Jelly Bean update was announced by Google a few days ago and showcased a lot of new features that have gotten Android users very interested. Apart from Nexus owners, everyone is wondering when their beloved handset will get the Android 4.1 update. HTC has already given their response and now it’s Samsung’s turn. The statement by Samsung was:
Samsung will soon announce which additional devices are eligible for the Jelly Bean update. As the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, Samsung leads the Android community with best-in-class devices like the Galaxy S III, and is creating new device categories with products like the Galaxy Note. Samsung has delivered the most Nexus-branded lead OS devices and we are pleased that Google will be bringing Samsung Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S customers the first experiences of Jelly Bean on a handheld device.
Certainly a lot of boasting about delivering updates to Nexus devices but we all know Samsung isn’t responsible for those anyway. The only thing we can make out of it that some of the devices will be getting the Jelly Bean update. Galaxy S III is surely one of those and Galaxy Note too probably. What else? Will Galaxy S II get the update? What about carrier variants of Galaxy S II and S III? Samsung’s Galaxy based phones alone outnumber almost the entire lineup of HTC. That’s great, but it makes updating all the more painful.
Samsung’s track record regarding updates has been the worst of all manufacturers, and not just on Android. They botched the NoDo update on their Focus, a Windows Phone device. Galaxy S II took nearly 4 months before it got the update all over the world and even now there are some carrier variants that are in queue. Galaxy S update was a fiasco. So based on history Galaxy S III owners have some long waiting to do. At the earliest you’re looking at Q4 2012 which is still 6 months away.
Those who want to go the custom way, do so. Relying on Samsung for updates requires patience and handling frustration. It’s hard to swallow, but that has been the Samsung way.