This is so frustrating. This morning ATT started pushing the Jelly Bean update to their S3 owners. That basically leaves VZW last again to update the most popular Android phone in the world. We were promised an update on global capabilities shortly after launch. Still waiting. We were also told back in the summer that Jelly Bean would be coming soon. Hmmmmm........ One really has to wonder what kind of politics are at work here? Now there is speculation that the S4 may be announced as soon as February. Could it be that $$$ hungry VZW is just hoping that we all get tired, and opt for an upgrade sooner versus later? How can a company that prides itself on having the best network, be so inept as supporting the very technology they market? Come on Verizon show us some intestinal fortitude (guts) and lead by example.
Looks like when the S4 is out with jb in Feb 2013 with record sales on the pre-order with at least a 30-45 day wait until delivery they might release the jb update for the s3?
TheGuyUpNorth wrote:
This is so frustrating. This morning ATT started pushing the Jelly Bean update to their S3 owners. That basically leaves VZW last again to update the most popular Android phone in the world. We were promised an update on global capabilities shortly after launch. Still waiting. We were also told back in the summer that Jelly Bean would be coming soon. Hmmmmm........ One really has to wonder what kind of politics are at work here? Now there is speculation that the S4 may be announced as soon as February. Could it be that $$$ hungry VZW is just hoping that we all get tired, and opt for an upgrade sooner versus later? How can a company that prides itself on having the best network, be so inept as supporting the very technology they market? Come on Verizon show us some intestinal fortitude (guts) and lead by example.
Enough with the conspiracy theories. Ok if you bought a Galaxy S III at launch you're not even eligible for an upgrade until Jan 2014. 11 months AFTER the S4 launch So you're theory makes no sense. If you hate Verizon LEAVE, it's really that simple. Honestly you are griping over nothing. has your phone worked up until now? if so what's the issue. Clearly ICS was satisfactory enough for you to use all this time. If not why not wait to get a GS III until AFTER it got Jelly Bean? If you got Jelly Bean today next week you will be complaining about not having the next OS update.
Brian68 - There are parts of your reply that I fully realize are true, and I am thankful to have some of the best coverage available. Hence I will not be leaving Verizon anytime soon. Perhaps if Android was not so fragmented, we would enjoy regular annual update that iOS delivers. I did buy my S3 at launch before June 28, 2012. Thus I have retained my unlimited data plan. So I will be upgrading to the latest technology, but it will be at the full un-subsidized price. Back to my point though. The frustration lies in the fact that most other global users are already enjoying project butter and Google now (some including Sprint for months), it is just frustrating to know that I have an awesome device that is not benefiting from what is currently available. This may still sound like sour grapes, but I just wish Verizon was more efficient in this process.
Its not that its not satisfactory. ICS is a clear improvement over Gingerbread. I had a Droid Rezound and bought my GS3 at the full un-subsidized price.
Those of us in the know, know that this phone has some wick specs. It angers me that I know the phone could be upgraded through several generations of Android.
The reality is that I know that that will not happen. When and if I get Jelly Bean 4.1, I know that I will not see 4.2 or Key Lime Pie. There is no money in it for Verizon to deliver to me anything after 4.1 if they do that at all. Verizon needs me to buy another device, so that they can continue to amass billions of dollars in profits and give it all away to the shareholders instead of keeping it for important things like giving the customers the best experience possible. If it wasn't for us, there would be billions of dollars in profits.
If the phone had some par specs and Verizon or Samsung came out and said this is the only OS that the phone would support (i.e. ICS), then you wouldn't see this constant barrage of hate against Verizon for delaying the update.
What does the future hold for me. I am thinking about buying a Galaxy Note 2 after the holiday season or maybe I will wait it out to see what the GS4 looks like.
Point being, I will be buying another un-subsidized phone and when you pay the full ride... I feel Verizon is obligated to deliver updates. They are not trying to make the money back on my contract... they already got it!
Android Fragmentation is a myth. It's primarily carrier failures to update their devices that creates the spread of version numbers, but even then, do you say Windows is fragmented because so many people still use XP? Android is (compared to some other devices) fairly simple to code for across a multitude of screen sizes, resolutions, and library packs (versions), and the SDK has built-in tools to further simplify the process. Google dealt with it on the back end years ago.
That being said, you did get onto the right track. What Google's going to have to do on the front end is use their massive market share to weigh on carriers to stop rewriting Android with all sorts of bloatware (VZNavigator, I'm lookin' at you) and support their customers. Tablets are the easiest place to see the effects of carrier influence, where WiFi-only models are being updated two to three months (or in the case of the Galaxy Tab 7.7, five months and counting) before the carrier-branded tablets.
TheGuyUpNorth wrote:
Brian68 - There are parts of your reply that I fully realize are true, and I am thankful to have some of the best coverage available. Hence I will not be leaving Verizon anytime soon. Perhaps if Android was not so fragmented, we would enjoy regular annual update that iOS delivers. I did buy my S3 at launch before June 28, 2012. Thus I have retained my unlimited data plan. So I will be upgrading to the latest technology, but it will be at the full un-subsidized price. Back to my point though. The frustration lies in the fact that most other global users are already enjoying project butter and Google now (some including Sprint for months), it is just frustrating to know that I have an awesome device that is not benefiting from what is currently available. This may still sound like sour grapes, but I just wish Verizon was more efficient in this process.
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator
I am just curious regarding people who complain about not having the latest software/firmware update at the earliest possible opportunity. What features or capabilities of Jelly Bean 4.1 are you unable to use with ICS? Is there some particular enhancement in 4.1 that makes a previously unbearably-tedious process more enjoyable?
I suspect that the complaints are similar to having the volume control on your car radio being limited to only going to 10 instead of being able to make it all the way to 11.
<< Please refrain from personally attacking other posters. Comments were removed tro comply with >>
Like everyone else, I'm frustrated with VZW for not putting out JB like the other providers. And I'm relatively new to this provider. That being said, if this situation doesn't improve soon, I'll just do what I did to the last provider, leave. NBD.
Message was edited by: Verizon Moderator
And, apparently, you are the problem. You don't get an update, you blame Verizon, then you go pay full price for a phone from... Verizon. You believe this is their strategy because it's a good excuse for you to buy a new phone every six months.
Start a new topic or ask questions in the open forum.
