Samsung's TouchWiz preventing Galaxy S owners from getting Android 4.0 ICS

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
The Samsung Galaxy S smartphone and 7-inch Galaxy Tab will not receive the latest version of Android, because Samsung has said its custom TouchWiz user interface, not Google's operating system, is too taxing on the hardware.



Android device makers like Samsung and others apply their own user interface elements to Google's free, open-source Android operating system on handsets, tablets and other devices to differentiate themselves from the large number of Android products on the market. On Samsung's devices, this "experience enhancing" software is called TouchWiz.



But it's the addition of TouchWiz to Android that will keep popular devices like the Samsung Galaxy S from running Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich," according to The Verge. Though the Galaxy S has a speedy 1GHz Hummingbird processor and enough memory for ICS, Samsung has revealed the software update won't be coming to that device, which sold more than 10 million units last year.



But the Galaxy S sports the same internal hardware as Google's Nexus S smartphone, and Nexus S owners can already obtain Android 4.0 through an over-the-air update.



"Samsung addresses that inconsistency by again pointing to the differing software provision; the Nexus S only has to run the basic Android OS, whereas the Galaxy S has to deliver TouchWiz, carrier services, video calling software, and, in some markets, mobile TV," wrote Vlad Savov.



That stands in contrast to Apple, which this year kept around its iPhone 3GS, first released in 2009, with a free update to iOS 5. Meanwhile, Android phones often ship with an outdated version of Google's mobile operating system, and the systems are also rarely updated, even during the original contract term of the handset.







Blogger Michael Degusta revealed in October that 45 percent of Google's installed base of active Android users were stuck using software released in the middle of 2010. That's because handset makers like Samsung, HTC, Motorola and others do not make those updates available to phones, and users cannot circumvent their inaction without "rooting" their handset.



Samsung's explanation for why Galaxy S and 7-inch Galaxy Tab users won't get ICS comes soon after Motorola and Sony Ericsson also told customers they would not be able to update to Android 4.0.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 193
    1 word.



    D U M B.



    another.



    F R A G M E N T A T I ON.



    another.



    C R A P.
  • Reply 2 of 193
    Android is such an abortion of a product....... I would be totally pissed if I were stupid enough to purchase anything with Android on it; and then not being able to update it......





    Fail !
  • Reply 3 of 193
    neo42neo42 Posts: 287member
    Fortunately anyone who is willing to spend 10 min reading and 10 min on their computer will most likely be able to flash a custom ROM. Heck, there are no tablets for sale yet that come with ICS yet it's been shown running on a few in the wild already!



    Check it out, release candidate for Nexus S ICS rom: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/12/sam...ase-candidate/



    Some words.



    S W E E T



    Custom.



    R O M S



    Community driven.



    O P E N
  • Reply 4 of 193
    shenshen Posts: 434member
    Android, it just keeps getting worse. Fugly as hell, more security issues than windows 95, laggy UI, and now, you can only only run it two versions behind. Not to mention it is not making any money and developers are underwhelmed. But hey, they sold millions of hated phones. Like windows all over again.



    The Android slogan should be "...but we are winning!"
  • Reply 5 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Neo42 View Post


    Fortunately anyone who is willing to spend 10 min reading and 10 min on their computer will most likely be able to flash a custom ROM. Heck, there are no tablets for sale yet that come with ICS yet it's been shown running on a few in the wild already!



    Flashing roms, yeah, that's what ordinary people do when they get phones with outdated software. Do you even hear what you are talking?
  • Reply 6 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FriedLobster View Post


    1 word.



    D U M B.



    another.



    F R A G M E N T A T I ON.



    another.



    C R A P.



    There are some POed Galaxy S owners. The patent infringement mandated changes will only make it worse across all vendors.



    When next gen iPhone ships and the iPhone 4S drops to $99, I predict the android users will start to migrate to iPhone. No ICS phones other than the Samdung Nexus before mid 2012.



    By then GOOG wil have to pay up to Oracle or shut down Android anyway.



    Barring Tsunamis, Floods, Euro meltdown and famine, North Korea invasion/attack on S Korea SK and Straits of Hormuz closure, 2012 should be very good for Apple shareholders.



    Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.
  • Reply 7 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Neo42 View Post


    Fortunately anyone who is willing to spend 10 min reading and 10 min on their computer will most likely be able to flash a custom ROM. Heck, there are no tablets for sale yet that come with ICS yet it's been shown running on a few in the wild already!



    Check it out, release candidate for Nexus S ICS rom: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/12/sam...ase-candidate/



    Some words.



    S W E E T



    Custom.



    R O M S



    Community driven.



    O P E N



    Custom roms and cheesy 'open' buzzword anything that actually matters?
  • Reply 8 of 193
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Neo42 View Post


    Fortunately anyone who is willing to spend 10 min reading and 10 min on their computer will most likely be able to flash a custom ROM. Heck, there are no tablets for sale yet that come with ICS yet it's been shown running on a few in the wild already!



    Really? Anyone?
  • Reply 9 of 193
    shenshen Posts: 434member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Neo42 View Post


    Fortunately anyone who is willing to spend 10 min reading and 10 min on their computer will most likely be able to flash a custom ROM. Heck, there are no tablets for sale yet that come with ICS yet it's been shown running on a few in the wild already!



    Check it out, release candidate for Nexus S ICS rom: http://www.ubergizmo.com/2011/12/sam...ase-candidate/



    Some words.



    S W E E T



    Custom.



    R O M S



    Community driven.



    O P E N



    Thoughts. Which your words were missing.



    If by sweet you mean "i have to build it myself because no one can ship a working product," couldn't agree more.



    Custom ROMS. Because I want to waste my time on something that should have come out of the box. Sounds like fun. I have a life, job, hobbies, kids, and goals. Get out of the basement and get laid, that won't seem so impressive anymore.



    Community driven? By what community? You mean the Android community got together and said "hey who prefers to have to root your phone and tinker with it and maybe brick it rather than have updates actually install themselevs silently in the background? Yeah I thought so, motion passed!"



    My god you are more pathetic than i thought...



    "Open"



    Buahahahahahahah! Keep telling yourself that. Enjoy your carrier installed keyloggers and google forced tracking buddy!
  • Reply 10 of 193
    [insult removed]
  • Reply 11 of 193
    What's a ROM? j/k/ j/k LOL
  • Reply 12 of 193
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    "The problem is a cultural one: Samsung considers its relationship with the consumer to be concluded the moment the sale is completed. Whereas Apple, Microsoft, and other software vendors have learned the value of supporting current users in the hope of enticing new ones, Samsung's attitude remains deeply rooted in its history as a hardware manufacturer. It sees production and R&D costs in one column and it tries to balance them against sales revenue in the other, never raising its gaze to the long-term consideration of whether anyone would come back for a repeat purchase."





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pridon View Post


    There are some POed Galaxy S owners. The patent infringement mandated changes will only make it worse across all vendors.



    If I were going to buy an Android-based device before today I would have first considered the currently sold in 2011 high volume Samsung smartphone because that would be the best bet for having good enough HW and having a large enough user base for getting future support. It's really pathetic.



    Here is a The Verge article on how Apple differs. It's all pretty obvious but it's a good summation.
  • Reply 13 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by FriedLobster View Post


    7 words.



    YOUR MOM CANT FLASH A CUSTOM ROM.







    You think everyone's a fat pimple-faced Android geek like yourself?? ROFL



    Hey!! Be nice.



    He's not fat.



  • Reply 14 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by pridon View Post


    There are some POed Galaxy S owners. The patent infringement mandated changes will only make it worse across all vendors.



    When next gen iPhone ships and the iPhone 4S drops to $99, I predict the android users will start to migrate to iPhone. No ICS phones other than the Samdung Nexus before mid 2012.



    By then GOOG wil have to pay up to Oracle or shut down Android anyway.



    Barring Tsunamis, Floods, Euro meltdown and famine, North Korea invasion/attack on S Korea SK and Straits of Hormuz closure, 2012 should be very good for Apple shareholders.



    Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.



    Agree.



    Also. Expect the $12.5 billion Android protection money Google is paying for Moto to cause Google's stock price to crash.



    The Moto acquisition is going to go down as one of the DUMBEST deal in the history of M&A.
  • Reply 15 of 193
    Its funny and all, they are quite new devices and all but.....



    Saying the 3GS runs iOS5 is something of joke. Most of the cool newness in iOS5 is lost on the 3GS. Yes, its running the latest and greatest but not in a feature for feature contest. Just saying.
  • Reply 16 of 193
    Hahaha!!!!



    Samsung: fail on the customization that gets your devices "stuck";

    Android: fail on "whatever the ffff fancy name" release that is not compatible with any hardware released yesterday;

    Custom ROMs: hahahaha... omg... hahahaha... omg... I... hahaha I'm dying of laughing... HELP!!!



    Custom ROMs are the worst piece of crap ever. You have no support, you spend your time to make something that the manufacturers should have done for you, you love it and still point fingers to other platforms that don't have that problem.



    I remember a BOOM of linux 10 years ago, same stuff. I used it myself. After 5 years of HOURS and HOURS spent to have my computer simply WORKING, I gave it up, bought a Mac, and today I know better of how stupid I was, because my time is precious.



    I want to ENJOY and USE my device, not waste my time to have it working.



    Anyway, to all the "Android is great" folks out there, I agree with you on many areas. Just one thing, show me ONE Android phone released until now, ever, that supported OS upgrades for 3 years like my iPhone 1st gen. The day you do, I'll consider buying one.
  • Reply 17 of 193
    sricesrice Posts: 120member
    ...and the cracks in the "open" business model start to show.



    Samesung doesn't care about the old customers, they only care about their new customers.



    They are being aggressively pursued by other low cost providers -- they can't afford to spend money on stuff like taking care of their old customers.



    This isn't a case of the strongest survive - a la Darwin survival of the species -- this is a case of cheapest product wins. It's like comparing a Ford to a BMW -- I'll take the BMW every. time.



    I'll pay for the nicer ticket and be taken care of thank you very much.

    "What's that? Yes, I would like a free drink and a warm face towel, thank you very much."
  • Reply 18 of 193
    I can't believe anyone's using an Android-based product.



    seriously.





    Google is promoting Android not because they want to revolutionize the smartphone industry or to produce an awesome product.



    Google is promoting Android because THEY WANT TO SELL ADS!!!!! Android is a TROJAN HORSE PLANTED BY GOOGLE on all of your phones SO THEY CAN SELL ADS!!!! Google doesn't give a crap about QUALITY!





    The iPhone in contrast, is all about providing users the BEST PRODUCT and the BEST user experience.
  • Reply 19 of 193
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by CanadianThomas View Post


    Its funny and all, they are quite new devices and all but.....



    Saying the 3GS runs iOS5 is something of joke. Most of the cool newness in iOS5 is lost on the 3GS. Yes, its running the latest and greatest but not in a feature for feature contest. Just saying.



    Nice try.



    the 3GS is a 3 yr old device. The Galaxy S is a year old! ROFL!
  • Reply 20 of 193
    chris_cachris_ca Posts: 2,543member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Neo42 View Post


    Fortunately anyone who is willing to spend 10 min reading and 10 min on their computer will most likely be able to flash a custom ROM.



    And 99% of user will not do this.

    They want something that just works without the need to "hack" or jump through hoops to get something (updated OS) they have no idea of what/why they would need.
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