Will galaxy s2/s3 always support software updates?

[kimtaeyeons]

I know iPhone 4 and iTouch 4 won't support iOS 7. iPhone 4 will but I hear it will be laggy...

I don't have a smartphone or iTouch or anything, but looking to buy a smartphone (unlocked)...

I have a mac so it'd be convenient to buy an iPhone or iTouch, but if it can't support iOS 7 then idk. It'll just be an iPod later on. I know I can back up the apps but newer versions will come out so those apps just won't be as good...

oh and I don't like the iPhone 5 or iTouch 5. Too skinny/tall lol

so BASICALLY does the galaxy skyrocket or s3 have the capability to support new software updates. Apple does not so I will not be purchasing an iphone or itouch.

and will apps still work if the phone does not have the latest software

[psychic stalker]

kimtaeyeons

so BASICALLY does the galaxy skyrocket or s3 have the capability to support new software updates.

To a point. Eventually, Samsung will stop supporting it, as they have done for all of their previous phones, as every phone manufacturer has stopped supporting old phones.

It has come out recently that the S3 and Note will not get the Android 4.2 update, but will instead get the 4.3 update. This is a decision Samsung has recently made for those devices. They will make different decisions for different devices.

The reason Apple will not put iOS 7 on the iPhone 4 is twofold: There are real technical limitations of the older phones that iOS 7 will not work around, and Apple maintains 100% control over the entire iPhone market and wants their users to upgrade the phones on a regular basis.

Other phone manufacturers do not have or maintain that kind of control - actually they're mostly bowing to the whims of the carriers - so they can't encourage people to upgrade as easily as Apple can. So, they don't have a policy of forced obsolescence. They can, however, choose not to issue over-the-air software updates for older phones.

kimtaeyeons

and will apps still work if the phone does not have the latest software

Yes, unless the specific app has been written to require a specific minimum version higher than what you happen to have.

All Android and iPhone apps are published with a number that indicates what minimum version of the system software it requires. Each different version of the system software offers a slightly different set of tools and interfaces for apps to use (as new features are added and old features removed), so an app has to declare that it uses the interface and features of a specific version of the system software.

Right now, the most common version of Android is 2.3, and virtually all apps require either 2.1 or 2.2 (with occasional exceptions), and those apps will run on Android 4.2 without any changes.

[kimtaeyeons]

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

so BASICALLY does the galaxy skyrocket or s3 have the capability to support new software updates.

To a point. Eventually, Samsung will stop supporting it, as they have done for all of their previous phones, as every phone manufacturer has stopped supporting old phones.

It has come out recently that the S3 and Note will not get the Android 4.2 update, but will instead get the 4.3 update. This is a decision Samsung has recently made for those devices. They will make different decisions for different devices.

The reason Apple will not put iOS 7 on the iPhone 4 is twofold: There are real technical limitations of the older phones that iOS 7 will not work around, and Apple maintains 100% control over the entire iPhone market and wants their users to upgrade the phones on a regular basis.

Other phone manufacturers do not have or maintain that kind of control - actually they're mostly bowing to the whims of the carriers - so they can't encourage people to upgrade as easily as Apple can. So, they don't have a policy of forced obsolescence. They can, however, choose not to issue over-the-air software updates for older phones.

kimtaeyeons

and will apps still work if the phone does not have the latest software

Yes, unless the specific app has been written to require a specific minimum version higher than what you happen to have.

All Android and iPhone apps are published with a number that indicates what minimum version of the system software it requires. Each different version of the system software offers a slightly different set of tools and interfaces for apps to use (as new features are added and old features removed), so an app has to declare that it uses the interface and features of a specific version of the system software.

Right now, the most common version of Android is 2.3, and virtually all apps require either 2.1 or 2.2 (with occasional exceptions), and those apps will run on Android 4.2 without any changes.

THANK YOU!
When do you think Samsung will stop supporting the galaxy skyrocket?

[psychic stalker]

kimtaeyeons

When do you think Samsung will stop supporting the galaxy skyrocket?

I didn't even know it existed until now. But I'd expect support for it to end the same time support for the "regular" SII ends.

Don't ask me to put a date or a version number on that. That's up to Samsung and the carriers.

[kimtaeyeons]

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

When do you think Samsung will stop supporting the galaxy skyrocket?

I didn't even know it existed until now. But I'd expect support for it to end the same time support for the "regular" SII ends.

Don't ask me to put a date or a version number on that. That's up to Samsung and the carriers.

So am I expecting another 3 years or what?

[psychic stalker]

kimtaeyeons

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

When do you think Samsung will stop supporting the galaxy skyrocket?

I didn't even know it existed until now. But I'd expect support for it to end the same time support for the "regular" SII ends.

Don't ask me to put a date or a version number on that. That's up to Samsung and the carriers.

So am I expecting another 3 years or what?

I said don't ask me to put a date on it. The reason I said that is no one outside Samsung could possibly know for sure.

Anyone who tells you that it will continue to get software updates for 3 years is either lying or bullshitting. They don't know, because they can't know, and they can't know because Samsung hasn't made that decision yet.

The only thing you can expect with any kind of certainty is that the phone you choose will get at least one major software update before its service end of life.

[kimtaeyeons]

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

When do you think Samsung will stop supporting the galaxy skyrocket?

I didn't even know it existed until now. But I'd expect support for it to end the same time support for the "regular" SII ends.

Don't ask me to put a date or a version number on that. That's up to Samsung and the carriers.

So am I expecting another 3 years or what?

I said don't ask me to put a date on it. The reason I said that is no one outside Samsung could possibly know for sure.

Anyone who tells you that it will continue to get software updates for 3 years is either lying or bullshitting. They don't know, because they can't know, and they can't know because Samsung hasn't made that decision yet.

The only thing you can expect with any kind of certainty is that the phone you choose will get at least one major software update before its service end of life.

jesus ******** christ.

[psychic stalker]

kimtaeyeons

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

When do you think Samsung will stop supporting the galaxy skyrocket?

I didn't even know it existed until now. But I'd expect support for it to end the same time support for the "regular" SII ends.

Don't ask me to put a date or a version number on that. That's up to Samsung and the carriers.

So am I expecting another 3 years or what?

I said don't ask me to put a date on it. The reason I said that is no one outside Samsung could possibly know for sure.

Anyone who tells you that it will continue to get software updates for 3 years is either lying or bullshitting. They don't know, because they can't know, and they can't know because Samsung hasn't made that decision yet.

The only thing you can expect with any kind of certainty is that the phone you choose will get at least one major software update before its service end of life.

jesus ******** christ.

Well, what do you expect? They won't support it forever - that costs too much. Software updates cost them money in porting the update, testing it, and updating the carrier and manufacturer software, so they have an incentive to stop supporting it at the earliest opportunity.

That doesn't mean you can't keep using it for several years. It just means it won't get any major updates after a certain point.

[kimtaeyeons]

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

When do you think Samsung will stop supporting the galaxy skyrocket?

I didn't even know it existed until now. But I'd expect support for it to end the same time support for the "regular" SII ends.

Don't ask me to put a date or a version number on that. That's up to Samsung and the carriers.

So am I expecting another 3 years or what?

I said don't ask me to put a date on it. The reason I said that is no one outside Samsung could possibly know for sure.

Anyone who tells you that it will continue to get software updates for 3 years is either lying or bullshitting. They don't know, because they can't know, and they can't know because Samsung hasn't made that decision yet.

The only thing you can expect with any kind of certainty is that the phone you choose will get at least one major software update before its service end of life.

jesus ******** christ.

Well, what do you expect? They won't support it forever - that costs too much. Software updates cost them money in porting the update, testing it, and updating the carrier and manufacturer software, so they have an incentive to stop supporting it at the earliest opportunity.

That doesn't mean you can't keep using it for several years. It just means it won't get any major updates after a certain point.

Well let's say they stop supporting it at v4.2. the apps will soon require 5.0 or something and i won't be able to use any new apps and my apps will be old versions...

for example my iphone 2g is useless except for listening to music

[psychic stalker]

kimtaeyeons

Well let's say they stop supporting it at v4.2. the apps will soon require 5.0 or something and i won't be able to use any new apps and my apps will be old versions...

No. That's not the case at all.

Apps are currently written to require Android 2.2. That's even though the current Android version is 4.2. Why? Because the most common Android version currently in use is 2.3, and 2.2 still makes up a large portion of the Android market. There won't be any apps that require 5.0 for several years to come, even after 5.0 has been out for a long time. We still don't see any Android 4.0+ apps on the market except for very specialized cases.

Your concern about this is completely unfounded.

kimtaeyeons

for example my iphone 2g is useless except for listening to music

... Because Apple has a policy of enforced obsolescence. Android handset makers don't.

[kimtaeyeons]

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

Well let's say they stop supporting it at v4.2. the apps will soon require 5.0 or something and i won't be able to use any new apps and my apps will be old versions...

No. That's not the case at all.

Apps are currently written to require Android 2.2. That's even though the current Android version is 4.2. Why? Because the most common Android version currently in use is 2.3, and 2.2 still makes up a large portion of the Android market. There won't be any apps that require 5.0 for several years to come, even after 5.0 has been out for a long time. We still don't see any Android 4.0+ apps on the market except for very specialized cases.

Your concern about this is completely unfounded.

kimtaeyeons

for example my iphone 2g is useless except for listening to music

... Because Apple has a policy of enforced obsolescence. Android handset makers don't.

okayokay. anyways i think i'm gonna wait until november or december to buy a galaxy s3 unlocked (the price is too much right now)
so if i buy an itouch 4 right now, and sell it once i buy my galaxy s3... is that a good idea

[psychic stalker]

kimtaeyeons

so if i buy an itouch 4 right now, and sell it once i buy my galaxy s3... is that a good idea

That's up to you. I would think it's a waste of money to buy something and then turn around and sell it for less.

[kimtaeyeons]

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

so if i buy an itouch 4 right now, and sell it once i buy my galaxy s3... is that a good idea

That's up to you. I would think it's a waste of money to buy something and then turn around and sell it for less.

Hmmmm. Why are unlocked phones so much cheaper on Amazon...

iTouch 4 should last me another 2-3 years right? before apps start requiring iOS 7.

[psychic stalker]

kimtaeyeons

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

so if i buy an itouch 4 right now, and sell it once i buy my galaxy s3... is that a good idea

That's up to you. I would think it's a waste of money to buy something and then turn around and sell it for less.

Hmmmm. Why are unlocked phones so much cheaper on Amazon...

iTouch 4 should last me another 2-3 years right? before apps start requiring iOS 7.

It depends on how long people will resist the next iteration. So long as a lot of people keep using iOS 5 and 6 devices, developers will still make iOS 5 and 6 apps.

[kimtaeyeons]

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

psychic stalker

kimtaeyeons

so if i buy an itouch 4 right now, and sell it once i buy my galaxy s3... is that a good idea

That's up to you. I would think it's a waste of money to buy something and then turn around and sell it for less.

Hmmmm. Why are unlocked phones so much cheaper on Amazon...

iTouch 4 should last me another 2-3 years right? before apps start requiring iOS 7.

It depends on how long people will resist the next iteration. So long as a lot of people keep using iOS 5 and 6 devices, developers will still make iOS 5 and 6 apps.

hmmmmmmm i don't know whether to wait for the galaxy s3 price to drop or what.
galaxy s2 is nice but there aren't many cute cases for it