Why Android Updates Are So Slow
marco.org
marco.org
"Operating system" means different things to different people, and Android is not a OS in the sense that iOS is one.
iOS is the software that comes preinstalled on the iPhone. Android is the cross-platform environment that companies like Samsung use as a base for the software that comes preinstalled on their devices.
An "iOS release" is the time when the ROM that is delivered to the iPhone is finished and has been tested. An "Android release" is a milestone when about 70% of Samsung's ROM is finished, and they now start adding customizations, applications, QA etc.
New features to the Apple app store and iTunes are part of an iOS version update. The Play store, Google Music, Maps etc are updated multiple times each year, often to devices that are based on an older version of Android.
Don't get me wrong: Version legacy is a problem for most Android engineers. It becomes better with every release (2.3 is much more fun to code for that 1.6 was). But of course we would all like to work for the latest version as soon as it is released.
But on the other hand: At least we do have a cross platform technology like Android now. There used to be 100s of devices before Android was around, and companies like Apple still do this "make a new app just for our phone" thing. I'm very glad that today I can write a single application for HTC sense and Samsung TouchWiz. It's not a 100% perfect cross platform environment, and somestimes I still have to write some extra code for each devices.
But a 90% cross platform technology with legacy problems is still much better than not having a cross platform technology in the first place.
As for the consumer point of view: "Android" is not what he is buying. If a device gets updates or does not depend on the software, but on the service provider who is responsible for the software on your phone. That is usually the company that you bought the phone from.
Samsung's top phones get an OS update about once per year, just like Apple does it. For about two years after it was released, which is worse than Apple, but not aweful.
Some vendors are better (Google, Asus), some are worse (LG, Motorola). But that is not a software issue. It's just a misunderstanding that companies and press are not good at explaining to consumers: That Android is not an alternative to the iPhone. Galaxy S, HTC One and Nexus are, and you don't get the same software and service if you buy any of these.