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Apple give planned obsolescence a whole new meaning. Take the iPhone 4; it runs iOS 7 badly, really badly. TBH, it's run badly since iOS 5. Android: still runs well on three + year old phones.
Are Apple going backwards?
- Thread starter Guest2
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Two issues. Firstly, Apple had some of the fastest hardware at the time (and for every generation they often have the fastest hardware). So were you expecting Apple to create some sort of magical SoC (and thank goodness they didn't, who knows what awful name they'd come up with)?
Secondly, can you name an Android device that is three years old that runs Android 4.1, let alone 4.2, 4.3 or 4.4? The Galaxy S2 is probably the closest, having been released in mid 2011 and that's only running 4.1.2, which is over a year old. Android runs great on three year old phones because those devices will, at best, be running an update that is a couple of years old now.
iOS has several pitfalls against Android (and vice versa), however receiving updates is not one of them. Sure, the update system is not perfect (why no rollback to iOS 6?), however at least it's there and consistent, which cannot be said for Android.
And for those saying that custom ROMs are an answer, they aren't for the average user. With Samsung's poor record of supporting the modding community, it's rather difficult to find a stable, non-TW ROM for a long while after that device has been on the market. What CyanogenMod called "stable" for the Galaxy S3 back with CM9 was an absolute joke, and it took a long time for CM10 to become usable (speaking from experience here). The only devices that anyone should even consider for custom ROMs are the Nexus line (which all have a huge selection of great ROMs - my Nexus 4 was brilliant in this regard). 4.4 for the Galaxy S? I'm not going to look, but I can guarantee that there is a list of known, major issues.
Last time I tried to run ICS or JB on a HTC Desire (released February 2010) it ran about the same as an iPhone 4 does on iOS 7.
Unless of course you are comparing a 2013 OS to a 2010 OS?
You could say the same about Samsung, every time they release a flagship Galaxy device it's usually the fastest available.
Fastest device currently available is the Galaxy Note 3 with Snapdragon 800, but even that's only going to be for a few months, soon Snapdragon 805 will be here and blow everything else away.
Absolutely, however you're missing my point completely. I'm not talking about who has the fastest hardware. AlecR said that Apple plan obsolescence. My point is that regardless of whether they do or not (they do), this is far, far better than not updating at all (which typically happens after a year and a half or so with the most well supported of Android devices).
Don't care about that, Android has a huge developer community which supports older devices with many roms on the latest version of Android, which more than makes up for any lack of official updates two years down the road.
Even without this I still wouldn't care because I don't keep any devices that long.
This seems to be a typical Android-biased mentality. If Apple (in this case) have an advantage, there is either an hacked up "solution", or the point is unimportant. Your point is valid, however the issue is that these custom ROMs for older device that are no longer "mainstream" are often extremely buggy and poorly maintained. Furthermore, how many average users are going to try and root/install custom ROMs? You could also say that these users don't care, however you can't make the planned obsolescence argument when the Android devices aren't even receiving updates at all, and by not receiving updates, you aren't gaining new features. Technology isn't a single purchase now, it's considered to be an investment for the mid-term.
As you've said, most people upgrade their phones every couple of years anyway. However, Samsung are by quite a way the best at providing updates for their devices, and only now are they rolling out Jelly Bean for the S3, released in July, while the S4 runs 4.4, and the S2 runs 4.1.
As I stated before, iOS has several weaknesses compared to Android (sharing, customisability, device selection among others). Software updates are not one of them. The majority of the "weaknesses" for both platforms are really just differences, and come down to personal preference.
Anyhow, this is really getting rather off-topic. Android vs iOS is another discussion.
Soldato
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I am someone who historically is a PC stalwart, since my parents bought a Compaq Presario in 1995, and as time goes on, finding myself gaming less and less on the PC, and getting frustrated at the power it uses etc, as well as the abundance of wiring everywhere.
I got a MBA 2013 recently which I loved (last time I tried a switch was 2006 with a MB but I must admit I hated it as it overheated constantly and never got with the OS). The MBA is the best laptop I have ever used. It is simply astonishing and carrying it around is oblivious.
Been feeling for a while I needed to rid of the PC and replace with an AIO, of which I looked at the XPS 27 and the iMac 27". As much as I have loved Windows, for my uses at the moment (Media, internet, VPNing into work when I work from home and general controlling stuff in the flat like heating and Sonos), the Macs are far cleaner to use than a PC. I also toyed around with the idea of getting a 27" display and docking the MBA with it, but the faff of swapping out will annoy me.
I went with the iMac which arrives in the next week or so (upgraded to i7, 256gb SSD and 780M). I am surprised as I do not feel any regret at moving away.
In ways you could argue Apple are not going backwards but "plateuing", but if you are anything but a gamer, I would certainly advocate now to go Mac route.
That said my phone remains Android (I am not keen on the iPhones as yet), but tablet is iPad. One area I think Apple need to up the game on is phones personally.
As your job and life become busy, you need items that just "work"; yes PCs are much better now at that, but time and time again there are instances that frustrate.
I also find myself more of a casual gamer, and this consoles/iPad gaming is adequate for me. I don't find the time anymore to spend hours on a game.
It's expensive (MBA and iMac not too far off £2,900), but I am sure they will offer me years of good use. I am not a power user anymore, and good looks are vital, especially when you are house proud and minimalist with decor.
I got a MBA 2013 recently which I loved (last time I tried a switch was 2006 with a MB but I must admit I hated it as it overheated constantly and never got with the OS). The MBA is the best laptop I have ever used. It is simply astonishing and carrying it around is oblivious.
Been feeling for a while I needed to rid of the PC and replace with an AIO, of which I looked at the XPS 27 and the iMac 27". As much as I have loved Windows, for my uses at the moment (Media, internet, VPNing into work when I work from home and general controlling stuff in the flat like heating and Sonos), the Macs are far cleaner to use than a PC. I also toyed around with the idea of getting a 27" display and docking the MBA with it, but the faff of swapping out will annoy me.
I went with the iMac which arrives in the next week or so (upgraded to i7, 256gb SSD and 780M). I am surprised as I do not feel any regret at moving away.
In ways you could argue Apple are not going backwards but "plateuing", but if you are anything but a gamer, I would certainly advocate now to go Mac route.
That said my phone remains Android (I am not keen on the iPhones as yet), but tablet is iPad. One area I think Apple need to up the game on is phones personally.
As your job and life become busy, you need items that just "work"; yes PCs are much better now at that, but time and time again there are instances that frustrate.
I also find myself more of a casual gamer, and this consoles/iPad gaming is adequate for me. I don't find the time anymore to spend hours on a game.
It's expensive (MBA and iMac not too far off £2,900), but I am sure they will offer me years of good use. I am not a power user anymore, and good looks are vital, especially when you are house proud and minimalist with decor.
A fortnight ago I would've disagreed with you as I've been a huge iOS fan for years and always thought that Android was cheap and tacky, however after spending the last few weeks using a Galaxy S4 (KitKat 4.4) I think that my iPhone 5 might be my last Apple device.
The Galaxy does everything my iPhone 5 does and more and in a less restricted way. I've been disappointed with Apple's lack of innovation lately and considering the premium price they charge it's not good enough to just sell us the same thing year after year. I'm eagerly waiting for the Galaxy S5, if it's as good as the rumours suggest then it's definitely going to replace my iPhone 5.
Apple get unfairly criticized for a so-called "lack" of innovation. Yes, their marketing team does go a bit stupid in blessing every new iteration as the best thing since the wheel, but they really do a fine job of making products people want to buy. Some of their form factors have been years ahead of their time.
Are they going backwards? I think that would be a pretty harsh assessment. Anyone who's owned Macs long term knows that the software can be dodgy at times (even if they don't like to admit it).
I could argue that their pace of change is too aggressive; I hate what they've done to the Pro line of computers. Do I want them to over-innovate those designs for the sake of it? No, not really. The consumerization of certain hardware and software products is much more of a problem for me. I think that's backwards - much more than a dodgy OS release - but many would disagree.
They've had their fair share of gaffes recently but the difference these days is the echo chamber is a lot bigger, and the competition is a lot better. It may well turn out that Apple have been caught flat footed with regards to things like cloud services, but whenever we get the "sky is falling" type discussions people are almost always taking a blinkered, and ultimately unrealistic view of just one of their products in isolation.
So no, I don't think they're going backwards. I think they've reached a plateau at the end of a very successful cycle and people have short memories. It's going to be quite a few years yet before any significant negative trend becomes apparent, if at all.
Not always being ahead of the curve isn't the same as going backwards.
Are they going backwards? I think that would be a pretty harsh assessment. Anyone who's owned Macs long term knows that the software can be dodgy at times (even if they don't like to admit it).
I could argue that their pace of change is too aggressive; I hate what they've done to the Pro line of computers. Do I want them to over-innovate those designs for the sake of it? No, not really. The consumerization of certain hardware and software products is much more of a problem for me. I think that's backwards - much more than a dodgy OS release - but many would disagree.
They've had their fair share of gaffes recently but the difference these days is the echo chamber is a lot bigger, and the competition is a lot better. It may well turn out that Apple have been caught flat footed with regards to things like cloud services, but whenever we get the "sky is falling" type discussions people are almost always taking a blinkered, and ultimately unrealistic view of just one of their products in isolation.
So no, I don't think they're going backwards. I think they've reached a plateau at the end of a very successful cycle and people have short memories. It's going to be quite a few years yet before any significant negative trend becomes apparent, if at all.
Not always being ahead of the curve isn't the same as going backwards.
I just installed android 4.4.1 on a friends Galaxy S and it runs fine, I take the point that there may be more bugs than official roms but that's not always the case.
The average user doesn't care what version of Android they're on, if you asked the average android user on the street if they had Kit Kat on their phone they would just look at you funny.
Users who are interested and know more about the device are those more likely to flash the updates themselves and are by far the minority, most users just don't care.
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