Why can't manufacturers keep up with the pace of Android updates?

Source: Internet
Author: User
Keywords Android update
In the so-called "perfect World", after Google announces the latest Android 4.3 version, major manufacturers should immediately announce that their mobile products will also be equipped with the latest Android operating system. However, in the real world, in addition to Sony, other manufacturers do not seem to have made any response. We have briefly reviewed the work of the previous version of Android, and have to question why these manufacturers are so slow to update the new system, and why the new system has just been launched and has repeatedly announced the cancellation of upgrades for certain devices. Now, with the help of XDA Administrator and Technology channel host Shen Ye, let's analyze the problem in detail. Google's process of releasing new operating systems to handset makers can actually be understood as the process of allowing new versions of Android code to run successfully on their hardware devices. This process is complex and can be summed up in the following steps: OEMs cannot get directly from Google to the Android source onboard system provider (SoC noun) directly from Google to get the source code, and then according to the source to make "board-level support package" (BSP), The support package will contain specific drivers and optimizations, and so on. After the board-level support package is completed, it is sent to the OEM and the OEM will use the support package to upgrade their hardware. For now, most handset makers will have to wait for their mobile chip makers, such as Qualcomm, to respond, before they can launch a system upgrade process. And these manufacturers are very cautious, they will not release the upgrade message before the matter is guaranteed. Sometimes, even if the technology of a mobile phone product is not too old, the support for the upgrade of the handset's internal chip may be canceled. There are times, such as HTC One S, where manufacturers have promised to update the system, followed by the cancellation of support for new devices due to the chip makers. If this happens, there is nothing to say. Of course, the support of a mobile phone chip manufacturer for a version of Android does not necessarily mean that OEMs will support it. For the current version of the system things, the situation is quite complex. Samsung, for example, can get the Android source code directly, and they have the technology to design their own chips, but they're usually just customizing. The international version of the Samsung mobile phone is Exynos chip, in the U.S. market, Samsung uses Qualcomm's chip. So Samsung was able to update their mobile phone models using Exynos S2 chips in time because they had complete controllable source code for the chip, but for the LTE version of Samsung handsets, they had to announce the cancellation of upgrades because they used a Qualcomm S3 chip. Shen Yan brilliantly commented: "Android is not perfect, but that's the way it is in the industry right now. "We want to give out through this articleThe advice is: if you're serious about Android updates, get a Nexus device. But Google cannot guarantee a 100%-time update. So on the whole, don't get too tangled up with updates, and buy a phone that you like.
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