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Android Overextended?

ArmageddonX

ArmageddonX

Android Expert
Does anyone else feel like Android phones are becoming too spread out? I wish these manufacturers would just have one flagship handset every year & keep their focus on those life-cycles. A lot like Google does with the Nexus. Why can't we have a single HTC, Moto, & Samsung phone every year?

It seems like Android phones are a dime a dozen nowadays. The updates are spread out & every phone UI looks different. With ICS there is really no reason anymore for these custom interfaces like Sense or Touchwiz so why are the manufacturers still pushing them? Why are they pumping out 10+ phones a year?

My first Android was my Evo3D and I really like my phone, but this smart-phone blitzkrieg is really turning me off to the Android brand. It's like white noise every time I hear about a new Android phone coming out. I wish Google & these manufacturers would stop this cycle. Having choices is one thing, but this is just getting crazy... :(
 
HTC has stated that in 2012 they are really going to focus on having a few really great devices instead of dozens of mediocre ones. We should see some really cool stuff next week when the mobile world congress kicks off.
 
I agree, keeping tabs on all the handsets is nearly impossible. One of the reasons there are so many variations is because of the carriers. Each one wants to have phones that are unique to them, so the manufactures end up making multiple variations of their phones.

The other reason is the manufactures want to hit multiple price points. Not everyone is willing to pay to get the flagship, and not everyone wants to be on the cutting edge. Although, it seems like at this point they could just continue selling older models at a lower price point, like Apple does.

It does seem that the Android manufactures have more phones than they can support.
 
Another side to this is that the proliferation of models and price points has driven the smartmarket market to rapid growth.

If you go back less than 4 years, you couldn't buy an Android phone and if you go back less than 5, you couldn't buy an iPhone.

Back then, you mostly had smartphone choices of a Windows phone, a BlackBerry, or one of the exotics. (I'm familiar with Nokias running Linux, I don't know that Symbian 5 years ago was a smartphone OS or not, but I think not.)

We can speculate how the market might have grown otherwise, but this is how it happened, so we'll never really know.

As far as HTC's promise to keep the line goes - nice idea, not happening. Visit our forum's list of phones - and look at how many Samsung Galaxy S2 variants we have already. When the US carriers approach Samsung and HTC and insist, we need your model like this, Samsung is going to say, sure and how many would you like? - and HTC will be compelled to follow suit. As for HTC mediocre, yes, they said that - but - I've owned 3 HTCs and haven't found them mediocre at all. The popular Android press got a bee in their bonnet over the Qualcomm processors (thanks to the meaningless Quadrant benchmarks) and sensationalism sells.

And the US market has some interesting drivers for update support - while the rest of the world got rapid updates that worked on their SGS phones, US consumers were in a tizzy trying to figure out whether to blame their carrier or Samsung for their lack of updates (hint: they were in it together, look at the rest of the world's support). That's not to rag on the SGS, but it is an illustrating example.

Then there are the budget models - this applies to the world. A lot of these phones are good for what they do out of the box, and that's often their limit until you root and straighten out the crappy roms they come with. But consumers are sold on the idea that Android=all_Android and expect the budget models to be able to do things the pricier models can - and that's not the consumers' fault, that's the makers' fault. They know they are selling entry devices.

Which leads me back to my original point - with more entry points, we got explosive growth. With wider variety at the top end, we got alternatives to the iPhone - and note how the iPhone only this last year has gone from a single model to 3 (yep, by selling older models, but 3 models is 3 models).

Parting shot - a recent study for app developers showed that there are 33 versions of Android currently in use. The same study found 22 versions of iOS in use out there. So much for the idea that support issues are an Android-only phenomenon. ;) :)

http://news.yahoo.com/future-smartphone-growth-numbers-094500899.html
 
SprintTechJosh said:
I love the HTC phones as well. Mediocre was a poor word choice on my part. I'm too lazy to try to find the news article I read.
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Hey, no worries, wasn't ragging on you, was questioning Peter Chou (head of HTC). I was too lazy to look up the article as well, but that's really the jist of what he said and the vibe that everyone took from from it - mediocre.

Oddly, instead of shooting himself in the foot with that statement (whatever the accurate quote was), the blogosphere went nuts, saying rah rah rah, HTC gets it, this will be great!

I guess the thinking was, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

As a mod, I see a LOT of posts here and at Phandroid.

For HTC bashers, they go mostly like this - I had trouble with an older HTC phone using the original Sense, it was a hog, therefore, all HTC phones have trouble and despite generational improvements that I've never experienced, I know for a fact that Sense is still a hog. Mirrored by, I've never run Sense, I don't have to, I know it's a hog, and HTC processors (Qualcomm) are teh suxorz.

LoL, it is what it is.
 
Not to get off-topic, but it doesn't help HTC to see HTC cofounder Cher Wang in line at an Apple Store buying two of everything they make. She could have at least ordered online or something...

Edit: PS. Hi EarlyMon! Long time, no see =)
 
ArmageddonX said:
Not to get off-topic, but it doesn't help HTC to see HTC cofounder Cher Wang in line at an Apple Store buying two of everything they make. She could have at least ordered online or something...

Edit: PS. Hi EarlyMon! Long time, no see =)
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Probably checking for infringement issues. :D

If it makes it any better, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (The Woz! great guy :) ) uses both Android and iPhone.

PS - good to see you too! :)
 
EarlyMon said:
Probably checking for infringement issues. :D

If it makes it any better, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (The Woz! great guy :) ) uses both Android and iPhone.

PS - good to see you too! :)
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Yeah! I saw that article awhile back. It make me grin ear to ear :D
 
yeah I have an HTC inspire the whole thing about them spitting out several android phones instead of one per manufacturer they need to saver the moment instead of milking em' kinda like samsung with the skyrockets
 
Samsung had to go with the Skyrocket variant because of the different requirements for modems to support those radios - the other side of model proliferation - lack of true worldwide standards for carrier radios, especially true in the US, but not just the US
 
EarlyMon said:
Samsung had to go with the Skyrocket variant because of the different requirements for modems to support those radios - the other side of model proliferation - lack of true worldwide standards for carrier radios, especially true in the US, but not just the US
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very informative, plus they got a new one coming out i believe the galaxy HD?
 
Metroid prime said:
very informative, plus they got a new one coming out i believe the galaxy HD?
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Exactly - now add in the SGS3 and whatever they're teasing that they won't announce until _after_ Mobile World Congress next week, sprinkle in the Note and Nexus variants coming to the other carriers....

But hey - without proliferation, we'd have never seen the Casio G'zOne Commando, which I think is just totally way cool. Or, the Kyocera Echo (that many of us made fun of) but whose owners say that it totally rocks (delicious crow eaten here). Or qwerty sliders - people love to say those will die, but they give outstanding service to an under-served market segment.
 
EarlyMon said:
Exactly - now add in the SGS3 and whatever they're teasing that they won't announce until _after_ Mobile World Congress next week, sprinkle in the Note and Nexus variants coming to the other carriers....

But hey - without proliferation, we'd have never seen the Casio G'zOne Commando, which I think is just totally way cool. Or, the Kyocera Echo (that many of us made fun of) but whose owners say that it totally rocks (delicious crow eaten here). Or qwerty sliders - people love to say those will die, but they give outstanding service to an under-served market segment.
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Agreed you certainly know your stuff it truly inspires me to brush up more on android:D which by the way I am so gonna wait for the S3
 
I desperately want a Galaxy Nexus. If I buy Android again in 2013 when I upgrade again it'll definitely be a Google Nexus phone. I love my Evo3D but I really am jealous of the vanilla Android experience & I'm just not willing to root my phone. Plus, the priority updates on the Nexus are just awesome.
 
ArmageddonX said:
I desperately want a Galaxy Nexus. If I buy Android again in 2013 when I upgrade again it'll definitely be a Google Nexus phone. I love my Evo3D but I really am jealous of the vanilla Android experience & I'm just not willing to root my phone. Plus, the priority updates on the Nexus are just awesome.
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The AOSP ROMs for the Evo 3D are meh at best, so you're better off :p I was considering the GS2 just for the developer support it gets (like CM7/9).

I'm going to consider next year's Nexus very heavily, though.
 
jerofld said:
The AOSP ROMs for the Evo 3D are meh at best, so you're better off :p I was considering the GS2 just for the developer support it gets (like CM7/9).

I'm going to consider next year's Nexus very heavily, though.
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It almost hurts to hear that Samsung has better developer support now over HTC. Ouch! Ouch! That burns! :p
 
I'm shooting for the 2013 Nexus phone at the moment or a Transformer Prime. Just not happy with the non-vanilla Android devices any longer.
 
Transformer prime?

images
 
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