Are Google Android SmartPhones and Tablets Too Disposable?
Jul. 28th, 2011 by Dave Courbanou
No one likes the idea that $500 tablet or smartphone they just purchased will be obsolete in just under a year’s time. Still, I’m starting to detect a trend in the Google Android device world. Unlike their Apple counterparts, it looks like Android devices are seemingly disposable and become outdated pretty darn quickly. Does that mean Android devices — and more frequent hardware purchases — will cost businesses more than Apple device refreshes over the long haul? Here are some thoughts.
Let’s start by looking at the Apple market. Currently, the iPhone 3GS — a phone that is well past its prime at over 2 years old — is still alive and kicking, selling well and serving up the latest and greatest apps from the App Store. The iPhone 3GS runs iOS 4, and it’s even slated for the iOS 5 upgrade. In theory, that adds at least another year to its lifespan.
Now, let’s shift to some Android market history.
- Is Verizon still selling the original Droid? No.
- Is there talk of continued support from Motorola for the device? No, not really…
Google and parts manufactures are churning out new versions of Android and mobile CPUs as fast as they can, so yesterday’s Android devices are getting left behind.
That doesn’t mean your old Android smartphones and tablets are useless. But as many hardcore Android users have found, getting the latest updates and stable versions of Android is a task that’s better left up to the 3rd party developers. I have a friend with an aging HTC Aria that has received zero updates from AT&T, and another who saw his HTC Incredible slowly but surely fade away without software updates until he purchased an HTC Thunderbolt.
The Big Difference
Why is there such a difference between long-term Apple iOS and Android device support?
I believe it’s because Apple has tight control over the OS and hardware, allowing Apple to envision a product lineup and see where older products fit into the future, and tweak software to play better with older devices. Even though Apple is notorious for leaving the past in the past, there’s still a threshold of longevity. When you buy an iPhone or iPad, you can rest assured that even if a newer device comes out, it’s more than likely your old device will support the new software, be it apps or operating systems.
There are no such guarantees in the Android world, since developers for Android need to calculate where best to put resources right here, right now. Often the latest whiz-bang apps that will wow customers will also only run on the latest mobile CPU. With a variety of SDK tools for developers to use, there’s also no guarantee that “Awesome New App” will run on your Galaxy Tab in 2012, or even be built with it in mind.
Meanwhile, take a look at the impressive 3D graphics coming from Epic’s Infinity Blade, which still runs on the 3GS. That’s not to say developers won’t built regular apps that run on all Android devices, but as the OS and hardware grows, fragments and accelerates, it’s going to be harder for Android devs to keep up with cross-platform Android support, since there’s no general standardization for hardware.
Thus: Android devices are disposable in the sense that a purchase is not exactly a long-term investment. This may seem like a simplistic argument, so I welcome dissent and discussion in the comments below. But if you’re off to buy a tablet, think about what you want that tablet to do and how well it will perform that function in the future. Will you go Android or iOS?
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In truth, the hardware is just fine, and I don’t see Enterprise IT rushing to deploy versions of Android on the network, as much as users would like it.
There’s always the Nexus line, though, which continues to see timely updates for quite a long time. Of course, the real solution would be to have IT control the upgrades, but nobody’s offering that option. Perhaps MS will take the lead there.
In other words, those who want software updates can get them from 3rd parties. Some vendors (Samsung, HTC) are even beginning to explicitly encourage this.
And those who want the latest, shiniest toy are free to spend their money on that, too.
In short, sounds like everybody is getting what they want. Isn’t that how a free market is supposed to work? What’s not to like?
Here is a stat from craigslist.
3 years old iPhone 3G (not 3GS) can easily sale for $130.
A year old htc Aria won’t go even for $50.
Please correct me if im wrong, but didn’t Google announce at this years i/o that it was creating a working group with Founding partners: Verizon, HTC, Samsung, Spring, Sony Ericsson, LG, T-Mobile, Vodafone, Motorola, AT&T, to support all new devices with updates for 18 months?
Read more: http://www.electronista.com/live/archives/google-ioro-2011-day-one-keynote-43/#ixzz1TUY4IqK4
It doesn’t matter. The point is, apple is a sucky proprietary bone headed company, an no one should use their devices for anything. People need to stop pretending that apple as a company and an option is ok. They have become worse than microsoft, sue happy proprietary pushing clan of zombies.
Santosh,
That’s because an LG Optimus V is available new without contract for $149 with almost exactly the same specs. Hardware for Android revs so much faster than iPhone. (People pay crazy prices for used iPhones, by the way.) It doesn’t, however, mean that the Android hardware you paid for is worthless in a year if it was worth it when you bought it. To think otherwise is to fall in the trap of early adopters and gamers.
I still use my Aria on a daily basis and am very satisfied with it. It’s the same phone I loved when I bought it.
Hi Dave,
You articulated what I was starting to see. Evaluating phones for a client and dealing with currently deployed phones. I was feeling that our relatively new phones were already old. So, I think this problem is happening with all phones. Like Lawrence said, this is a Free market. But I think the problem is what do you do when you have no options for your 1 year old equipment. We are being pushed to upgrade every 2 years.
And if I do use a third party upgrade. Is the carrier still going to support the phone?
Something that you did not say and never do. Apple is very anti open market. Try to become an Apple dealer. Try to buy one from one of the large disti’s like Tech Data. There is not even a program to become a dealer.
Apple has never been the best technology but more one heck of a marketing company. It appears you have bitten from the apple as in the bible and now your writings are very one sided. Why don’t you tackle why Apple products are not an open purchase from distributors as the other products are an open puchase.
If apple was a fair company, they would offer units for companies like US Cellular and all the others, not go to bed with whomever is the highest bidder.
Hey Folks,
Just a quick note from The VAR Guy assuring you that he’s reading this comment trail. Looks like blog author David Courbanou struck a nerve with this blog entry.
Disclosure: The VAR Guy has a year-old iPhone 4. No plans to get an iPhone 5 when the device allegedly arrives in fall 2011.
-TVG
I have an HTC Magic, which came with Android “Cupcake” (1.5) and received no updates from HTC. It was starting to feel “old” to me.. I then bit the bullet and threw a CyanogenMod6 ROM on it (Froyo-based). I was afraid of bricking the phone and couldn’t decide to do it. Turns out it’s literally child’s play to root and install a custom ROM!! I now have a new phone with a great-looking and snappy interface! This is the Android magic!
With an iPhone, you pretty much depend on Apple deciding to support your phone for updates.
The life-cycle of an iPhone is definitely longer than an Android device. I don’t know what that really means to the end user. I never was a fan of the iPhone, it was always lacking something I desired while including some cool function I was not interested in. I picked up an EVO by HTC last year and am very happy with the phone. When my contract is up next year, I’ll look at a new phone, likely a dual processor model with a longer battery life. When I get a new phone I won’t worry about what type of support my old phone has. I believe this is the way most people think.
The big difference that most techies don’t get is that typical iPhone users expect their phones to simplify their lives. They don’t have to contemplate ‘rooting’ their device and manually updating the ROM so that they can have access to the latest features or apps. That process is at best uninteresting and more typically daunting to 99.9% of the smartphone users out there (both Android and iPhone.)
Things are many shades of gray for Android users. They will typically be left behind by their manufacturers and their carriers and will often not be successful in finding and installing the apps that they want. If they are iPhone users its pretty black and white; apps are either available and painless to get or they don’t exist for them at all. That keeps it simple.
How true this article is. I’m a big Android fan, but my biggest gripe with it is that the software is developing so fast that hardware is increasingly having a hard time keeping up with it. It doesn’t help that there is such a wide range of hardware that google is unable to control the updates. instead you are left to the whims of device manufacturers and worse, phone companies.
I own an original Motorola Droid that is less than a year and a Half old. the thing can barely keep up with the latest Android updates and has become slow. is it a decent device? yes, but at this point I’m glad that my upgrade period is comming up because I’m ready to replace it. I’ve given very serious thought to move to an Iphone (My wife already decided to drop android for her next phone), but think I will give Android one more shot. This time though, I’m going to buy the biggest hardware specs I can get my hands on and trust that that will be enough to run a usable system for the next two years. What can I say, I love my widgets, side loading ability and the overall flexibility of Android (even if stability is not as god). The deep google integration is also awesome.
I’m so fed up with my Droid that I have plans to root it this weekend and load cyanogen to it just so that I can have something relatively stable and not filled with crapware between now and it’s end of life. Maybe overclocking the processor will help a bit?
Dave, Dave, Dave..
Why are You talking for NO ONE??? Speak for yourself, be a MAN.
The Smart phones are bought normally by people not businesses.
What is not disposal? or what stays the same forever?
Everything changes with time…
stop the FUD.
I have a HTC Incredible and have found and installed an app for everything I want it to do. There is no shortage. The operating system version works fine for me and I don’t care if it does not get an update. Years down the road when I’m ready to lay out some more cash and want the latest and greatest I’ll do some research and buy the phone that I want. I’m not treating this one as disposable; it is a great tool that will serve me well for years. By the time I get rid of it no one will want it. That was true with the last phone I had. It is not an investment.
i actually agree with the author quite a bit, just not with his choice of words. and it doesn’t make me want an iphone (or any apple product) any more. i’m quite happy with my android phone and find apple products frustrating to use.
at any rate, i do agree that manufacturers are pumping out new devices every few months and aren’t supporting their devices very well. by the time one is introduced, they’re already getting ready to launch the next one. carriers are just as bad, loading up phones with what they perceive as value-adding apps and getting in the way of update/OTA process. I have a Samsung Vibrant (not without its problems), but if i were a normal user i’d still be running 2.1 (above normal users may have noticed that you can download the upgrade to 2.2 from samsung), and users like myself are already running 2.3.x.
i also think that Apple is an impressive company that is very good at selling the image of a premium/elite product that people are more than willing to pay ridiculous amounts of money for. i’d consider investing in apple before spending money on one of their products. just saying.
Personally, I’ve been abandoned by Apple too many times in the past. They may not own up to it, but I remember.
@VG did you even read what you wrote?
“I have an HTC Magic, which came with Android “Cupcake” (1.5) and received no updates from HTC”
then
“With an iPhone, you pretty much depend on Apple deciding to support your phone for updates.”
So with an iPhone you get updates but they’re from evil Apple and with an HTC you get nothing. Maybe you should have added this, “With an Android, you pretty much depend on 3rd parties deciding to support your phone for updates.”
Also, Apple pushed out updates for my iPhone 3G for over 2 years after its release and only stopped because it’s hardware is way too underpowered to handle the new features( what do you expect for a phone made in ’08 ). How many other manufacturers support their devices after that long? Even the new deal Google is trying to get carriers to agree to says they only have to push out updates for 18 months ( Though even that still won’t be enforced… ). I’m glad you found new life in your phone via 3rd parties, I think it sucks that certain phones are being treated like second class citizens (iPhones included. I was a bit hurt myself when I didn’t get iOS 4.3, but I understand why ), however that was a terrible argument.
Here in the US, you get your phone from the carrier, and it comes with a two year contract. Every time you renew the contract, you get a new phone. I know it’s more expensive than what Europe and japan do, but it’s all we’ve got.
I got an original Droid a year and a half ago. The OS has been updated twice by Verizon wireless. It is currently running Froyo. I have the apps I wanted to load on it. I really don’t want or need any more.
The phone is still going strong. On the last upgrade, when Verizon offered us a new phone, one of my married daughters got a newer Android with the voucher.
I don’t plan on replacing my phone for a few more years. I also don’t feel any great need to upgrade the phone. I have the phone set for manual upgrades. I want to control when it gets upgraded.
I would fee the same way about upgrades if I had an iPhone. For Android, upgrading is through the carrier, for me. I am hearing that iPhone is via Apple, with no user choice. If so, then I will probably never get an iPhone. So far, Verizon has offered upgrades more frequently than I want them.
Most corporate IT groups will probably feel like I do. They want control. It’s a big deal with them.
So, one question I would like to ask is “Why does anyone think this is an issue?”
Seriously? Has the author every tried to use some of the new apps or latest updates on a 3GS? Makes you want to run out and buy an iPhone 4. Literally, the phone went from lightning fast to slower than a slug in one update. Then users had to jump through a complicated process to downgrade their phone to have it functional again.
Let’s talk real world here now, I don’t expect the hardware manufacturer to keep my OS up to date. The only place that works is when you’ve tied all your hardware to a particular OS and it still remains at the whim of the company. Don’t believe me? Ask anyone about how great Snow Leopard runs on their quad core G5¡ Oh wait…you can’t because Apple moved away from the PowerPC. How about Lion on their older MacBook Pro…whoops, can’t do that either.
What I expect is OS bug fixes and that it can keep running without issue. If new releases of the OS require better hardware, then continue to support the older versions for as long as the hardware is viable (that should be at least 2 years).
YetAnotherBob, can you tell me why folks in the US are so passive and accepting of carrier-specific phone sales? Are there really no places where you can buy unlocked, unsubsidized, non-carrier-specific phones, like in most other parts of the world? Or do customers simply don’t like paying the higher up-front price?
@Lawrence: We are passive about it because America has the best government that corporate money can buy.
I think that the closed phone system is really the point of all this. Especially in contrast to the computers that we all work with everyday. Originally, IBM PC was a closed system. However, because the bios was reversed engineered and Microsoft retained the rights to the Operating System. We then had clone computers and put us at where we are today. I can take a decommissioned PC running Windows 2000 and install LinuxMint on it and it becomes a functioning Internet computer.
We do not have the same control with our phones. Our computers and phone can run about the same price. I saw an Acer or Asus 11.5″ laptop at Costco the other night for $250. Google did try to break this when they introduced their phone that they sell direct. But this did not or has not worked.
I think Apple is trying to control the complete prodict and make the system simple for the user. But then the user must do as the product dictates.
I like the freedom that an open system allows me. I do not like having to deal with systems that depend upon a manufacturer to dictate what I do with it and makes me depend on them to correct all issues.
Sorry to get political, but in the end Lawence is correct that we accept what the carrier forces upon us.
I am not saying that one option is better than the other for everybody. I am just saying that I want the option to be able to control my machinery.
V
There’s really not that big difference between Apple and Android OEM’s… It’s the Oem who decide cutoff be it Apple or Htc. It’s not like Apple are maintaining support forever. Further, the device doesn’t perform harakiri when the updates cease.
Android is good. The hardware/devices vary. So does upgrade policy. One significant showstopper is memory and storage. I find HTC to be on the wrong side of greedy thus they run into trouble with cutoff.
Mind you, reputation wrt updates is a major selling point for the vendors. If a OEM gains a reputation for being sloppy they will struggle to keep the price up thus it will prove rather expensive. Very expensive.
I’m not really concerned. If the OEM fail to measure up, the custom roms are easy to get and install.
In this house we got 4 iPhone 4 and 2 Androids and nobody complains really.
18 months support for new devices? That sure sounds like disposable technology to me.
It is an interesting subject that we at the office were only discussing yesterday. A friend of mine has an iPhone 3gs and bought a new HTC droid. he was able to get good money for his iPhone that we all agreed no one would be able to get the same amount for an android that was as old as the iPhone. We all attributed that to the fact you mentioned. Apple still supports the 3GS while the android vendors have left their customers behind.
The VAR Guy is reading the comment thread above very closely. Our resident blogger thinks Android will overtake iPhone in market share by a healthy margin over time. But perhaps the disposable nature of Android is one of the reasons why Android’s market share will grow — continued rapid-fire upgrades? Hmmm…
-TVG
Latest comscore figs (june) from US market (Smartphones) indicates that Android (40,1%) is well beyond iPhone (26,6%) wrt marketshare, not only monthly sales figs. AFAIK this has been the case for some months. That might change a bit when Apple’s newest materialise shortly.
While there might have been some confidence in WP7 potential buyers holding off for Mango, I really doubt that’s the case anymore. Winmo/WP7 keeps on loosing actual units, and the rate of loss seems to increase somewhat.
If the Winmo users were waiting for Mango they would have kept their units. They don’t. They buy iPhones and Androids like the rest of us.
By the count of it: It should be abt 10-12 mill more smartphone customers in the US since january. And Ballmer should be really worried when they loose 1 mill units in a market growing by 19-20% in 6 months.
A (vice?)president of Microsoft Mobile division stated (26 june) that they have sold less than 5 mill units. (Could be significantly less than 5 mill – no one has put up actual figures – which is a really bad sign). Nielsen stated less than 800.000 sold in the US.
The less than 5 mill fig indicates that the sales are down from 1 mill units/mnth to 0,5 mill units/mnth after blowing off 3-400 mill USD (abt 500 USD per unit) in marketing…. They should probably tick off a win if they manage to keep sales at 0,5 mill/month this year.