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0 pointsthought_alarm14y ago0 comments

> Note that it isn't just the carriers that suck, it's the manufacturers too

Carriers have absolute control over the consumer sales channels, and that gives them all the power. The carriers demand extreme control over the hardware and software pushed through those sales channels, and the manufacturers (other than Apple) have no choice but to give them that control because that is how you win in this business. Just ask Samsung, who made $5 billion last quarter selling devices running outdated Android 2.x. Or ask HTC, who got crushed by the carriers after offering devices with unlocked Android bootloaders.

If you're a manufacturer, you win by being the one who makes the carriers the most money per customer per month.

So how does ICS help Samsung make more money for Verizon? How does upgrading old devices to ICS help Samsung make more money for Verizon? If you're Samsung, that's the only question you're trying to answer.

The reality is that ICS does not help Samsung or any other manufacturer make more money for Verizon, and that's why ICS adoption has been so low.

The problem is that the manufacturers (other than Apple) have little desire to change this business model. If (and when) Samsung begins to defy the carriers, LG and Motorola and HTC will trip over themselves to take Samsung's place and become the next darling of the carriers.

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fpgeek14y ago

> Or ask HTC, who got crushed by the carriers after offering devices with unlocked Android bootloaders.

I generally agree with you about the power of carriers, but this HTC bootloader thing is an irritating myth. Samsung's devices have been consistently more hackable than HTC's for the entire period in question, not to mention that they topped it off by hiring cyanogen. HTC has had their issues (too-large device portfolio, not matching the SGS2, etc.), but bootloaders were a blip, either way.

stromstad14y ago

>Carriers have absolute control over the consumer sales channels

In the US. But here, on the other side of the pound, there's hardly any carrier specific additions or subtractions to/from android, just the manufacturers. The big EU markets have some (like Germany, France, UK), but unlocked phones are still always available, and many customers opt for those.

I think you're right about the situation when talking about North America, though.

Personally I've been burned by both HTC and LG on slow or no updates, so I will never by an Android phone that's not a nexus device again.

Edit: Unlocked and unbranded nexus device.

falling14y ago

How does ICS help Samsung make more money for Samsung?

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