A (165)

(Wang) #1
There are downsides to abandon
Android, however, not least being th
that Google would lose more contro
software and how users experience
mobile operating system. At least on
analyst believes that the internet gian
continue to release its own pure vers
operating system for the foreseeable
“Google has a huge incentive to drive
of the full Android version rather than p
using the open source version,” says Be
chief of research at CCS Insight. “Gettin
on its services is the lifeblood for Googl
advertising business. It will do everything
its power to make sure the latest version
of ‘full Android’ is widely supported.
“Android One is the latest indication
of Google’s determination to get full And
supported at lower price points,” adds
Wood. “It’s interesting to see Indian make
Karbonn bring Android One devices to the
UK for Christmas.” Google’s efforts in
developing nations are another reason why
pulling back on development could end up
creating more problems than it solves for
the company – the likes of Samsung, HTC a
other manufacturers have their own apps an
portals to promote, from music services to
cloud storage lockers, and Google won’t wan
cede too much ground here.
Technology and mobiles expert at uSwitch.co
Rob Kerr also thinks that Google’s stock Androi
efforts are about keeping control – and that’s to
important to give up. “Whilst Google has deliver

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Have you had problems with
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pages, refuses to connect to wireless, must
restart after that. Sometimes I feel like smashing
the tablet against the wall... so frustrating.” Plenty
of other messages expressing similar sentiments
are easy to fi nd on the web.
Worse may be to come, too: over the coming
weeks and months, Samsung, LG, Sony, Motorola
and HTC will be rolling out their own versions of
Android 5.0 Lollipop, which could lead to a whole
new set of problems for devices running Google’s
software. While developers at these companies will
be expected to rigorously test their code before
making it public, Lollipop’s track record so far would
suggest that the troubles could well linger for longer.


The end of Nexus devices?
If Google needed another reason to ditch the
Nexus programme and indeed the idea of stock
Android altogether, then Lollipop’s unsteady start
has surely provided one: the tech giant may well
consider this kind of software development and
large-scale operating system rollout as more
trouble than it’s worth and shift the
responsibility over to the hardware
manufacturers. Google already relies on them to
make and distribute Android phones, so why not
pass over the software development duties too?
Before the Nexus 6 was announced, there was
widespread speculation that Google was
considering ditching the idea of fl agship Nexus
devices running stock Android, and Lollipop’s
problems may have been enough to make its
mind up. ‘Android Silver’, a scheme where the
best Android phones are showcased by Google,
has been rumoured as a potential replacement
for the Nexus approach. If you have a Nexus 7 tablet then you might have had issueswith video playback.


How do other OS rollouts compar


iOS 6.
Scroll through recent calls
andtexts.Pressthemenu
icon on the right and select Block.





Siri got a substantial upgrade
to include Facebook, Twitter
and other services.





Google Maps was replaced
by Apple Maps, which didn’t
seem ready for primetime.





As with several other iOS
launches, Wi-Fi issues were
reported by many users.





iOS 7.
TheintroductionofControl
Centre provided a way to
manage key settings easily.





Multitasking was much
improved,bothinthe
interface and behaviour of apps.





There were widespread
reportsofexcessivebattery
drain after the update.





Dropped calls and lost
signals plagued iOS 7.1 users
even after several patches.





iOS 8.
For the first time, iOS users
could install third-party
keyboard apps.





HealthKitandtheHealthapp
marked Apple’s move into
health and fitness tracking.





Once again, Wi-Fi connection
anddroppingissueswere
widely reported.





Safari was found to be
particularly buggy, with
several issues cropping up.





Andro
The int
interac
could be hidd





Google’s
a persist
featureinAndr





Rollout to
paused w
investigated us





Lag and slu
performan
on several older


  • Mode.


“My Nexus 7 is laggy, restarts and crashes randomly,


takes ages to navigate or open pages...”
A disgruntled user, Offi cial Android support forums
Free download pdf