective. Of course – if possible, every manufacturer wouldn’t realease any update and force users to udpate to a new phone immediately. Yes, that’s the manufacturer’s perspective, but I really don’t give a s*** about it. I’m the consumer and what I want is support over several years.
ICS would definitely work on a Galaxy S (as it has 8-16 GB of internal NAND or at least 2GB of user space – which is WAY more than enough) – they just force the costumers to buy newer phones.
And again: you won’t get any updates for the Galaxy Nexus in 1.5 to 2 years from now, exactly like the Galaxy S. You will get updates fast, but you won’t get them for a logner time (—> Nexus One).
Chloiber - December 23, 2011
“And again: you won’t get any updates for the Galaxy Nexus in 1.5 to 2 years from now”
So, I won’t want to keep using my Nexus after 2 years. Phones are advancing way too fast to carry around a 3 year old phone.
FreshPizzaSauce - December 23, 2011
In fact, phones are advancing so fast, it’s hard to get interested in current handsets. Look at Tegra, as soon as any hardware turns up, we start hearing about how great the next version of Tegra is going to be.
As for buying a Nexus rather than expect the S to be updated, I considered it. But I realised that the hardware wasn’t improved enough (same goes for the S II) to merit the expense – especially considering that my S cost me nothing in the first place.
I get why people want to root their phones, why they look to ROM builders and so on; but for a lot of consumers, the thought of paying out for a device, only to instantly invalidate the warranty, is implausible.
atomicsolar - December 24, 2011 via mobile
Why wouldn’t ICS run well on the Galaxy S? It’s basically the same hardware as the Nexus S and the Nexus S is the second device to get ICS.
trentspalmer - December 24, 2011
I really hope that Google abandons its promise to keep Motorola at arms length once the acquisition goes through. It’s about time for Google to have not just a flagship phone, but a flagship lineup that competes at every level of the market with stock experiences. It’s the only way these companies will learn that their “value-added” isn’t worth crap. It hampers the upgrade cycle and hurts Android as a whole.
mattcad - December 23, 2011
Having to install Cyanogemod on a brand new phone to make it useable, says everything there it to be said about Samsung.
r@fael - December 23, 2011
I am an Android user and this is exactly how I feel about every product now. I have a Droid X and Tab 10.1. Both are some of the best Android devices ever made yet sadly both were not Nexus devices. I got really upset waiting for Gingerbread months on end. Google needs to stop the fragmentation or I will buy a Window Phone 8 device on 4G LTE. Sadly Verizon also doesn’t push the Galaxy Nexus which is another huge issue. They just tucked it into the corner with all the other non-Droid phones when it’s so much better than every phone in the store. Google has some major issues and they need to cut the open source crap and start actually competing because if they don’t I will just leave
jstine - December 23, 2011
After the Froyo debacle updating my wife’s Vibrant, and my original tmo tab has not, and will probably never, receive an update (google music doesn’t work on it anymore), I will never buy another Samsung mobile device again. Once they make a sale, the don’t give a damn about the customer.
jim7bob - December 23, 2011
i have a year old Nokia E7 SYMBIAN 3 device! and i will recive the major bell update in feb.
also Nokia N8, C7,E6, Nokia 500, C6 and Nokia Oreo will get the bell update! this is phones from 2010 maybe not the 500.
this is how much Nokia cares for their users. even if they are going for WP7.
this is going 2 give my E7 new life!
and hardware on a nokia lumia 800 and hardware on a samsung phone is night and day!
wp7,the,way,2,go! - December 23, 2011
Another hit piece on Android and it’s manufacturers.
Somebody is really rooting for Apple out there.
Hint: Sales figures say differently.
slick312 - December 23, 2011
Samsung doesn’t care about customers?
How about “You’re holding it wrong”?
slick312 - December 23, 2011
Nexus, that is all and Google knows it.
jdog25 - December 23, 2011 via mobile
i updated my nokia 5800 last week, support after 3-4 years :D
on the plastics thing, theres a massive amount of different plastics avalible, and the ones samsung (and others i guess?) use are ok, but they can look and feel cheap.
the soft feel plastic on the n9 etc is actully really nice to hold and touch, its not just the material, its the shape.too.
it feels like a entirely different material vs hard shiny plastic :)
paul menard - December 23, 2011
“People stand in line for the new iPhone because they believe Apple cares. If Samsung wants to start competing with those lines instead of just making fun of them, it had better start caring too” very true. well done with writing this article, well thought through.. if this was posted on engadget the I believe the android users would totally lose it and go nuts.. When I saw that ad about samsung mocking the apple line, it was such a disgraceful ad. Competitiveness shouldn’t go to that degrading stage.. tsk tsk samsung. However, I <3 their TV’s :D, maybe thats why Jobs was trying to produce a AppleTV…hmm.
jimaiwr - December 23, 2011
I’m a mac, I’m a PC.
mgk69 - December 24, 2011
In the US, Samsung’s customer has traditionally been the carrier. Same goes for HTC, Motorola, LG etc. Apple has demonstrated that this lock can be broken. However, the Android OEMs don’t control their own destiny. They are caught between Google and the carriers.
It will continue to be messy for the forseeable future for Android products…
xboomer - December 23, 2011
One more thing Vlad…
Nokia (predating Apple), tried to make a go of it on their own terms in the US wireless market. The carriers basically locked them out and gave them only table scraps (to teach Nokia a hard lesson). It was only AT&T, in a time of weakness and vunerability, that let Apple in on Apple’s own terms.
The rest is history…
Apple established a direct relationship with the end user (the customer). The carrier became a “commodotized” pipe (the carrier’s worst fear).
Google?
They are not yet ready to take on the carriers…
xboomer - December 23, 2011
I don’t know enough about the Nokia story in the US. Interesting though, is that why they are big in Europe and seemingly non-existant in the US? No carrier support?
mgk69 - December 24, 2011
This would be the best time for Samsung to get away from having an Apple-like UI. Android has evolved well enough that adding TouchWiz on top of it is no longer necessary. ICS is a lot more intuitive and pretty than any previous Android versions. If they really want “True” differentiators, just install stock ICS in it. All manufacturers have been skinning their Android Phones now anyways.
yumax_ph - December 23, 2011
This is why in my next upgrade I will be getting an iPhone. I wanted to love my captivate. The screen was gorgeous, and 4" was perfect. But I still have yet to receive Gingerbread, even though it has been out for a year. Part of this is AT&T’s fault, but Samsung still has to make the update. I would be so happy if I could get stock ICS. TouchWiz is just shit and my phone is so slow, I only get 2-3 cell bars and it can take 30+ seconds for some web pages to load but it only takes my brothers iPhone 4 10 seconds in the same place with 4-5 bars of cell service.. And at least Apple supports their devices. The 2-year old 3Gs has iOS 5 on it, but my 1 year old phone with better specs can’t handle ICS? That’s just a joke.
Because I actually care about updates, to keep my phone running smoothly, Samsung has lost another customer…
Jb07 - December 23, 2011
I love the last paragraph. Thats why I will always stay with ios.
angel841 - December 23, 2011 via mobile
It’s obvious Samsung is like HTC, they really believe in their skin. They won’t support a vanilla install. If you want ICS, be patient and just get CM9 next month and you’re done. It’s free, super strong and guaranteed to be supported for quite some time. Samsung just wants to move devices, once you’ve bought, their done with you.
Vlad, you’re right about long term service, it is the very best way to get and keep customers and they will learn this the hard way obviously.
1asterisk - December 23, 2011 via mobile
I hate Samsung. Hate. Them.
thegreatlorenzo - December 23, 2011
I’m sure Samsung is happy to listen to all of this bitching but it can’t hear you over the millions upon millions of phones they are selling.
The only people that care about (or look for) updates are uber geeks.
sweetgreggo - December 23, 2011
That’s not true. Look at numbers of user adoption of current up-to-date software. There staggering. That’s just a false statement in its entirety. The average consumer does care about new features/services given to them at no extra charge.
swesde - December 24, 2011
I love Samsung. They care in a meaningful way by consistently producing the most desirable products. They don’t waste the customers’ time by trying to shoe-horn new resource-intensive operating systems into low-resource hardware. In the mobile world, 2 years is 2 lifetimes. The Nexus One (less than 2 yrs old) will also not get ICS, and it is made by HTC. Resources just aren’t there. Frankly, the N1 would be unusable with ICS. So, bravo, Samsung! Keep up the good work!
droidbeat - December 23, 2011
It’s odd how people are up in arms about Android devices not being updated yet and saying the Android Update Alliance it’s an ‘empty promise’.
Get a grip people, the Galaxy Nexus was just released and the Nexus S hasn’t been fully updated yet. It’s also good to remember the promise was for prompt updates, not immediate updates. The OEM’s truly do update quickly it’s just that they have to create custom versions for each carrier and then submit them for testing. The carrier then will test the update for anywhere from 1 – 4 months.
So the next time you hear someone bitching out their manufacturer asking where is my update, tell them to look to the carrier. Then tell them next time they should buy an unlocked international version of the device for quicker carrier less updates or get a Nexus device.
Also many people are starting to bitch about the Galaxy S not getting ICS. If you also remember the Update Alliance agreed to update within 18 months of updates. Then count the months from the Galaxy S release date March 2010 to December 2011. That’s 21 months since the release which launched with 2.1 and was updated to 2.2 and 2.3.
If you want the latest and greatest then just root your device and custom ROM or buy a new device. Also remember where the enthusiasts and are just a small proportion of the user base. The other 90% don’t care about what version they’re on.
daveloft - December 23, 2011
You might have a point, but its buried under a supper whiny tone. Its android. Time to start dealing with the reality of the situation. You know youll have the option to flash ics, and you shouldnt ever be surprised if thats the only way to upgrade. If you want to better the situation- get nexus. If you didnt feel like getting the Nexus S… well, you should have waited. Either way you shouldnt be surprised.
bradygossett - December 23, 2011
samsung busted the GPS on the epic4g with their long delayed gingerbread update. when contacting them regarding this problem, they repeatedly say it’s sprint’s problem:
“if an update is distributed over the air, this is released by service providers or network carriers not by Samsung an since it is a network dependent feature on the phone, we advise you to contact your Service Provider for configurations to upgrade the GPS performance on your phone or check options to fix this problem. " sprint doesn’t provide the software or the hardware. way to blow off the customer samsung.
rlrlrlrl - December 23, 2011
Samsung could have easily just gave every one stock ICS. But instead they tell a bold face lie blaming their laziness on hardware constraints.
Alexander_tron - December 24, 2011
Samsung will support your Galaxy S till 2035, with Android 30. Wait and see.
buginsoup - December 24, 2011
Why Samsung need to support every successful product for years? I do not understand. I want Microsoft to support my x86 hardware with an update of Win8. You can keep saying Microsoft is a liar, and they hate customers etc etc. Samsung is not here for Honorary service. They are in business.
If they provide ICS update for Galaxy S means you will still want Android 5, 7, 20… etc? Just because you bought a phone from them, do you want life long OS upgrades, Oh c’com. Stop this nonsense.
buginsoup - December 24, 2011
Listen guys, Samsung shouldn’t follow Apple or Microsoft’s strategy. When those two sell you a device they’re getting you to invest in a ecosystem. Obviously Samsung doesn’t get money from the Android apps customers purchase and there only revenue generating means is for you to buy a new phone.
Yes, they should be more transparent and in a perfect world they would let everyone have the option of stock Android. But this isn’t the perfect world, it’s capitalism – for better or worse.
Eric Morgan - December 24, 2011
You are absolutely true, like I said in my post Only Android is Opensource, and not Samsung – They are in business. They sell phones. They want you to buy phones. You cannot limit them with your feelings. Right?
Your comment is well said!
buginsoup - December 24, 2011
The first Article I ever read on the verge, I am first time visitor to this site, and alas, my first read was an utterly foolish article with lack of knowledge, tolerance and attitude. Shame!
buginsoup - December 24, 2011
Can you at least explain what it is you are struggling with? You’ve accused this article of four things without explaining anything of your concerns. How is that tolerant?
TastySlowCooker - December 24, 2011
Those who are yelling at Samsung should note that, ICS-upgradable devices are the GALAXY S II, GALAXY S II LTE, GALAXY Note, GALAXY R, GALAXY Tab 10.1, GALAXY Tab 8.9, GALAXY Tab 7.7, and GALAXY Tab 7.0 Plus,. Their focus on 4.0 update is mainly for Tablets and close to tablet phones.
buginsoup - December 24, 2011
Simple answer to the question: Samsung’s “customer” is the carrier, not the consumer. They keep their customers by catering to them, not the consumer. That’s why their phones come with crapware preloaded.
Jolt - December 24, 2011
This whole debacle reminds me of the graphics card business in the late 90’s/early 2000’s..
Customers were buying brands like “Monster 3D” and “Ticket 2 Ride” because of their software customizations — in this case it was drivers.
The thing is, when the consumer got a bit savvy and realized what they really wanted was an nvidia chip and whatever software nvidia was putting out to run it – it almost immediately transformed the business into a commodity market… and it seem like things are heading this way with android phones.
When the average consumer realizes that what they really want is stock android running on the fastest, cheapest silicon, it’s going to hit the handset makers in a big way. Sense, touchwiz, blur etc. etc.. will all just be seen as needless obstructions.
Over time, the handset makers will be turned into hardware fabrication operations – operating on razor-thing margins, and those that can’t compete through scale (looking at you, HTC) will be killed just like Number 9, STB, Diamond Multimedia and the countless other graphics card middlemen were killed when the graphics card business went through this turmoil.
Differentiation is what they think they need to succeed in this market.. but at the end of the day, unless you’re in control of the actual product that the consumer wants, you’re dead in the water.
nothingreal - December 24, 2011
they blocked allshare for the first gen WP7 phones… im not saying that they are not compatible. they are blocking older devices…. i love super amoled, but i think i will be getting a nokia next time.
Revrak - December 24, 2011
I want the author of this article to notice that this story gets even worse if he were to dig deeper and look at the variants found on each carrier. I am an owner of the Galaxy S variant for T-Mobile that came out before the “4G” version. So the confusion in the press is that Vibrant has already gotten Gingerbread. Only the Vibrant 4G has gotten GB. Insult to injury, the source code for the original Vibrant drivers will never be released and the community-made ROMs will never be supported by the likes of Cyanogenmod due to the inability to do important things like implement 911 services correctly. It’s not only a software issue. The GPS radio for the original Vibrant (non-4G) is notoriously bad on the hardware side, as well. What sucks even further is that the drivers for that particular radio is proprietary and customers are completely dependent on Samsung support, which completely sucks. In short, some Galaxy S variants are completely screwed no matter what in less than a two year contract.
jsparakov - December 24, 2011
To be fair where was this iPhone fan when they stopped delivering updates to iphone 2g?
Apple fanboys as always!
Taran - December 24, 2011
since it was 3 years most people had moved on to other devices. We are talking months here. Nothing fair about that.
damongb - December 25, 2011
apple haters everywhere say apple fanboys everywhere
AndrewYZ - December 24, 2011
Same goes for Samsungs phones. putting the Aluminum back cover on the Captivate was the best thing AT&T have ever done.
intan35 - December 24, 2011
May as well offered users no excuse at all. (These phones aren’t getting ICS. End of line.) Both answers have the same outcome: Samsung won’t make the update happen because they don’t feel like it… the above response would be more honest than blaming TouchWiz.
uninventive - December 24, 2011
I can’t wait for the day when ASUS starts knocking out phones. IMO they have a update track record that rivals Apple and by the looks of the Transformer they have Android down to a T.
theone85ca - December 24, 2011
It’s a tough market for the PC makers to break into, because they don’t have relationships with the carriers. Asus certainly has the technical ability to make a creditable Android phone, but whether it can get one subsidized by a carrier, and marketed by a carrier is a bigger problem.
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
This is why i always vary in what products i chose from each company. I would generally try to not buy more than one of a device from the same company in case something (like in Samsung’s case) would happen. I’m not saying Samsung is a bad company at making products though, I think my Galaxy Nexus is VERY good, and Google/ Samsung did a great job producing the phone.
However, Samsung need to improve on two things and the moment: Making better quality hardware and providing updates faster.
leegh229 - December 24, 2011
at
leegh229 - December 24, 2011
Note to verge staff: We need that edit button soon.
leegh229 - December 24, 2011
Not if it means using Disqus…
nori - December 25, 2011
Shocking how the first 40 comments had nothing to do with the article and were basically rants about phone construction.
Vlad: Great article addressing one (most important) of the many issues manufactures don’t seem to understand (Customer relationship). Everyone makes fun of Microsoft for supporting legacy software but as a user, you never seem to feel burned by their commitment – the same can be said for apple.
Google: Close down Android and reign in some control, your customers will thank you for it.
TechedOn - December 24, 2011
OS updates to smartphones matter first and foremost for security updates, bug fixes, etc. Getting the spiffy new OS and new features is great, but it is the core maintenance of an OS that matters over a 2 year contract, particularly as we use phones for more and more things. For many the phone part of a smartphone is one of the least used features. With NFC and e-wallet functions, this becomes a huge issue.
In this case it is easy to blame Samsung, but I see this as a Google issue. Sure, “get a Nexus” or “root and rom” are the mantras among the loyalists, but most people have no idea or more importantly no interest. They look at the showroom options and pick one that looks and feels good, or was pushed by a salesperson. Google is just plain wimpy when it comes to leadership for android. They toss it out and then throw up their arms. I think Google’s services are great, but android is a mess that isn’t getting better. But I’m sure Google will write an algorithm that will fix everything…
mtcowdog - December 24, 2011
Nope. They will get mathias durante to bullshit about how great his skinning effort is compared to rivals and everyone will agree with his bullshit and lap it up completely forgetting that android does not support software updates in reality. Then everyone will rave about yet another tron skin rehash as “just beautiful”….
ounkeo - December 24, 2011
It is really dissappointing. I just got 2 galaxytab for myself n the wife. 1 week later this news. The tabs are fucking brand new as in released 2 mo ago and my wife’s 8.9 was JUST released in December.
i cant trust google or any android manufacturers. My damn lg optimus is still running damn old software with no update in sight. There’s a reason i dumped android for wp7. I should have stuck it out n waited for win8 tablets…. Android is FOS (full of shi).
ounkeo - December 24, 2011
The Galaxy Tab mentioned in the article is the original Galaxy Tab that was released late last year. Samsung has committed to update this year’s Tabs (10.1, 8.9, 7.7, 7.0 Plus) to Android 4.0: http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Confirms-Android-4-0-ICS-Update-for-Galaxy-Tab-241860.shtml
warisz00r - December 24, 2011
“
While I agree with the article in general, I’ll have to disagree with you on that aspect, Vlad.
ax13 - December 24, 2011
SAMSUNG listen Loud n Clear! after using your GT-I9000 for over a year and having call quality issues (not even as good as Nokia’s basic Phone)
MY NEXT PHONE is SONY ERICSSON / MOTOROLA – The Monster one!!
NO more Crappy KIES NO more Crappy CALL NO more PLASTIC UndeRWear!!
'rav - December 24, 2011
“If you are a techy user, then you can root your phone. If you are not a techy user, then you are too stupid to care and you don’t matter.”
You know, the big idea in tech blog comments sections is often that Apple users are snotty elitists.
But I’ll tell you what’s snotty and elitist: the idea that if you are “too stupid” to know how to root your phone, you are too dumb to appreciate an upgrade anyway, so you don’t matter.
I’ve made an account of the Verge so I can post this to let you guys know:
You people who think that there are people who are too dumb to appreciate an upgrade, so who cares about them?
YOU GUYS ARE SNOTTY ELITISTS.
If you don’t like snotty elitism in Apple fans, you shouldn’t like it in yourself.
Dmitri_ - December 24, 2011
Excellent article.
Jerod - December 24, 2011
Samsung is a consumer electronics company and this is where it shows. Most of their other products tvs, blueray, dvd players are one shot deals and if the devices work, their job is done. I agree samsung should support its smartphones better but if they keep on selling in huge numbers, management doesn’t have to admit there is a problem. Feel free to liberally email them and complain which might get to a high enough management person and initiate some change.
eid - December 24, 2011
WOW …this article isn’t even about plastic vs glass/aluminum phones people. It’s about the support you get from the people you pay your hard earned money to and how they see you. As tempted as I am to get a GALAXY NOTE I’m glad I stick with the NEXUS (NEXUS S) …Yes GOOGLE screws up as well, but at the end of the day I still know for sure that my device will be upgraded with at least the next OS, 1 step up from what came on the phone when I purchased it. SAMSUNG, if your customers start to feel insecure about your phones and start second guessing in the store, you might as well forfeit your crown. Just look at what RIM is going through …your customers make YOU, not YOU make your customers.
arm020577 - December 24, 2011
next OS? Didn’t Galaxy S come with eclair and got upgraded to froyo then gingerbread? That’s two new versions.
Don’t even bother bringing in US carrier branded models. I’ve learned my lesson and i’m never buying another carrier branded phone and sign a contract
ph00ny - December 24, 2011
My bad, you’re right …I was thinking of GALAXY S II.
arm020577 - December 24, 2011
Vlad is correct that this is a corporate culture problem. Its the same impulse that makes owning a Samsung or Panasonic blu-ray player or AVR such a frustrating experience and owning an Xbox360, Apple TV or Roku box such a joy. Microsoft and Apple understand the importance of keeping customers happy throughout the lifespan of their products. Samsung, Panasonic, Canon, LG still treat their products more like pure CE products. Get it out the door, make your money and then its the consumer’s problem.
minimalist - December 24, 2011
I don’t really get why this is even a problem. If my 2-month-old Bionic NEVER got ICS, I would care at all. I didn’t buy it for ICS — I bought it for what it is.
All this hand-wringing seems to be from people who care more about their specs and bragging rights than people who actually want their phone to be a tool to accomplish tasks. It’ s like being a carpenter and saving your pennies to buy a beautiful new hammer that does exactly the same thing as your current hammer: whatever you want.
MichaelY - December 24, 2011
And this is why you buy the Nexus phone.
thomashawk - December 24, 2011
People will have to understand the business model of manufacturers. They get nothing out of the OS (apps sales or services), they are in the business of selling phones; it hasn’t changed for the last 10 years.
Despite that they say to have good press, it’s not in their best interest to upgrade an already sold phone, Samsung and the other manufacturer want customers to buy new phones every couple of years. New software features are a selling point for a new model.
fbrunel - December 24, 2011
In my opinion, it is rather how long / short of a product cycle we perceive. Android, overall, is moving a relatively much faster pace than Apple iOS or the Mircosoft product lines. Comparing those with the yester-year Galaxy S device may not be totally fair…
- When the 1st generation of Galaxy S handsets were launched, many came with Eclair. Then the updates of Froyo and Gingerbread have been available to almost all variants.
- Nexus S is Nexus S, no matter how comparable specifications of both Galaxy S and Nexus S have. Google can CHOOSE to make whatever happens to the updates with higher priority. So if the Android UX paramount every other aspect, I would have go for the more puritan path with Nexus devices – especially Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus.
- Apple would never drop the ball? Surely, it takes care of its customers with a bumper… if and only if any qualified customer ASKED for the limited time offer! But what about Siri to my iPhone 4? And, surely, I had never complained about why my iPhone 3G could not get iOS 5 update because it was really “old” with 1.5 generation apart from iPhone 4S… which was like eternity already!
- Microsoft would take care of the customers in their most popular and/or profitable product lines and services. As for how they will make the Windows Phone ecosystem still relevant to the 1st generation handsets for the long haul, we may not even care!
In the end, the marketing hype carries some bias to the situation. True, Samsung Galaxy S is widely popular and it was once at the pole position… until the Galaxy S II overtook it. 6 months from now, there will be another generation. So in this kind of product cycle, I do not really see anything unethical or greater incentives to pull the plug on ICS upgrades for Galaxy S. SamsungDive will still be there to track, lock, swipe the Galaxy S in case we have lost it. KIES will still backup / sync my stuffs with my computer. Samsung AllShare, MobilePrint, Mobile Security still runs fine. More important, Samsung Apps (its own market) still offers some apps for free that normally paid in Android Market and many are still optimized for Gingerbread and single core will still run smoothly… Now, honestly, how many of us do care or even realize the existence of these Samsung “support” after we have paid for our purchase?
howipig - December 24, 2011
Are you seriously trying to compare Apple not providing iOS 5 on the 3G, with ICS on the Galaxy S? You realize that the 3G was discontinued 3 days after the Galaxy S was launched right? As for it being only 1.5 generations behind – I’m not sure what orifice you’re pulling that from.
Cloudgazer - December 24, 2011
Cloudgazer’s,
To me, from iPhone 3G to iPhone 3GS is “half a generation”, not until the iPhone 4 as “a generation”. Same thing with the iPhone 4 – 4S, another “half generation”.
howipig - December 24, 2011
Ahh, so given that the gap between the 3G and the 3GS was as big as the gap between the Nexus One and Nexus S, that was also only half a generation? Given the gap between the iPhone4 and iPhone4S is bigger than the gap between the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus, that’s also only half a generation?
So by your logic the Nexus one is only one generation behind? Guess it should have ICS eh?
Stop paying attention to enclosures and actually look at the specs of the phones.
Cloudgazer - December 25, 2011
So Microsoft is good? Remember that they didn’t update the HD2 to WP7 just bc it had too many buttons even though the HD2 was test hardware for WP7.
The real reason was that MS expected HD2 owners to buy a new handset of their new OS(maybe HD7). but surprise… Most of us bought a new handset..but it has Android.
Lawrence_of_Arabia - December 24, 2011
I think this is a good time for Samsung Galaxy S owners to upgrade to S2 or Note. Even using Android 2.xx, there is no reason to stay with Galaxy S.
sutjahjo - December 24, 2011
I’ve had SGS, but it’s a bit slow, so I got SGS2 and it’s really great. I’m a geek, so I think it would be nice to get the OS updated on either phone, but it’s really not necessary and could be a problem for non-geeks.
pies - December 24, 2011
Exactly
mightymoose02 - December 24, 2011
This is really fked up. Hell even the Dell Streak is getting at least Gingerbread update to show that Dell value their customers. Dell makes some promising hardwares such as Streak, Venue, and Venue Pro. If Dell were to really push their devices, make public to know that they are serious, I think they will do a better job than Samsung.
JaznC - December 24, 2011
LOL… Dell = FAIL.
Let Dell keep doing what they are doing.
Make cheap computers.
mightymoose02 - December 24, 2011
Couldn’t have said it any better. I’m not buying an Android Samsung phone ever again because of this. I may actually still buy Samsung, but Windows Phone instead.
Pacoup - December 24, 2011
I agree completely with this post. Samsung can only see phones from a corporate point of view and has no idea or care what phones are from a consumer point of view.
bryanmg - December 24, 2011
I see your point Vlad, but I seriously doubt that ICS will run smoothly on a Galaxy S or G-Tab simply because of the Touchwiz UI and the sub-par specs. I honestly think that running ICS laced with Touchwiz on the Galaxy S will bog down the performance.
William Alexander - December 24, 2011
This decision by Samsung is outrageous. I own a Galaxy S, and was going to upgrade in the new Year. I am still going to upgrade but it wont be a samsung
Mike.Callaghan.x - December 24, 2011
This is EXACTLY why they are not updating Galaxy S.
A lot of people who bought Galaxy S early on are now ready to upgrade.
If you are talking about internationally… they are definitely overdue for an upgrade.
In the U.S., it’s been a year and few months since its initial release depending on which carrier you have.
mightymoose02 - December 24, 2011
It’s also sad if you are missing out on Samsung products.
Their smartphone line-up is the best out there among Android manufacturers. Maybe even Windows Phone manufacturers.
Also… learn from this mistake if you are so concerned about updates.
Remember Galaxy SII has already been out for almost a year in other parts of the world. So in a year, it will be very outdated and possibly lose out on updates.
If you get a Samsung smartphone in the U.S., you are already 6 months or more behind the world.
mightymoose02 - December 24, 2011
¬¬ Shame! That’s why I’ll think five times before buying a phone that’t not a flagship from Google. Tsc tsc tsc
and they have good hardwares, I would really feel betrayed.
Leonardo Oliveira - December 24, 2011
SO – Buy a Nexus Ladies and Gentlemen
sdfx - December 24, 2011
Samsung simply doesn’t get it. It’s such a shame they also have the best hardware.
Emmanuel A. - December 24, 2011
The bigger and truer statement is about how Apple cares about its customers versus Samsung’s blatant disregard for their own.
This essentially contradicts everything they’re doing with their smear campaign of Apple loyalists. If this story were featured in the MSM they’d be in trouble. Perception rules and if people think Samsung is selling disposable products that don’t get support after only a year, it could do some real damage to their reputation across their entire product line.
mrlangston - December 24, 2011
Samsung hardware is crap. The back cover of my new Galaxy Nexus broke because of it’s stupid closing defect. Google should stop using Samsung for the Nexus line and go for Motorola that makes the best radio, antenna, speakers and tough hardware.
emilmirzakhanian - December 25, 2011
Yeah this is RATHER EXPECTED….I have the Galaxy Nexus and I am proud to have Samsung and stock android for the first time in my life. I use to roll for 2years with HTC having the EVO 4G then the EVO 3D all on sprint. Had the Galaxy S2 Skyrocket for 2weeks played around with that as a black friday special on amazon.com for one penny to fimilarize myself with Samsung. And now I am rolling with the Galaxy Nexus. Nothing BEATS THIS ANDROID SMARTPHONE EXCEPT THE GALAXY NOTE…
Richard Yarrell - December 25, 2011
You see, this was the one of the only reasons that I said I would not get a Samsung phone back when I was happy with my HTC device, but then Sense began to become too much in terms of eye candy and offer too little in terms of functionality and battery life so I jumped ship when the GSII came stateside. I really hope Sammy gets it together and supports the GSII for another release after ICS or Google wises up like Apple and make the Galaxy Nexus one SKU and releases it at the same time on each major US carrier, none of this exclusive BS. In a way I think Google is at a point where they could do that and total shut out HTC and Samsung and probably rightfully so. That way people truly have a choice to get timely updates or settle for some what useless eye candy. Google go ahead and make more dreams come true.
SumTinLikaNinja - December 25, 2011
Everyone always burns manufactures that use removable plastic panels on their phones. In my mind this is a pro not a con. Since these parts are cheap, and easily replaceable, this makes refurbishing these phones to like new very easy. I had an Epic 4g and was able to purchase a new battery door, and back plate/camera lens assembly on eBay for $3 each. With a hex screwdriver, a plastic spudger and 20 minutes of my time the phone looked as good as new.
brianwfox - December 25, 2011
More to the point to me:
They are heat and electrical conductors and signal-blockers too (requiring careful positioning of antennas in a phone). They don’t belong on the housing of a phone. It’s cold to pick up the phone in winter, and they conduct heat in summer, reaching internal components like the battery more easily. Stupid choice in my opinion. They often appeal to the same people that are impressed by metallic paint; they think ‘metals’ or a metallic look means quality.
nori - December 25, 2011
It is reasons like this I left Android. Sure, I could get a pure Google device, but until recently you couldn’t get them easily, especially if the global version didn’t work with your carrier, ehm… Verizon. But even now with the Galaxu Nexus available on Verizon I don’t think I could go back to Android. My last Android phone, an HTC never got updated off Android 2.1, and it took forever to get that from 1.5. By time my contract was up on that phone I couldn’t wait to get away from Android. I happily switched to iOS and so happy.
Agreb - December 25, 2011
1. Samsung sell millions of a phone with Touchwiz on it.
2. Samsung don’t want to update a phone removing what many customers are already used to.
3. The market in general doesn’t think like an enthusiast does. Customers will wonder why things changed so much.
4. Samsung Customer Service supporting the phone would be much more difficult with 2 different interfaces too.
5. Nobody aside from tech geeks consider an Android update important. A true minority of the market.
Moving along now…
nori - December 25, 2011
Recommended for being on point, and for not mentioning X vs X at all. Depressing how many people are having those arguments on such a new site.
nailerr - December 27, 2011
As I read through this article, for some reason I could hear violins playing in the background.
Ogami Itto - December 25, 2011
Bought the Galaxy S (Vibrant) on T-Mobile the day it came out. It’s still a powerful phone that plays any of the newest games out there at the max frame rate. However, as pointed out, Samsung has abandoned us Galaxy S owners. It’s even worse on T-Mobile where the last update was Froyo, which took six months to deliver. This general way of doing things with Android phone makers has all but sealed that my next phone will be Windows Phone or iPhone. The only Android phones that get updated are the Nexii, and those are now released right before CES where they are immediately massacred by new, much more powerful phones.
Donut3 - December 25, 2011
That’s why I have no intention of using android, most manufacturers will just forget you just spend $200 or more and won’t do much to give you a good service even after the phone has been sold….my mom has her 3GS with iCloud and still has iOS 5. I know that it won’t support certain apps since this phone has a certain hardware that is not present in newer devices, but really Samsung just gave its user a digital version of the finger …….. n||n
Yujin - December 25, 2011
Great post. Also well said. I’ve never been a fan of Samsung, not only do they make cheap gadgets but they’re products are severely obsolescently planned (even more than other gadgets)… don’t even get me started on their HDTVs.
When you mentioned that “Samsung’s relationship with the consumer is concluded at the time of the sale” that couldn’t have been said more perfectly… while there are some ignorant consumers who blame T-Mobile or other carriers for the lack of updates ported to Samsung Android smartphones, there are others who know the truth…. that Samsung simply doesn’t want to waste time or money on reconfiguring TouchWiz and updating their “one-year old phones” since they’re too concerned with manufacturing their latest plastic and cheap iPhone imitation smartphones. #truestory
eli_thegr8 - December 25, 2011
Even if they did upgrade the galaxy s line to the latest version of android by the time the update were to be received people’s upgrades would be up. Even when Samsung does choose to update their devices they take way to long to do so.
bdipietro5 - December 25, 2011
im sure this has been said…but this isnt any different than what i expected from Samsung. Its a phone that is two generations back…and having owned one back then…wasn’t all that impressed with the hardware. (I upgraded to an EVO back then and had a much better experience.) If this was a Nexus device…i can see why the frustration. Samsung is poor at updates to begin with…the fact they even considered it is surprising.
Shantheman - December 25, 2011
That’s why I bought a Samsung Windows Phone. I get the great hardware (SAMOLED Plus Screen, nice camera) and won’t have to worry about updates, since they come from Microsoft.
VanMardigan - December 25, 2011
I would say Samsung’s decision is at least understandable. They are selling phones to hundreds of millions of customers, and majority of them are less geeky than people here. They might prefer something more user friendly, like Touchwiz.
zcui - December 26, 2011
and they call them isheep…
apple care is second to none. good luck trying to get a replacement galaxy s2 / nexus in under 10 mins (no questions asked) at your samsung… no wait android… no wait YOU DON’T HAVE A STORE.
all android oems are the same…
sighclops - December 26, 2011
Good luck with your frequent trips to the “STORE” to replace damaged or defective iPhones, “no questions asked.” I prefer phones that don’t need replacing.
droidbeat - December 26, 2011
thing is you have to “replace” your phone as you don’t get updates lol I’ve owned 2 iphones now (original and 3gs) no issues at anytime.
damongb - December 26, 2011
Besides the cheap feel of the Galaxy S, it sucks. Plain and simple. TouchWiz sucks. It turns Android into an inferior and slower system because Samsung wants to be cool. It’s not. It’s a disaster. Hardware-wise Samsung is okay, it’s software sucks.
From an owner of a WP7/ICS/Gingerbread/whatever you want to run -based HD2.
psykick5 - December 26, 2011
I don’t understand all of these arguments about Apple supporting phones for a long time, it is common knowledge that after being updated twice ie. 3GS to iOS5, the phone is practically unusable.
mayankbhagat - December 26, 2011
My 3GS is great on IOS5 and as a customer I’m extremely happy about all the new features I got for free. You can continue to purchase plastic cheap phones and receive limited to no updates. For some of us that’s not acceptable.
damongb - December 26, 2011
I will say this – I loved my Vibrant when I first got it. But I almost immediately went into a love/hate relationship. Flaky GPS, stinky compass, odd ball limitations from TouchWiz. Yes, the display is beautiful, but a pretty face only goes so far.
The Galaxy SII on T-Mo looks very, very nice. But I don’t think I’ll be getting another Sammy TouchWiz device again. I had hoped that their hiring of Mr. Cyanogen himself meant something special might happen, but it appears that isn’t going to be the case.
Let’s see what HTC and Motorola roll out in the next few months…
markinct - December 27, 2011
BOOOO! My mom has this phone, and I was really excited that she was going to get ICS :-( stupid samsung, no one wants these stupid skins…. I have the galaxy nexus with pure google, and it’s beautiful!
Zargoon - December 27, 2011
Unfortunately, I think you over-estimate the technical savy of most mobile phone consumers: Android, iOS and Windows Phone.
Samsung’s strategy to entice consumers will be simple
Make good hardware
The Press will review it and like it
People will go to tech sites to mildly research phones before purchase
People will buy phone based on numerical score without reading the line about how Samsung has a tendency to not update their hardware
PremierePrimo - January 10, 2012
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