Some interesting figures about Android phones:
- 10 of the 16 devices were discontinued less than or equal to an year after release....
- 6 out of 16 devices never ran a current version of Android.
- 4 out of 16 devices stopped getting any updates less than an year after release.
- None of the 12 devices received updates for the entire duration of 2 years after release (excluding the first 4 devices in the chart which are scheduled to receive future updates).
- All 15 devices (Except the Nexus 4 which still has 11 months left for completion of 2 years from release date) were at least 1 major version behind within their two year contract period.
- 13 out of 15 devices were at least 2 major versions behind within their two year contract period.
- 8 out of 16 devices were at least 2 major version behind within one year of their contract period.
- Galaxy Nexus was on the current version of Android for the longest duration of 1 year and 10 months.
Some interesting figures about iPhones:
- iPhone 3GS was on the current version of iOS for the longest duration of 4 years and 3 months.
- iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 were discontinued 3 years and 4 months after release.
A flood of regular OS updates from Google.Google comes up with a new OS update every 6 months, which is then picked up by device vendors to add their own customizations to differentiate in the crowding Android device market. This is then passed on to the carriers for testing. If the results of carrier testing are satisfactory, it is rolled out to the devices, if not, they are sent back to the manufacturers for revision. By the time the update is available to the end user, a new release from Google is out. Apple releases yearly updates, cuts out the middle man and provides updates to the customer directly.
Zero Predictability
The status of Motorola Atrix HD on AT&T is end of life. The last update that the device received was Android 4.1 on Dec 14 2012. The support page on the Motorola website says that “The device will be upgraded to Kitkat (Android 4.4)”. But going by the fact that this is a discontinued model, I see slim chances that the device would receive any upgrades at all. Motorola might release an upgrade and surprise us all but the fact is that promising upgrades to customers and not delivering them is common in Android land. It is hard to believe how Android device vendors get away with false promises. The iOS updates on the other hand have matured. It is safe to assume that iPhone 4S will be removed from the lineup next year and that it will receive its final upgrade to iOS 8 late next year. There is 2 years of historic data to back this assumption. Historic data about Android device upgrades is so messed up, that you should be surprised only if you receive good support for the duration of your contract.
The status of Motorola Atrix HD on AT&T is end of life. The last update that the device received was Android 4.1 on Dec 14 2012. The support page on the Motorola website says that “The device will be upgraded to Kitkat (Android 4.4)”. But going by the fact that this is a discontinued model, I see slim chances that the device would receive any upgrades at all. Motorola might release an upgrade and surprise us all but the fact is that promising upgrades to customers and not delivering them is common in Android land. It is hard to believe how Android device vendors get away with false promises. The iOS updates on the other hand have matured. It is safe to assume that iPhone 4S will be removed from the lineup next year and that it will receive its final upgrade to iOS 8 late next year. There is 2 years of historic data to back this assumption. Historic data about Android device upgrades is so messed up, that you should be surprised only if you receive good support for the duration of your contract.
Source:http://www.fidlee.com/android-support-vs-ios-support/
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