Microsoft Throws Barbs at Android; Calls it a 'big pile of … Code’

[dgstorm]

It looks like Microsoft is up to their old tricks again... bashing the competition. Windows chief Terry Myerson, at Microsoft’s Ignite conference in Chicago, boldly said the following,

“Google ships a big pile of… Code, with no commitment to update your device. Google takes no responsibility to update customer devices and refuses to take responsibility to update their devices, leaving end users and businesses increasingly exposed every day they use an Android device.”

Them's fightin' words sir!

Seriously though, even though this seems rather brash of Myerson, he does have a point. This got us to thinking about the current state of Android. Only 10% of all Android devices are upgraded to Lollipop, with the majority on KitKat and still quite a few on Jelly Bean. The next version of Android is due out later this year, and it seems like Google gets farther and farther behind with new devices each year. Is this starting to frustrate any of our long-time Android fans, or is it just "par for the course?"

Also, despite Myerson having a good point, it still seems rather arrogant of him to be making statements like that considering Microsoft only holds about 8% of the mobile market compared to Android's massive dominance.

Source: TheVerge

 

[civiksi]

I am slowly becoming frustrated. It's May 5th and I'm the only one in the house still on 4.4.4. And I have the newest device.

 

[johnomaz]

I'm sorry, but the genius of Android is that its in the hands of the carriers and OEMs to update. No matter what version of Android you're on, Samsung devices are nearly the same as older versions on Samsungs. Same with HTC, Motorola, etc. The only truth is that Nexus devices are taking a bit longer to update for Google. Why, no idea, thats up to Google but it should be day one of the new version like it used to be.

Also, you'd be surprised how many people don't have access to wifi. They can't download the update via their carrier service. I work at a high school and see hundreds of Android phones every day. Ask a class of kids and only a handful have wifi at home. They also have some of the crappiest phones ever, old hand me downs too. Those phones will never see updates.

 

[kitcostantino]

Let's be honest, Microsoft. Android is the reason the piece of...dog code you call windows mobile didn't become an actual competitor to...well, anything. The bit about being "exposed" is also interesting. Exposed how? (Let's honestly compare security vulnerabilities between Android and Windows.) Again, it seems again like the defeated loser kicking dirt at the winner. Reminds me of the fool at Apple that claimed Motorola was [doing the customer a diservice ] by [offering too many options]. That is the beauty of Android. Options. Not living within the constraints of a closed-source OS. If we could all have unlocked bootloaders, everyone could be on Lollipop. Unfortunately, due to an agreement to not unlock bootloaders on certain (cough, cough, Turbo, cough) phones, we are stuck on KK with no customization options. This is the only bad thing about android versus any mobile platform at the moment.

 

[Ollie]

Once again...the Android OS version is moot. It's all about Play Services which hundreds of millions of devices are still supported by.

Edit:

To put it in numbers, 100 million devices are on Lollipop. 400 million are on Kitkat and 400 million are on Jellybean. All of them are on the current Play Services.

 

[94lt1]

I don't like you.. So I'm gonna call you names....Where's my toys... I'm stomping home..

 

[thunderbolt_nick]

Meh...

That was literally my response to this. Tired of Microsoft and them hating or trying to take down an opponent. Reminds me of the scoff with the Mac vs. PC ads. In my opinion, it just degrades the brand with something similar to a kid kicking and screaming that mommy loves his bigger brother more.

 

[tech_head]

Microsoft should know... I owned a Samsung i760 and a Treo 700w.
They were always updated and had quality updates... Oh, no wait. The i760 became unusable after the last update and Verizon gave me a BB to replace it. The 700w didn't get any updates.

People in glass houses..........

 

[shockracer]

Microsoft does have a small point, a lot of older Windows computers (years back) still get the ability to upgrade, Google not some much. Now this is a different market I'm referring to but it is still valid.

I regret every day that I accepted the Lollipop update on my M8!

 

[thunderbolt_nick]

Microsoft does have a small point, a lot of older Windows computers (years back) still get the ability to upgrade, Google not some much. Now this is a different market I'm referring to but it is still valid.

Yes but what about the user experience of updating say a 10-year-old PC ON XP to Win8? Slow performance, constant crashes, etc. Unless, of course, you want to overhaul your internals, which you can't do on any mobile device... Yet. Google is trying and Play Services is the way for unification which, in my opinion, they are doing well. OEMs also have a part to play and I can sense it is an uphill battle.

 

[kodiak799]

Once again...the Android OS version is moot. It's all about Play Services which hundreds of millions of devices are still supported by.

Edit:

To put it in numbers, 100 million devices are on Lollipop. 400 million are on Kitkat and 400 million are on Jellybean. All of them are on the current Play Services.

Right, and Kitkat is really quite solid. I'm not jonesing for Lollipop at all - in fact, I'd probably try to block it since I'm thinking of rooting my Droid Turbo.

Just look at Windows. You don't get upgraded from Windows 7 when Windows 8 comes out, and it doesn't really matter. Vista might have stunk, but you're still fine running with it if you're 8-yr old hardware suits your needs.

 

[riko540]

I like that Microsoft and Apple are still both using the whole Android fragmentation argument. However it doesn't really hold much weight anymore since Google pulled the guts out of the OS and put them in the Play Services and individual apps that they can update regardless of which Version you are on now.

Yes but what about the user experience of updating say a 10-year-old PC ON XP to Win8? Slow performance, constant crashes, etc. Unless, of course, you want to overhaul your internals, which you can't do on any mobile device... Yet. Google is trying and Play Services is the way for unification which, in my opinion, they are doing well. OEMs also have a part to play and I can sense it is an uphill battle.

Actually I have a PC that is almost 10 years old that is running Windows 8.1 64-bit with no problems. The motherboard is an Abit AN52V with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual core processor, 4GB of DDR2 PC2-6400 ram and a Nvidia 9500GT graphics card.

 

[droidprincess]

I don't like you.. So I'm gonna call you names....Where's my toys... I'm stomping home..

lol...I could see you doing this...

 

[thunderbolt_nick]

Actually I have a PC that is almost 10 years old that is running Windows 8.1 64-bit with no problems. The motherboard is an Abit AN52V with an AMD Athlon 64 X2 dual core processor, 4GB of DDR2 PC2-6400 ram and a Nvidia 9500GT graphics card.

Nice. Some will, depending on many factors and purposes. I also held on to an X2 for a good amount of time, but it started really bogging down on me, especially after the Win7 and trying to game was a joke. The animations would really slow to a crawl. I updated the RAM and not ta. So I upgraded all parts and noticed night and day improvements. Glad it worked for you though

 

[IIGood]

To me, I'd say it's "par for the course" at this point, particularly in regards to my 2013 Moto X. I'm not holding my breath on it getting updated anymore any time soon. Even though it's only had one update since I bought it, I have a feeling it's done already. Motorola keeps claiming they're getting closer to having the latest KK version work with the hardware...that'd be all fine and dandy, but then it would have to go through the carrier. And we ALL know how speedy Verizon is with getting updates out, right??

I gotta admit, the "magic" of Android is fading in my eyes...but it's still the best choice for me when it comes to smartphones, given the competition.