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Google needs to set an example and go beyond three years of Android updates

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I believe Google will surprise us with Pixel 2 and 2XL. They only had the guaranteed updates up to this month, but Google was not able to get it, but was able to bring the first 2016 Pixel Android 10 last year. Secretly, I wanted to experiment with it for 2 pixels, Dreaming Google may surprise us with additional updates. Of course, 2017 was not so long ago and there is still room for updates on the hardware for at least another year or two. But at the launch, the phones were priced at $ 650-750, but were abandoned. For three main reasons (including Google’s own hypocrisy), that’s not right.
Samsung has recently been committed to updating its flagship operating system for three years, with a two-year and one-year security patch. We can still do better.
Getting “Android phones need more updates” is as old as the platform. Updates A year goes by beyond the dark early days of your best time, but most of what we can expect these days is a three-year promise – and not just about operational updates, but also security updates, something new for some companies. Things may be better than before, but they are still not enough. Pixels should Lead the charge in terms of software, and after the immature demise of Pixel 2, it’s time to step up to Google and do better.
Rising prices and ‘better’ phones, so why can’t we keep them longer?
… all Android phones are equally disadvantageous.
One of the main arguments for further updates is value. Major smartphone prices are rising astronomically, and even though we cover thousands of dollars, even phones are not significant. You can get a $ 350 Pixel 4a or a $ 1,300 Galaxy Note20 Ultra, but both are just three years’ worth of upgrades. In the world of Android, this is the best thing you can expect. Nothing in the past that is a bonus you can expect or trust.
Price makes no difference here: in the best software support, all Android phones are equally disadvantageous. The most “premium” experience still promises that it will be relevant and safe for three years. While you can buy incredible speeds, amazing cameras, and extremely expensive accessories that guarantee the futures of the future from the bleeding edge of consumer-oriented science, when the clock strikes midnight at three years later, it’s as pumpkin-like as any budget phone. .
Rising prices invite comparison with other product categories. Phones cost as much as laptops at new and sad average prices in the thousands of dollars. Some argue that they duplicate much of the same functionality, and that attempts like Dex’s are replacing computers for some people with phones. But they do not compete there for updates. Both Windows and MacOS-powered laptops receive updates until their hardware is no longer available. My now-old 2014 MacBook Pro Yet Patch and OS updates are available directly from Apple, and Windows laptops are even longer – although acceptable, manufacturers often abandon first-party hardware support sections such as touchpad drivers after 3-5 years.
The Lenovo Chromebook pair will receive the next update Eight years For $ 280.
But here’s my favorite comparison to make another Google product category: Chromebooks. In fact, its arrangement is very similar to Android: Google builds the software, while third-party hardware handles it. They now even run Android apps. Chromebooks like the PixelBook Go, which was released last year, will still be available Another six years of updates, And other Chromebooks do even better. Of course, Google has a lot of centralized control over the Chrome OS platform and administers updates directly, which gives it a strong place for software longevity, but it’s a parallel we can not ignore.
Meet the sustainable hypocrite Google
Beyond the price and comparison with other products, another key argument must be made: sustainability. Google has stepped back to highlight its efforts to reduce its impact on the business environment, reduce carbon footprint, use renewable energy sources and switch to recycled materials in its latest hardware – 5x pixels with a resolution of 5% pixels. The Aluminum Box ”and its first-party cases and smart speakers use recycled plastic fabric.
Recycled fabrics by Google on the new Nest Audio (left) and Nest Mini (right).
Google is very optimistic that the company should look back at its impact on the existing hardware environment. When you stop getting phone updates, they are more likely to be replaced. (It’s also our recommendation, because switching to a ROM to stay up to date is not something everyone can handle.) Pixel phones do not exactly age in the used market, so when they stop receiving updates they are not worth much. Unfortunately, not everyone disposes of their devices properly and every phone does not end up recycling its contents. (Only 25 states Books that prevent ordinary garbage from falling into the trash can have e-waste rules.) Google can try to minimize trade-offs by selling brand loyalties along with a small discount when buying for their phones. , But it is not so. In fact, trading on a pixel phone is one way to ensure that you get as much back as possible.
Google promises that the sustainability ring is empty when not committed to long updates that have a big impact
Electrical waste a Serious Now the problem, Especially as consumers have begun to succumb to 5G-based marketing, which is an incentive to upgrade. Google Offers a free recycling program, But it’s a sustainable gun. We all think back to a grade school: “Three rupees?” Reduce, reuse, recycle. They have a reason for a specific sequence, And recycling is the last resort on the path to sustainability – sadly, it’s all Google has to offer.
The Pixel 2 and 2XL may be three years old, but they are still alive. The Snapdragon 835 is still unclear today and some people still have battery capacity left over. (Battery replacement is also an issue, so that’s not an excuse either.) In short, Google dropped it because the hardware is still in good condition and could take a few more years. Yes, it meets the promised schedule and yes, it runs a business. But honestly, it sounds sustainable when Google promises long-term updates that have a bigger impact on the environment than recycled plastic fabrics.
I firmly believe that if Google was genuinely committed to what it claims to be, it would set an example for them to maintain their own phones longer.
Of course, because Apple does it
I feel like we’ve added a lot of value to a topic dug in a different way, but there’s one last reason why Google has always considered updating the pixel for more than three years: Apple does.
Apple is the king of the U.S. market and almost half of us shipping is in its pocket Over the past couple quarters. It is the largest smartphone vendor in the US and is available on every Android device. Will Comparable to an Apple product. A device update support window is clearly not promised by Apple, but it is not required. History speaks for itself and basically every iPhone from 3GS has seen 4-5 years of updates. In fact, that was the expected longevity Almost Suffice it to call the iPhone SE a better phone than the Pixel 4a – and even with the reduced price of the 4a, the SE is a better long-term value only on that basis.
Apple Google and all Android phones for updates.
It’s no secret that Google There is a difficulty in selling pixels, Although its budget presentations are better. If it wants to compete seriously in the US market, its products must be compared to Apple paper. We keep our phones long and long, so the timing of software updates is seriously important.
Playing as the Devil’s Adviser, Google has been able to distort some aspects of system updates. Basic system controls have many features controlled and implemented through the Play Services, while Project Mainline has modified some of the security updates so that they can be activated through the Play Store. according to the Michal Rahman of XDA, Even Mainline support is required as part of the GMS license, so it is common on devices running Android 10 and later. Yet List of security risks in each monthly Android Security Bulletin System updates still indicate usefulness, and Pixel 2 and 2XL no longer receive such patches.
Of course, when it comes to updates on most phones, it’s simply not in Google’s hands. Samsung handles its own software; OnePlus, LG, Sony and others are at the bottom of the list of manufacturers. Google may not exceed the requirements set out by anyone as part of the Licensing Agreement for Android and Play Services. But Google has one product line Is Fully controllable, there is nothing that prevents the company from pushing software support envelopes on their own Pixel phones. We can point the finger at companies like Qualcomm because this is not easy, but Google can at least stick with the custom ROM here, and if nothing else make things shiny and stubborn to extend another year of life as a symbol.
Provides a pixel precedent for the Android world
In the Android Technology Bubble I think it’s fair to say that many of us consider pixel Android to be a flagship Android: an example of the best things software can do, the price is not always good, the features are sometimes flat, and sometimes better than Samsung’s Often less than the entrance to the cluttered kitchen sink. Ically historically, a lot has gone wrong with them, but according to clean software, they are on the verge of bleeding, running the latest OS version. Pixel is a model that not only serves as the closest company to “stocks” to our own platform expectations, but also a guide for OEMs to implement new applications and features as Android changes. Google is at once an Android developer, portal controller and (sadly) exemplary character – although I always talk about this subject with company representatives, they do not treat pixels differently than any other OEM.
Google helped re-establish the current three-year standard in 2015 in the face of Stagefrite, and whether the company likes it or not, Pixel sets a precedent in the Android world. Phones may not sell well, but they are proactive and their changes will eventually become part of future licensing requirements. With more than three years of commitment to updating Pixel phones, it’s time for Google to step-by-step, do better and encourage other manufacturers – if it can do that from Pixel 2.
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