2011 was a great year for Android. We saw a gobs of new devices with cutting edge dual-core processors, in what seemed like more of an arms race, than an attempt at giving the consumer what they really needed. These devices which were launching, what seemed like, every few weeks on just about every carrier (except Sprint) wasn’t quite accepted with the fanfare intended. Instead, it was met with bitterness and resentment over early adopters jumping on the latest device at the time. But it’s a funny thing, time. It moves. And when dealing with Android and OEM’s not just competing with the latest iPhone but now each other, technology seems to be moving even faster.
Apparently, the problem many are having now is not that there are too few great devices out there, but that now there are too many. And it’s not just the overall quantity, which could be great for app developers and the platform in general but that these devices are launching too frequently. A new device today is considered by some “obsolete” when a better, more powerful, longer lasting model drops a few weeks later. This has been no better evident as when Motorola released the Bionic, only to get 1-up’d by the RAZR then the RAZR MAXX, a few months after.
Now, I get it. You want to know the device you have is going to last you. You don’t want to spend your hard earned money on something when it can be considered “obsolete” the following week. But as a technology enthusiast first, and Android lover second, there’s no way, in my right mind, that I would ever want tech to move along at a slower pace. Especially on my account. Just because I couldn’t handle someone walking around the streets with a device that spec wise, is “better” than mine. The question I ask myself is, “Do these people really love tech — or do they love the status symbol tucked away in their jean pocket?”
I’ve said it time and time again — competition is good. It drives innovation, pushing technology further and getting it more quickly in consumers’ hands.
I can understand that some of you feel cheated. You were locked into another 2 years with your carrier only to find out something better was just around the corner. But really, what did you expect? Not only that but what other option is there? Slow things down? An OEM can’t disclose when every device will launch from here until kingdom come. Nobody would buy what just came out, knowing some better was just around the corner. Funny thing is, we do know something better is around the corner. There always is. That’s the way technology has always worked.
You can go out and buy a new car. One that’s had the same body style and technology for years, only to find out that if you waited a few months longer, you could have had the all new, redesigned model. Sexier. Sleeker. Better technology. It’s how the world has always worked. Back in the summer of ’87, my Aerialbots were outdone by the Dinobots only a few weeks later. Yeah, it hurt. But ultimately, there were more Transformers to play with.
A wise man once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile — you could miss it.” So, I say, enjoy the device you have now. Keep your youthful enthusiasm and eyes looking forward, but don’t let it get you down. When your 24 month jail sentence is finally over, you’ll have a smartphone playing COD MW3 like it was Pac-Man.
All that being said, many major Android OEM’s have stated that things will slow down in 2012. If you ask me, the reason things got so mixed up last year probably had something to do with carrier delays messing up the timing of these big device launches, pushing them closer and closer to one another. Nothing Bible by any means, just my personal theory.
So buckle up your seat belts, kids. Even if things do slow down in 2012 I’m sure it’ll move faster than some will still be able to handle. For those, I suggest a certain other phone that may be more suited to your liking. As for me and my house, we will follow the Android.