What if all future Android devices came with locked bootloaders?

[droidXpert]

And you couldn't root the device. What would you do? Me? I would just by vanilla Android devices. I can't stand the extra manufacturer skins as they bog down the phone. If I couldn't get a vanilla Android device then I would either put up with replacement launchers or just look at a different platform.

I'm asking this because I just read about the Samsung Galaxy S tab that supposedly got an update that locked the bootloader. Seems Samsung is following suit with Motorola on loacking their bootloaders. This is one of the things I hate about Android being open.

 

[UrbanBounca]

I would stop using smartphones all together. I really don't have a need for my D2 right now, other than entertainment.

In fact, right now it's sitting dead on the table right beside me, and I couldn't care less.

 

[cloudstrife05]

Just gotta think about how big Android is right now. We rooters are just a very small % of people that own these phones.

I personally would still go with Android. I ran a non-rooted D1 for 8 months before I took the dip.
I would stick with whatever is on the high end though, if I had too.

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums App

 

[dezymond]

i wouldn't be suprised if they all come with a bootloader. However, there are great developers out there who will be able to figure it out eventually.

the future of technology is going to be more user-friendly and many believe that an adjusted UI (motoblur, htc sense, etc.) is more user-friendly, therefore, more approachable to new consumers.

locked bootloaders or not, someone will figure them out eventually, especially if all companies decide to put them on.

 

[KZIWarrior]

Just gotta think about how big Android is right now. We rooters are just a very small % of people that own these phones.

I personally would still go with Android. I ran a non-rooted D1 for 8 months before I took the dip.
I would stick with whatever is on the high end though, if I had too.

Sent from my Droid using DroidForums App

^hit the nail on the head... much as egos here would like to think otherwise rooted users make a very negligible percentage of the market. Though we can hold out and hope that more will take Google's stance (least on the HTC Nexus) and allow the 'option' to unlock them with with explicit warning that you will loose your warranty. Though not very likely as long as we (the US market) continue to rely on the service providers and manufacturers to subsidize the costs of our phones and settle with lengthy contracts (yes, I prefer how the rest of the world does it, you by the phone outright and are 'free' to go as you please with service providers).

 

[loki993]

i wouldn't be suprised if they all come with a bootloader. However, there are great developers out there who will be able to figure it out eventually.

the future of technology is going to be more user-friendly and many believe that an adjusted UI (motoblur, htc sense, etc.) is more user-friendly, therefore, more approachable to new consumers.

locked bootloaders or not, someone will figure them out eventually, especially if all companies decide to put them on.

Exactly, they will figure it out eventually, it will just take more time.

^hit the nail on the head... much as egos here would like to think otherwise rooted users make a very negligible percentage of the market. Though we can hold out and hope that more will take Google's stance (least on the HTC Nexus) and allow the 'option' to unlock them with with explicit warning that you will loose your warranty. Though not very likely as long as we (the US market) continue to rely on the service providers and manufacturers to subsidize the costs of our phones and settle with lengthy contracts (yes, I prefer how the rest of the world does it, you by the phone outright and are 'free' to go as you please with service providers).

So I guess if there is such a small percentage then why go to the trouble of locking the bootloader in the first place. There must be enough people out there doing it that theyve noticed and targeted it to be stopped.

 

[maverick31210]

To be honest, I've been rooted for a long time (D1) and after trying a lot of the ROMs available, I recently reverted back to stock froyo. I kept root just in case but really it wouldn't bother me too much. A lot of the extra stuff associated with rooting as well as instability becomes a headache. I don't want a ROM that is "99.99%" functional, I want one the is 100%. If they locked all bootloaders in the future, no big deal. I would still hyave an Android device just because even without root they are great phones and more and more apps and functions that previously required root are being made available w/o root.

 

[bishoy]

eventually, someone is going to realize that locking the bootloader kinda hurts them too. a locked bootloader forces devs to pretty much work against the manufactures, when an unlocked bootloader allows devs to make the devices better and improve ROMs and features in the phone. weather people believe me or not, i still think that manufactures used some of the dev's work from custom ROMs in some of the recent devices

 

[kodiak799]

Well, something else to consider is while rooting might become extremely difficult if not impossible to do, programmers might roll out some apps to do basically the same thing. Maybe you get a home replacement that can put Motoblur "to sleep".

Obviously there are security reasons why you have to root for some apps to do what they do, but I can't be convinced that programs that currently require root like Wireless Tether and Cachemate don't eventually find a workaround, perhaps from Google/Android itself. Other than push-back from VZW or the cell manufacturers, there's also no real reason that stock Android couldn't include the ability to uninstall bloatware or have native functionality like what Cachemate does.

I also think over time that maybe 2-3 home replacements will emerge to dominate (maybe we have 2-3 already) and when those become serious money makers you'll continue to see added features, probably including the ability to customize things like the task bar, etc.. (and there are already alternative icon packs out there).

Just saying that down the road I'm not sure there will be a huge need/reason to be rooted. Even for the advanced root features, I'd expect Android and/or the cell mfrs to incorporate the best functionality of rooting into their platforms/apps.