The downside to fragmentation (1 Viewer)

[RobertR]

Why are you asking me? The "hastily assembled town hall" meeting should have told you.

 

[Sam Posten]

Market share! Market share! Market sha... oh wait.http://qz.com/231359/samsungs-dismal-earnings-are-an-ominous-omen-for-the-entire-smartphone-industry/http://www.theverge.com/2014/7/8/5879589/samsung-earnings-guidance-q2-2014

 

[DaveF]

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/07/apple-and-google-move-computing-forward-in-identical-yet-incompatible-ways/I think this topic could be its own thread, but I'm still puzzling over the what the issue is. We're not heading back to the '80s, with a multitude of incompatible systems: the Web and common file formats and protocols keep us glued together. And there are only three systems that matter (Googke, MS, and Apple). But the walled gardens are becoming both more enticing and also more company-centric. What do you think?

 

[Sam Posten]

Profits matter.
http://qz.com/243093/a-sneak-peek-at-samsungs-future-stock-chart/

 

[Sam Posten]

Newest revs break out components that don't need a monolithic update, but more can be done sez Ars:http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/08/to-solve-androids-update-woes-google-should-look-to-the-pc/

 

[DaveF]

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/08/the-state-of-android-updates-whos-fast-whos-slow-and-why/The winner for update times is, of course, the Nexus line. Stock software and a head start from being Google got KitKat out the door in just 14 days....Most phones come on two-year contracts, though, so how did the 2012-era lineup of flagship devices do when it came time for KitKat? Poorly—just look at all those black bars denoting abandoned devices. Even Google gets a black bar in the form of the Galaxy Nexus. While the device was technically released at the end of 2011, we're looking at devices from two generations ago, so the Galaxy Nexus gets included....Samsung managed to update all of its Galaxy S3s and Note 2s, except for the T-Mobile versions. We're not sure if T-Mobile or Samsung is to blame for that, but considering the devices were updated on other carriers, it's definitely a political issue, not a technical one.

 

[Sam Posten]

I don't think this is as bad as Ars is making out but if you DO have friends or family on older android devices they should at least be aware this is a terrific reason to want to upgrade.

http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/09/android-browser-flaw-a-privacy-disaster-for-half-of-android-users/

 

[RobertR]

Perceptions change:

http://news.msn.com/science-technology/some-consumers-say-apple-is-losing-its-cool-factor

 

[DaveF]

When are the next major Android phones due out? I like to swing by BestBuy or AT&T to take a look when they're on demo. (And I keep hoping some retailer will create a quality demo area so I can really get a good idea of how they work and compare.)

 

[McPaul]

When are the next major Android phones due out? I like to swing by BestBuy or AT&T to take a look when they're on demo. (And I keep hoping some retailer will create a quality demo area so I can really get a good idea of how they work and compare.)

Nexus x will be out around Halloween. Samsung and HTC came out in JuneThe one plus one will start taking preorders in October. Oppo find 7 came out in JulyMoto x came out in September.

 

[DaveF]

Nexus x will be out around Halloween. Samsung and HTC came out in JuneThe one plus one will start taking preorders in October. Oppo find 7 came out in JulyMoto x came out in September.

Thanks is the Samsung the one with the curved, side screen?

 

[Sam Posten]

Big pros, big cons:http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/28/7057451/one-of-apples-favorite-developers-algoriddim-is-launching-an-android-app

"Android has definitely gotten better, but its Java, C++, etc. mixture of different programming languages makes the whole process just more complicated."Much of the team's new work revolved around rewriting the app to work on the variety of processors and screens sizes present on the hundreds of Android smartphones out there. "It's all about avoiding audio dropouts and your eye seeing glitches, since the eyes and ears aren't very forgiving," says Morsy. "We had to do this for almost all the [Android] phones." Now, almost every user interface element, from spinning records to beat pads, is dynamic for different screen sizes. "It's quite easy to make a great Android app that's a simple table viewer," says Morsy, "but we're basically processing 44,000 audio frames per second, per deck. So that's 88,000 frames per second, plus all the stuff on the screen."The recent Nexus devices, Morsy says, include a feature called FastPath that handles audio optimization to reach lower latency. But, many barriers still exist to making high-fidelity Android apps.Building for Android is difficult and requires resources, Morsy says, but reaching an entire world of people is a compelling enough reason to make it happen.

 

[McPaul]

Thanks is the Samsung the one with the curved, side screen?

I always forget about Samsung phones. The Galaxy came out in June. The Note 4 and Note 4 Edge just came out this month. The Edge has the funny screen.

The Nexus 6 is a beast of a phone but made by Motorola and pre-orders start October 29.

Nexus 9 tablet by HTC is available for pre-order now.

 

[Sam Posten]

Live by the market share, die by market share:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/11/24/7273817/samsung-management-shakeup

If Samsung is struggling is it because of iPhone 6 or better Android upstarts? If you are an android fan are you concerned by Samsung being humbled?

 

[RobertR]

If Samsung is struggling is it because of iPhone 6 or better Android upstarts? If you are an android fan are you concerned by Samsung being humbled?

Not a big deal to those of us who aren't married to a phone brand. I realize that such a concept is foreign to you.

 

[RobertR]

BTW, worldwide ios market share is a "whopping" 11.7% to 84.7% for Android. What was that about market share again?

 

[Sam Posten]

So what's the end game when new suppliers keep trying for market dominance at zero profit?
http://bgr.com/2014/12/15/samsung-vs-xiaomi-profits/

If you are an Android fan this is -terrific- for you. But how long can it last?

 

[RobertR]

So what's the end game when new suppliers keep trying for market dominance at zero profit?
http://bgr.com/2014/12/15/samsung-vs-xiaomi-profits/

If you are an Android fan this is -terrific- for you. But how long can it last?

A lot longer than the doom and gloom you've kept predicting in this thread, but which has never materialized (enormous increase in apps and market share since you started the thread).

 

[DaveF]

http://rustyshelf.org/2014/12/17/2015-the-year-of-android/Makes the case that it's ios, not Android, that is fragmented and developer hostile.

 

[Sam Posten]

Anyone got takes on this?

http://www.neowin.net/news/kitkat-is-now-on-almost-40-of-android-devices---but-lollipop-is-still-stuck-under-01


I don't get it really. JB and KitKat were obviously solid, but nobody is really clamboring for Lollipop and no vendors are pushing out Lolli phones? Or is it that consumers want it but it's blocked by bureaucracy?