Android smartphones are not typically updated very frequently, leaving many owners to either try and update their own device, or wait for months or even years to get the latest operating system. The technical lead developer on the Android Open Source Project believes the slow update rate many Android users have had to endure is “very reasonable.” Sometimes, Jean-Baptiste Queru revealed his opinion on his Google+ page in a congratulatory post towards Sony, who recently updated its Tablet S to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The developer said the Japanese company was the biggest contributor to Android, leaving all other manufacturers playing catch-up. Due to its contributions, Sony is able to ensure timely updates for its own devices, while helping the community as a whole. Queru said the complexity of moving from Android 3.0 to Android 4.0 is the reason it took Sony five-months to updates its tablet.
“This is actually a very reasonable time, since under the hood Ice Cream Sandwich is quite different from Honeycomb (and upgrades from Gingerbread are likely to take longer as those differences are huge),” he said.
The employee did express disappointment that some of Google’s own flagship devices had not been updated, and he places the blame on “operator approvals.” Queru went out to praise Google’s latest effort to continue selling smartphones directly to consumers through its online store. “I’m very glad that Google is back in the business of selling phones directly without any middlemen to interfere, and I’ll be even happier when I see that program expanded to more countries.”
