Android 2.1 becomes most used version, just in time to be obviated by Froyo
By Vlad Savov 
posted May 18th 2010 6:12AM
posted May 18th 2010 6:12AM
[Thanks, Chris D]
posted May 18th 2010 6:12AM
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Still stuck at 1.6 Will they ever update my G1?
@Schmerzlichtod See, part of the problem with this stat is it isn't completely due to upgrading of old OSes, it's just that 2.1 has been the version to put on (some) new devices and upgrade (some) of the major sellers.
Also, by "they", I assume you mean multiple parties who aren't named Google (HTC and your carrier) - the other part of the problem.
@Schmerzlichtod
they wont update the g1 because the android business model is designed to sell new phones.
anyone who says android is revolutionary is extremely delusional. Android is just all over the damn place. It seems every cell maker has Android. And they abuse it to. Meaning they will not release,well not that fast, a new Android OS on a current phone because they want to save it for a new model. Just look at the pie chart in this article.
And if the Android was so open source then any phone carrying Android's OS should be readily available from Google.I would think!
But hell no!
That would screw up the business of selling new phones.
So Android is really a gimmick used by the cell makers. You shouldn't have to wait for your cell provider to give you the latest Android OS.
And please don't make up some high fluctuant defense because there isn't one.
@account5
I see you all over the place. Saying the same damn thing over, and over, and over again. I think every common reader around these parts have gotten your point by now (not that they agree with it). And every single time, your comments are also down-ranked into oblivion, just like this one will. My concern isn't you trolling, or me trying to prove you wrong. My concern is, why in the world haven't you been banned yet?
@account5 While you have kernels of truth in there, I think you are largely wrong. First
"the android business model is designed to sell new phones." No, the Android business model is to have their OS on as many handsets as possible that are in operation, as the Android business model doesn't make $ off of selling a handset, it makes money off of having handsets in circulation. Now, if a handset were to be sold and the buyer replaced an Android handset and then resold/gave their old handset to a different person who then became a new user then that would help their business model. However, I'd contend that you'll get the most users, for both Android and the OEM, long-term by actually updating your phones because if one company can start to roll out updates the fastest they'd be the company of choice for knowledgable consumers if all other things are equal. Then these satsified consumers would inform their friends and others of their lovely equipment.
Next, Google tried to sell phones, and unsuccessfully. Perhaps they'll try again, but saying (if I interpret you correctly) that you should be able to buy these from Google just seems like an artificial way to define "open source". .
@account5 I agree with you but look at the situation, what choice do we have? WinMo 6.5 is dead, RIM doesn't update that much their softwares, Apple gives an update every one or two years.
at least google gives updates once or twice a year, and we are free to find a way to load that update to our phones, or we can wait until they are made available to us
@Schmerzlichtod
If you know what you're doing, you can already. In fact the large uptick in 2.1 appears to more or less coincide with the availability of the CyanogenMod 5.x ROM for G1, which is Android 2.1 based.
I'm running 2.1 right now.
@BioSehnsucht
Yeah I know mate, the deal with that though is that there's too much risk involved; and knowing T-Mobile, they'd likely not be on my side if something went wrong. :/
So I have to act like the typical n00b user and just get the updates when T-Mobile feels like handy them out!
Thanks for a positive reply, Sie müssen ein Deutscher zu sein! ;)
@Schmerzlichtod Still stuck on 1.5, will HTC ever upgrade the hero or will I have to stray to a custom rom???
@Schmerzlichtod
Well, as long as you follow the directions you won't brick. And the only way to TRUELY brick is when flashing the new SPL, if you don't follow up the next step right you'll brick it. As long as you have a functioning SPL and recovery (which once you've got it in there you'll not have to worry about breaking recovery) then you can reflash different ROMs all day long from recovery mode. I do upgrades on the fly, downloading the ROMs to SD via 3G and booting to recovery and flashing the new version, without even the safety net of a nearby PC. Worst case scenario, I have older ROMs on my SD too, I just go back and reflash an older one.
@cherryboom "So,Android(the de facto name for all the cell phones that carry the OS) itself isn't beating the iphone because their isn't a single company carrying Android and making bank."
Where to start, where to start...Yeah, the companies aren't making bank, they are doing this for a hobby.
Next, another change in the rationalizations/war of words. "Android itself", OK, if Android isn't beating Apple then Apple is beating itself. Before the argument was that Android as a collective couldn't outsell Apple. Now that they are, you say there ins't a single company beating Apple (we call this "moving the goal-posts" in the US where we play American Football). This would be almost, though not quite as bad, as saying that Windows doesn't outsell OSX because Microsoft doesn't actually make the computers.
It's just nonsensical. Though you are partially right about the carriers delaying updates, I'm not sure if this is a problem in EU where competition is greater. In any case, as Google grows as an OS the OEMs and Google can do things other than de-couple the OS by adding features into the marketplace (direct to consumers out of the OEM and carrier hands).
@Raio
"...Apple gives an update every one or two years."
Did you intentionally post misinformation?
My iPhone 3GS came with OS 3.0 on June 27, 2009. On July 31, 2009 came 3.0.1. On September 9, 2009 came 3.1. On October 8, 2009 came 3.1.2. And on February 2, 2010 came 3.1.3.
All of these updates were available for me to put on my phone the day they were released. I didn't have to wait for a carrier to decide if they were able to or felt like releasing an update. Furthermore, Apple releases a new handset every year.
@cherryboom
I agree with everything you said except one thing. Microsoft makes money from android via htc licensing agreement.
@CMoebius And what function did you actually gain with 3.13 (whIch was basically all about stopping jailbreaking)? As far as I'm concerned there's been no update for half a year.
Sprint FFFFFFFUUUUUUUCCCCC.....!!
@Schmerzlichtod
Waiting for Froyo here, and using my Nexus 1 on 2.1. Froyo = 450% faster.
In other news, talking about fast, Have you seen the NEW INCREDIBLE ADS from Verizon?
The newest here: Verizon DROID INCREDIBLE by HTC - Fast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdC23HKa5bc&feature=player_embedded
@cherryboom Except all those phones use android 2.1 so your point doesn't make much sense.
@cherryboom
Look up the definition of open source OS. It only means the source code is open source. It doesn't have anything to do with updating your phone at will.
Also, you are not person that should be criticizing juanvaldez for not being "clear and concise," because you certainly are not.
@lfeuln
From Wikipedia, 3.1.3 included:
Renders iPhone 3G/3GS Unlock (blacksn0w) ineffective by upgrading baseband. In Cydia, there are apps which allow the downgrading of the 3G baseband to work with unlocks, only if the phone was manufactured with the old version 5.8 bootloader.
IN ADDITION TO:
1. Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
2. Resolves issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances
3. Fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard
4. Fixes security bugs in CoreAudio, ImageIO, Recovery Mode and WebKit[42]
@cherryboom
Huhhhhhhhhh
What, are you 12 or something? And if you are basing your opinion on frequent phone upgrades, I shouldnt have to remind you that one stale piece of hardware has been sold for 3 years with MINOR updates (can u day widgets?). And if you should grow tired of that one form factor, YOU'RE stuck with it and all those ridiculous accessories.
Give me options ANYDAY vs putting all my ggs in one basket.
Not very forward thinking for a hyper consuming society, yea?
And little kid, you have alot of chutzpah to be criticizing the adults' posts when yours is just blah blah blah I hate android blah blah im talking out of my ass blah blah.
@CMoebius You did actually wait for your carrier to approve it...the difference is that when you have one designer for the hardware and software and only one carrier they make the software specifically for the hardware (obviously) and then as soon as they are ready its out and set up. I don't know if AT&T needs to okay it, but if they do, then it will only come out when AT&T okays it. Apple just doesn't release it or the information before it is ready to go, and with one phone there isn't an issue.
With Google you have at least 20 something phones, with 4 different carriers having to do the OTA updates. Also you have many different drivers and optimizations that are handset specific to make sure that the software runs best on each phone. This leaves a lot of space for items to get lost. Also since the process is more open to the public (Google announces, then carrier announces) it seems like it is taking longer, when in reality it is the same process Apple goes through. Obviously yes this does cause fragmentation and frustration, but no, it is not designed to shaft legacy devices, and it really isn't anyone's fault, it is just the process that takes place, and with as many updates as Google has, by the time phones get updated they are already out of date with the new OS version.
@account5 Hmm....lets see here. If I'm correct you hate Android OS. So what OS do you like? WinMo?...well sorry thats dead and won't be upgrading to W7...so you have to buy a new device for that. iPhone OS?....They give a note-worthy upgrade every year, and if you want full funtionality of that upgrade you'll have to buy a new device for that (new iPhone looks like shit anyway) BlackBerry OS?...hahaha that's a joke. To get OS 5...soon OS 6, well, you have to get a new device for that too. So, I ask again, what OS do you even like? I don't want to have to tell you this, but upgrading OSs and making someone buy a new device is part of the whole marketing business
@Schmerzlichtod :: I have a tattoo and it is still on 1.5 or 1.6 and never will be upgraded by HTC. It's quite funny how many people's devices are living in the past. But that's fine, I get what I paid for, however I will be more careful next time (when I choose a phone).
@Schmerzlichtod they said a long itme ago g1 cant be further updated so just buy a mt3g because its the same thing with better hardware n no keyboard... i mean they have same rom capabilities..
@Schmerzlichtod This graph just proves that the latest version of android is the one that's always in-demand. Same goes with Froyo. Opinion. http://j.mp/2-2-froyo-unleashed
@Elijah2104 I do believe its being rolled out as we speak...
Yay Android!
@NickAVV
Hero owners shred another tear.
@wywywywy
people who bought a hero deserve it. noone even knows what kind of processor it has, no-name kirf processor with no ram
@account5 dude what are u smoking we know what processor it uses
MSM 7600A 528 MHz ARM processor now go back to your hole and think of another bs post to make
@account5
Same "name" as the snapdragon.
that pie chart is the definition of fragmentation
@account5
Really? You'll be shocked at this chart then:
http://www.drobnik.com/touch/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/touch-os-june-221.jpg
@account5
I believe too much is made of the different versions. Three of the versions shown above (like 1.1) were never available to the public on any phone to begin with. You;ll see a lot of G1 users demanding features that WON'T work on their handset due to hardware, but try and tell them that. Then you'll have Apple fans imagining a world where there's no fracturing on the iPhone/iPod Touch despite numerous features that are arbitrarily left out of software updates in the guise of hardware limitations (video capture?)
Can we all stop being so blinkered about this?
@account5 eh, its just a lagging chart.
Phones sold in the last year that won't be upgraded to 2.x are all over the place. It takes 2 years to clear them out of the food chain. We've probably got 1.25 years to go for those phones.
Also lots of crapgadgets use 1.5/1.6 like the Eken and Archos Tablets. I think these can be ignored although they are probably messing with the chart too.
@Tes
Nope, nothing shocking about that at all. First of all, it's a dated chart but it clearly shows that 2.2 and 2.2.1 account for 92% of all phones. That is the definition of NO fragmentation. Furthermore, fragmentation is only a problem because it means that some users can't run some software/use some feature. Barring a very few hardware limitations, any time an iDevice user finds some software that won't run on their firmware, they are perfectly free to update their firmware whenever they want with a click of a button. Can Android users claim the same thing? And don't give me any crap about "Custom ROMs come out in no time on xda-developers". I played that game on WinMo and while it's fun, it's just a game. It's not a real solution for 90% of users.
@Tes
"Really? You'll be shocked at this chart then:
http://www.drobnik.com/touch/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/touch-os-june-221.jpg"
What on that chart is there to be shocked about exactly? The fact that almost the entire iphone OS base is on the latest version at the time that report was released?
OS 3.0 had literally just been released when that chart was produced.
@tonicboy
The point is there is still fragmentation. I don't care how you decide to cook, it, combine, don;t combine. I chose that one because the iPhone version leaves out several version because they're less than a percent (see above) and combines them as "< 2.2"
The point is also MOST restricted apps...as in apps that don't work on early Android builds are MOSTLY 1.6 and up...in other words more than 2 thirds of all Android users.
Then you forget to factor in all the eBook readers, media players and tablets that now run Android, usually 1.5. Do they need the new PHONE features of 2.0 and up? No...so what's fractured? If you actually owned an android device you could tell me. I had a first gen iPod Touch and decided to skip two updates but never felt I was running any thing gimped. What is it you believe Android users are missing out on? What is the end result of this apparent fracturing in REAL terms, because I have yet to hear anyone say what it is. If the hardware is not there to run 3D turn by turn or there's no GPS, what is it you want the OS to do?
@account5
What that doesn't show is that those handful of OSes are... spread amongst like 5000 cell phone models and noone knows when their phone will be able to upgrade.
How the F do you upgrade an Android device anyway? Ugh.
@GmanC
Erm that chart is from June 09...iPhone OS 3 was released MARCH 2009. In three months there was 1% adoption.
@Tes
Here's why you're a total queer:
The most current version of iPhone OS is 3.1.3. Since you couldn't get a newer chart, we have no idea what the current fragmentation looks like.
Way back when 3 just came out, Apple was giving iPhone owners free software updates and charging iPod touch users (5 bucks, etc). So the people who don't have the latest OS are choosing to not have it. I mean, the one guy on 1.0 is just a cheap bastard, plain an simple.
As for 2.0 vs. 2.1.... It doesn't affect the games/apps one iota. Why haven't people updated? Because they haven't docked their iPod touches with iTunes to get the latest OS. By now, they will have. The only fragmentation is due to hardware advances every year, and that's actually not that brutal either. I have a bunch of games on my iPod touch 1Gen, and never worry about slowdown, etc. It's 2 years old anyway, so... I'm getting a new iPod soon. I got my money's worth.
Btw, a pie chart cut up into quarters, is a lot worse than one with an overwhelming majority, and a few slivers of 1 and 2%.. Your chart just made you look like a fool.
@Tes
Erm, where are you getting March from????
It was released with the iPhone 3GS on June 17th. Oooo, 3 days before your chart.
And, like others have said, your chart was for iPods', who had to pay to upgrade.
@Doctor Kwame Nkrumah
OK...I conceded that. But I've ask twice now. This fracturing of the Android OS, what is the actual net affect of it. No one as yet has been able to give me an answer. Maybe because even you realise it's about as big a straw man as there's ever been.
@Wesscoast wrote "How the F do you upgrade an Android device anyway?"
When your phone has an upgrade available, you push the button on the screen. It's pretty self-explanatory.
@Tes
Plus, and here's the big deal with tomorrows announcement, with 2.2 we will see less fracturing, whereas iPhone 4.0 will introduce MORE. I'm sure at that stage the non issue that it actually is will suddenly not matter to you fanboys.
@Wesscoast why does every Android Article turn into Apple vs Android? So stupid.
@Tes
"IN 3 months of having access to a FREE update most people hadn't bothered. Why?! It didn't MATTER to most of them.
Well guess what...that's the same with Android users. "
--Thats not the same as android users. The ipod touch owners have DIRECT ABILITY to update to the new version. do android owners have the ability? nope. never... the fragmentation is because of AVAILABILITY and control from telecom providers.
"I want you to actually TELL me the difference in real terms between 1.6 and 2.1 that is a show stopper? Most people here don't really know about Android OS and so spout nonsense based on their best guess. "
--- ok, since the new versions arent desirable, how would you feel if google said 1.6 was the final version of android ever, since 1.6 apparently, according to you, is the epitome of phones and has everything you ever needed. Because since the current versions are dramatically different, then that means this update system is completely ok....
you google fanboys make me laugh
@Doctor Kwame Nkrumah
Listen to yourself. First...how old is the iPhone? 3 years? You've had a new model each year and a new OS in pretty much the same time frame. Android is less than 2 years old...late 2008. In that time we have several hundred different handsets it seems, as well as other devices including MIDs and eBook readers. Do they need updated Bluetooth profiles or added webcam features? No...do they need voice search? No. So you'll see then stay on 1.5/1.6 forever pretty much. That is why the above chart is useless. It means nothing. It also does not hinder the OS. Not many ebook readers need turn by turn navigation or voice search. And it's all well and good saying "Oh, I have the latest OS, even if that OS gives you nothing because the major updates are all hardware specific.
Add to that the fact that MOST iPhone users I know upgrade every year. I only know 1 person with a first gen. If Android users were the same we wouldn't see so much bitching from G1 users.
I say to both Android users and Apple fanboys...what do you think drives innovation? Some slavish desire to make the OS work on old hardware? No, lets not push the envelope...lets make sure G1 users can run it?!? Nonsense.
@tes
lmao at youre delusional self. "zomg they havent downloaded in 3 months of availability!" seriously how could you think that wasnt wrong when it automatically updates when connected? you really are completely dumb
@account5
"ok, since the new versions arent desirable, how would you feel if google said 1.6 was the final version of android ever"
again a spurious argument. You have YET to tell me the reason you believe this fragmentation is some disadvantage, instead pursuing this tenuous path. The point developers are and do release apps for ALL Android devices, but - like iPhone devs, they can take advantage of new features that will understandably cut a few people out...for instance anything that uses the 3GSs compass is useless to earlier iPhones. No biggie. you can't stifle creativity to please people with legacy hardware. Expecting old hardware to run the 3D Android launcher from 2.1 is just foolish.