A convincing piece on by Chris Ziegler arguing that the breakneck release cycle of Android phones alienates the average consumer:
Don’t get me wrong, the amount of continuous engineering and marketing required to release and support devices at this kind of pace is humbling…. But as impressive as it might be to technology and business process nerds, it’s just as upsetting to the average consumer.
I can only imagine how frustrated I’d be if I had chosen the original Motorola Droid over the iPhone 4 way back when they were both brand new. The Droid was good back then, but it didn’t take very long for it to become pretty much obsolete (from a tech-oriented person’s point of view). Innovation is fine, but it seems that in the Android smartphone world it’s pretty much impossible to have the latest and greatest for more than a few weeks. It’s not like you can just upgrade your phone after a year either (unless you’re rich): you’re stuck with a 2-year contract.
After a few cycles of this madness, consumers catch on that they’re stuck in a zero-sum game. They’re always asking themselves (and us) what’s around the corner. You deny them the comfort and the reassurance of knowing that their device will be “the best” in its class, if only for a while.
The points he brings up are spot on. A recommended read.