Motorola now says Android 4.0 update is a long way off
The real shocker is that if anyone is actually shocked by the news that Motorola is actually a long way off from releasing Android 4.0 updates to it’s current flagship devices like the Droid Bionic and RAZR. Months ago Motorola tweeted that “We’ll be releasing devices for ICS 6 weeks after Google releases the final version of it”
The first device to run Ice Cream Sandwich was the Google Galaxy Nexus by Samsung that was released back in November. Almost three months have gone by and we are now in the middle of February and there has not been a single word mentioned about the update until now.
Motorola has just released news and a lengthy chart listing all devices and when they will receive the ICS update and which devices will not be receiving it. Currently, it is the tablets called XOOM that already have the update as of January, then the international and Family Editions will get ICS in Q2. ATRIX, PHOTON 4G, XOOM 2, XYBOARD will get updates in Q3.
Droid 4, Bionic, RAZR, RAZR MAXX, and others are listed as “Further Details to follow”. Clearly those of you who have the devices listed under the Further Details to Follow should not hold their breath for their ICS updates. This is a pretty big slap in the face for buyers who read all the blogs and put stock into the Tweet from Moto listed above. Moto reads the blogs and clearly should have amended their estimate of getting ICS out to existing devices. Now granted, there could be carrier issues involved here, such as Verizon not having resources to roll this update out in a timely manner. Regardless of who is to blame, this is completely unacceptable. Even with the bogus estimate of date of the ICS update, there is NO way rolling out an update like this should take close to a year.
This is a sure fire way to devalue Moto’s current product offering and give consumers reason to wait for newer devices running ICS to come out. To be fair, Moto has manufactured some amazing devices with the Kevlar back paneled, Gorilla Glass, and Nano particle RAZR and RAZR MAXX. The recently released DROID 4 with it’s amazing slide out QWERTY keyboard is sure to please SIP haters. It all still boils down to how fragmented the devices are and how porting the new OS to so many devices creates havoc for the device manufacturers. Apple, of course being the easiest with just 3 current serviceable devices and just a few carrier variants. Microsoft is perhaps a little more complicated with a few more devices and carriers to contend with.
So for now, look for the Galaxy Nexus to remain the flagship device for Google and their operating system called Android, because it will be a long time to any current devices receive Ice Cream Sandwich updates.
[source: Motorola via The Verge]
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Honest question,
is ICS really that much better, or is it a case of it’s newest so I want it?
Assuminhg it is better, how is it better?
I’m being serious here, not talking crap (like I normally do).
On the nexus is was pretty cool. The battery life and optimization was a lot better in my opinion. Having said that, The Motorola RAZR was really nice too, but it just seems the Nexus was a much more refined OS. Currently I am reviewing the LG Spectrum and I dread writing the review. Battery life is horrible, and it constantly glitches and closes apps. It is easy to see that LG does not have anywhere near the experience that Moto and Sammy does. I really liked the RAZR and still recommend it, but the Nexus wins out from an OS standpoint.
I don’t get why companies put off updates to their products or delay them. I’ve got a great Android tablet from a company called Idolian and I’ve already got ICS from them. If the little companies can do it then why can’t the huge corporations?
Probably huge corporations want to sell more devices where as the smaller guys need market presence and need something to build their stake and reputation. Sammy said it wouldn’t release ICS for their latest Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, which was released last fall, and now the same Sammy announced Galaxy Tab with ICS, which is same as Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus in hardware spec wise.