But most of the world don't actually suffer from carrier-branded phones in any case--so it's not a matter of carriers deciding, but whether Samsung, Motorola or HTC is releasing an update. Same crap, slightly different flavor.
In our battle with Rogers and HTC to get an update, we were told repeatedly by HTC that it was up to
Rogers to
ask for an update, and then we were told by Rogers that HTC had no intention of creating the update. What it comes down to is that if a carrier has the manufacturer customize the ROM (as Rogers did) then it is likely the case that the carrier must pay the manufacturer for any future updates, since the manufacturer would have to incur time & cost to customize the update.
So in our case, the carrier had everything to do with the update. If we had asked
HTC instead of Rogers, HTC would have done nothing. IN fact when we asked HTC we were told that Rogers has to request an update. We had to ask Rogers for an update, and Rogers had to work it out with HTC, thus the
carrier was deciding whether or not we got an update.
We had the same issue with the LG Eve, but after seeing the PR nightmare wee put HTC and Rogers through, LG and Rogers came to an understanding much faster, promising 1.6 for the Eve.
At this point we have heard
nothing about the Samsung Galaxy on Bell, or the Hero on Telus getting
any updates.
On that note, how "difficult" is jailbreaking an iPhone anyway? Having just rooted my N1, I found the process relatively straightforward as long as you follow instructions.
Yes, if you read my initial post to the end, you'll see I already covered this. Since you are a member of this forum, chances are your understanding of computers and smart phones is greater than the common user, thus putting you in "group 3", so it is understandable that you would find the instructions easy to follow along.
I was referring to the people in "group 2" who make up the majority. These are the people who ask the people from "group 3" for computer support when they can't find something or make something work. They say things like "My internet program doesn't work" when they refer to their web browser, or any other simple thing people from group 3 take for granted.
No matter how "easy" you think the instructions are to follow, people from group 2 will either find them difficult, or will refuse to try because of a
perception that they
might be difficult because these people are not technically inclined. They will find it as difficult as some of these people find it to use a simple web browser. (It drives me crazy when I ask someone to type a URL into the "address bar" on their browser, and they say "a what?!?", and once I explain it they type it in to a google search box, instead of the address bar, and get confused by the results.)
These people from group 2 are the majority, and the success of a platform depends on these people. That's why the iPhone is successful.
By the way, I am NOT saying that I am better than these people (in group 2) or that they are stupid, far from it. It's the difference between computers and cars. I know a lot about computers. My brother asks me for computer help all the time. But I know next to NOTHING about cars, and when I need help with my car (even simple stuff like cjecking tire pressure) I ask
him.
It's about specialized knowledge, and the majority don't want to have to possess specialized knowledge to use a smart phone.