Why are Android phones becoming obsolete so fast?
Are you sick of your Android just weeks or months after getting the flashy device?
Blame “Android’s law,” a phrase coined by a Tuesday CNN Money report which observes that Android updates and phones with new hardware are being made quicker and quicker.
Take the timeline of new Android phones introduced since the Motorola Droid was unveiled in November 2009.
The speedier Nexus One was made public the very next month. The HTC Droid Incredible dropped in April, the Evo 4G in June, and then the Samsung Galaxy S and the Nexus S later in the year.
Android phones are flooding the market at such a quick pace that every new phone introduced stays on the market for just several months. After that, they are banished into obsolescence when newer, better phones are released.
In comparison, before 2007, smartphones were still selling three years after their initial introduction, smartphone manufacturer HTC told CNN Money.
“Now consumers want more power and faster phones,” Keith Novak of HTC told the news network. “With increased competition, there’s a more pressing reason for shorter lifecycles.”
Technology blog Tested.com has some advice for Android enthusiasts on how to get the best deal with “Android’s law” when buying a new Android phone.
“The next time you go to buy a phone, you may just need to shop knowing that you have to be happy with what you get,” Tested.com’s Ryan Whitwam writes in a Tuesday blog post.
For example, “if you know a 2 year contract is going to leave you upset in a year, don’t take the contract,” he added in the post.
Are you sick of your Android just weeks or months after getting the flashy device?
Blame “Android’s law,” a phrase coined by a Tuesday CNN Money report which observes that Android updates and phones with new hardware are being made quicker and quicker.
Take the timeline of new Android phones introduced since the Motorola Droid was unveiled in November 2009.
The speedier Nexus One was made public the very next month. The HTC Droid Incredible dropped in April, the Evo 4G in June, and then the Samsung Galaxy S and the Nexus S later in the year.
Android phones are flooding the market at such a quick pace that every new phone introduced stays on the market for just several months. After that, they are banished into obsolescence when newer, better phones are released.
In comparison, before 2007, smartphones were still selling three years after their initial introduction, smartphone manufacturer HTC told CNN Money.
“Now consumers want more power and faster phones,” Keith Novak of HTC told the news network. “With increased competition, there’s a more pressing reason for shorter lifecycles.”
Technology blog Tested.com has some advice for Android enthusiasts on how to get the best deal with “Android’s law” when buying a new Android phone.
“The next time you go to buy a phone, you may just need to shop knowing that you have to be happy with what you get,” Tested.com’s Ryan Whitwam writes in a Tuesday blog post.
For example, “if you know a 2 year contract is going to leave you upset in a year, don’t take the contract,” he added in the post.
