Android's Law Plagues Us All

[WenWM]

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Have you felt that the life span of Android devices seems to be getting shorter every time a new phone is launched? Well it’s not just you that has been experiencing that; CNN filed a report on this subject. Dubbed 'Android’s Law', this chart above shows how manufacturing time for new devices is shrinking with each new release of Android. The average time it took companies to make a new device running on Android has dropped drastically from the 10 months’ time we saw with Android 1.6, to what seems 'a bit rushed' at a miniscule 6.7 months. As soon as you buy a new device… A replacement is already on its way.

Phandroid did mention in their report that device’s like the HTC Evo 4G seem to have been excluded in this statistic because even after being released in the summer of last year, the device still stands as one of the best. This is due to HTC having a knack for keeping its hardware consistent throughout its cycle for a few generations of devices before moving on to the next big thing. We can see this with the Thunderbolt, since it does have almost the exact specs as the Evo 4G.

Anyone a little unsatisfied with the new timeline of your newly purchased devices? Share your thoughts below.

Source: (New Phone Already Feeling Old? You Can Thank Android’s Short Manufacturing Cycle | Android Phone Fans)

 

[johnomaz]

I was actually thinking about this a couple weeks ago. I bought the DroidX on release day and am still very happy with it. Before that, I had the iPhone 3GS, the iPhone 3G and the iPhone 2G. I remember when I had the iPhone I was always annoyed that other manufacturers were putting out new hardware that made the iPhone look bad. Even when the new iPhone was released, other phones already kicked its butt. Now that I have an Android phone, I am happy with my DroidX even though it is nearing its end of life date. Yes, the new phones coming out are awesome, but mine still hangs with the rest.

Also, Motorola, HTC and the rest also make their phones in limited numbers. Apple has to gamble on their numbers. They make millions of one phone and need to sell them all. With Android manufacturers, they can sell 5 million of one phone and move on to the next. Not because the phone did bad, but because new hardware is out and they want to offer the best hardware they can. Frankly, I like to see a fast turn over. That being said, it does kind of suck for people that do not tinker with their phones. I have been using the Rubix ROM since it was released and feel I am getting upgrades to my phone quite frequently. If I was to wait for Moto to release updates, I would feel a bit more cheated.

 

[edbdroid]

I think it's hilarious (but in a sad way!) that the Incredible, which 6 months ago had a waiting list to get the device, is set to retire soon.

Less that 4 months after I made the leap from an EnV2 to the OG Droid, my device was obsolete. Yeah, it had been out for 4 months when I made the change, but I refuse to be an early adopter. I liked my EnV2, and had very few problems with it. The upgrade was a want, not a need.

Similarly, yeah... all these new devices are coming out willy-nilly, and I am eligible to upgrade, but I'm keeping my Droid for the foreseeable future. Not because the new devices aren't cool, but knowing the lifespan of current smartphones, I am not going to upgrade until there's a 4G device that blows me away. Dual-core is nice. More memory is nice. But until something makes me sit up and say "I *have* to get that," I'm sticking with what I have.

LTE, dual-core, lots of memory, and a QWERTY keyboard are required. Anything above that is gravy.

 

[jbdow]

I don't have a real problem with any of this. I'm gonna research as best i can,
and buy the best i can. barring a major tech leap(my def), which i don't see
coming soon, my d2g will be good for me for the next year at the very least.
But if i see something i like better, i'm gonna buy it, simple as that. I'm kinda
mercenary in that way...

r, john

 

[xsylus]

My issues is the balance between the internal specs of the phone and the cosmetic design and style. It seems that so far none of the newer android phones released strike me as much as the original Moto Droid. I like devices with a soft-rubber coating and with a reasonable amount of weight to them. If they're plasticy or just feel to light-weight it tends to make the device seem cheap or of low-quality. Also more color options would be better. So many of these devices shy away from the traditional black which I personally prefer. I like phones that look like something that would belong to Darth Vader or be on Batman's utility belt. I liked the concept of Motorola's DEFY because it's extra rugged and durable, water resistant and dust proof. To me something that doesn't get damaged easily is of higher-quality plus it reduces the need of worrying about your treasured phone. In the end I still haven't seen a phone that I'd like to carry around more than my Droid 1. I've said before that I think with the constant and consistent release of new phones (practically at an hourly rate, it seems) is decreasing the efficiency of the Android OS. Even with the newer phones I've had a chance to tinker with there is still lag and other annoyances found in the UI of the OS. OS/UI responsiveness should be priority one but they can't achieve that with so many different hardware variables that they need to support. I almost think these manufactures should do what laptop manufactures do on their websites which is allow you to customize your phone. I ordered a custom thinkpad from lenovo which let me choose the features I wanted while keeping within my budget.

BTW: what ever happened to Gingerbread? I thought it was supposed to be released for the Droid 1 by now but I haven't heard anything about it in months.

 

[volando]

LTE, dual-core, lots of memory, and a QWERTY keyboard are required. Anything above that is gravy.

ditto.. i've had my droid1 since nov 09 and sticking with it (thanks overclocking!) until what you mention comes out... hopefully Droid3 will be what we're looking for...

 

[brando56894]

I got my droid in march and within a month or two it was superseded by the incredible and then killed off a few months later. I wish it had more ram but in hindsight im happy with it since its the most customizable.

 

[jaycemiskel]

My issues is the balance between the internal specs of the phone and the cosmetic design and style. It seems that so far none of the newer android phones released strike me as much as the original Moto Droid. I like devices with a soft-rubber coating and with a reasonable amount of weight to them. If they're plasticy or just feel to light-weight it tends to make the device seem cheap or of low-quality. Also more color options would be better. So many of these devices shy away from the traditional black which I personally prefer. I like phones that look like something that would belong to Darth Vader or be on Batman's utility belt. I liked the concept of Motorola's DEFY because it's extra rugged and durable, water resistant and dust proof. To me something that doesn't get damaged easily is of higher-quality plus it reduces the need of worrying about your treasured phone. In the end I still haven't seen a phone that I'd like to carry around more than my Droid 1. I've said before that I think with the constant and consistent release of new phones (practically at an hourly rate, it seems) is decreasing the efficiency of the Android OS. Even with the newer phones I've had a chance to tinker with there is still lag and other annoyances found in the UI of the OS. OS/UI responsiveness should be priority one but they can't achieve that with so many different hardware variables that they need to support. I almost think these manufactures should do what laptop manufactures do on their websites which is allow you to customize your phone. I ordered a custom thinkpad from lenovo which let me choose the features I wanted while keeping within my budget.

BTW: what ever happened to Gingerbread? I thought it was supposed to be released for the Droid 1 by now but I haven't heard anything about it in months.

Gingerbread won't be coming to the Droid 1 officially. It's already EOL.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[Johnly]

Plagues? It is technology, expect it to even get shorter (I am for it too) but I love gadgets.

 

[kodiak799]

I don't see it as a really big deal, either. The D1 in reality is not obsolete - it still runs just fine (even without root, unless you've dumped a bunch of apps and widgets on it).

And if you buy a pc right now, in 6 months better tech is out. This seems to be another boogeyman argument. Choice is good for consumers. With most on a 2-yr upgrade cycle, who wants to have to buy 6 month old tech or wait 6 months for the latest?

 

[jaycemiskel]

At least with a pc you can upgrade your os on your own though. A 6 month old Android phone might never see an update.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[kodiak799]

At least with a pc you can upgrade your os on your own though. A 6 month old Android phone might never see an update.

Sure, but in reality how many people shell out a few hundred bucks for that? It's not like your phone stops working when a new version of Android comes out.

 

[nakhleh926]

I kind of agree but honestly if someone unlocks the DXs bootloader it will probably not be far off performance wise from the Thunderbolt and any new phones coming out for a bit longer, though it probably won't happen, just sayin.

Sent from my DROIDX using DroidForums App

 

[Cdjones187]

When I signed my 2 year I got my D1 for free, not knowing it was gonna be discontinued a month later. But, it being a OG droid, I still get updates since I'm rooted. And my replacement will be whatever new DROID is out when that time comes. Whether it be the D2 (hope not) or the D3 (T2?? =]) whenever the EOL is up for the D2. Im still happy, my D1 can still play hardball with the "new" phones currently out.

 

[Cdjones187]

BTW: what ever happened to Gingerbread? I thought it was supposed to be released for the Droid 1 by now but I haven't heard anything about it in months.

Being rooted is the only way your D1 will see gingerbread. I just flashed UD 3.0 RC2 (just now) which is GB. First full GB rom i've installed, others have GB parts but this is supposed to be the real deal.