Samsung Figured Out How To Fix Android Fragmentation

Releasing the Galaxy S3 globally may solve the current fragmentation issue

The problems with Android Fragmentation seem to be an ongoing problem in the mobile device world which Apple has shown does not have to be an issue. Apple releases an iOS update to all their devices at the same time and they seem to roll out very quickly with the vast majority of phones being updated in about a month. Android has lacked the ability to be able to get things updated that quickly and recent information proves just how slow the process actually is. But, Samsung's current release of the Galaxy S3, may be leading the way to resolve all of those issues and become the standard for how to correct the long standing problem of Android Fragmentation.

In the past, the release of a new Samsung phone in the US went from carrier to carrier over a period of a few months to much longer. As a result, the carriers where pretty much in control of when an update to the Android OS actually got updated. As an example, the ICS update for the T-Mobile Galaxy S2 will start to roll out on Monday, but Android 4.0 for the Sprint Galaxy S2 Epic 4G Touch has no date for arrival on those devices. And this is just an example of what so many have been experiencing. Android Fragmentation is looming large with a 7.1% share for ICS as of June 1st. And yet the Galaxy Nexus was the first ICS phone launched last December, but here we are over 5 months later and the market share of ICS is far less than 10%. The slow roll out of a new Android OS is a big problem and creates frustration among Android phone owners.

Samsung may have discovered the solution by having all carriers in the US who are going to be carrying the Galaxy S3 have them in stock within weeks of each other. As you can see from the picture, there are 5 US wireless carriers who will be selling the Galaxy S3 and all of them will be selling it within a few weeks of each other. It is that kind of coordinated distribution which now gives Samsung some leverage to attempt to keep all the wireless carriers in check so that things do not get out of hand when it comes time to update the Android OS on the Galaxy S3 phones. Apple has certainly proven it can be done. Even Microsoft, who has come with their new OS late to the game, has demonstrated they can get an OS update completely rolled out in about a month. That is saying something and it definitely shows that it can be done. So, if Apple and Microsoft have demonstrated that it can be done, then it is a question of what needs to change.

And Samsung has made that determination by rolling out the Galaxy S3 worldwide in a matter of weeks. When the next ICS or even Jelly Bean OS update needs to be rolled out, they will be able to have it available for all the Galaxy S3 phones at the same time. That will put pressure on all the wireless carriers to get the OS update out to their customers in a timely manner instead of the way that it is being done today. While this is pure speculation on my part as to what might happen in the future, it does seem highly likely we will see a change in how Android updates get rolled out for the Samsung Galaxy S3. It is unknown whether this might translate to other manufacturers or phones.

If Apple and Microsoft are able to get OS updates out to their phones in a timely manner, do you think that Samsung is going to be able to alter the Android Fragmentation which we see today?

Patent Infringement Suits Force Lawyers Involvement In Design

Are lawyers becoming part of the design process for smart phones?

 
We have been hearing about the on going war between Samsung and Apple over patent infringements between the two companies. This has been happening all over the world between the 2 companies. And in a strange twist, Samsung still provides Apple with components for their devices. All of this has seen a lot of injunctions being filed between the two companies and most recently a court ordered mediation in California between the companies in an effort to settle the long running dispute. Apple has claimed on multiple occasions that Samsung has literally "copied" their technology and designs to create the Samsung models we are seeing. It is those kinds of claims which cause legal departments to inject themselves into the creative process.

And that may well be the case with the recently announced Samsung Galaxy S3 which was announced this past week. While it appears that Samsung (S Voice) has been adding features which mimic what Apple has provided on the iPhone (Siri), the actual design, or shape, of the phone has changed from what we might have expected. It raises the question of why Samsung would have made a design change and it did not leak out to match the final product. All of this may be explained because the Galaxy S3 was designed by lawyers or so goes a great article at Android Police where they lay out the facts and draw the conclusions. Given the growing spate of lawsuits we are seeing around the world, it does not surprise us that lawyers have been involved in the design of a smart phone.

So Samsung, was it worth it? Your product won't sell as well, but you won't piss off one of your biggest component customers either. I understand the motivation, but I still feel like you've sold your soul.

Back in April of 2011, Apple filed a laundry lists of infringements made by Samsung for their smart phones which were taken from the iPhone. While that is a legal matter, the article takes to task a number of specific items listed in the infringements and lays out how Samsung made sure to not tread on them in the latest Galaxy S3. And for each item, they show just what lengths Samsung supposedly went to so as to avoid the listed items and protect them from further patent infringement claims from Apple. Will this be enough to stop infringement claims against Samsung? Probably not, as companies bring out an army of lawyers for more than patent infringement, but to attempt to hold off the competition.

While you may not believe the claims that lawyers designed the Galaxy S3, there is evidence that they were involved in the process. The rounded corners of the phone are far difference from the Galaxy S II and do not add to the design of the phone. Instead they take away from the smart phone look. When I first saw the phone, I thought something looked strange about it and soon realized they have rounded the corners in a strange way. After reading the story about the lawyers designing the phone to avoid more suits, I realized what was so strange. The rounders corners at the top are different than the rounded corners at the bottom. It is that difference that seems to make the phone look funny. And, it addresses one of the infringement complaints from Apple back in April 2011.

The other item the story revealed was that the space above and below the touch screen was not the same. The vast majority of phones have the top and bottom area of the phone being exactly the same size. The Android Police article is suggesting the difference is to satisfy the lawyers so as to not infringe on Apple's claims from previous smart phones from Samsung. And that may well be the case as it does not add to the phone, but rather takes away from how it looks. The top area is 16% smaller than the bottom area and that is enough to throw the eyes off when looking at the phone. The only plausible explanation for this is because the lawyers wanted to make sure to not repeat the designs which Apple is complaining about.

Given Steve Job's design extremes for perfection, this one would have driven him crazy. Looking at it continues to bother me and that is not a good thing. I was very hopeful that Samsung would deliver a fantastic product and take a larger share of the smart phone market. With this most recent design, it appears they have missed the mark which may cost them some sales in the end. They have opened the door for Apple and the iPhone 5 which is a mistake.

It sure does look like the lawyers had a definite hand in the design process for the Galaxy S3. Do you believe the lawyers influenced the final design of the Galaxy S3?