After considerable backlash from owners and press alike over their decision to forgo Android 4.0 upgrades for the various Galaxy S and Galaxy Tab models, Samsung announced yesterday that they were considering alternatives in order to get Ice Cream Sandwich to customers. At least one option was disabling certain features, possibly including Samsung’s custom skin TouchWiz. Today Korean website Daum reports that Samsung may be following another path, in the form of a smaller “Value Pack” software update.
The update wouldn’t be a full upgrade from Gingerbread to Ice Cream Sandwich, instead opting to add some of Android 4.0’s features to existing phones and tablets. How this might be achieved wasn’t mentioned, but it might be incorporating the features from the ICS version of TouchWiz into the older models. Other options might be a new launcher or multitasking user interface to ape Ice Cream Sandwich’s changes. Samsung hasn’t said anything on the subject, so consider all this rumor at the moment.
Assuming that there’s some truth in this idea, I can’t help but feel that Samsung customers won’t take kindly to it. Among those who really care about Android software updates, custom UI overlays are not held in high regard, even those as polished as TouchWiz. When Samsung initially revealed that it was passing on ICS updates because it couldn’t make TouchWiz and the new version of Android work together on lower-powered hardware, the solution seemed pretty obvious: dump TouchWiz, or at least give owners the option of doing so themselves. Nailing on bits of a newer TouchWiz package instead of a true update would not be in anyone’s best interests, including Samsung itself – assuming that they want repeat customers when all the Galaxy S owners’ contracts run out in 2012.
[via XDA]
I agree, Samsung needs to take care of the original buyers of the Galaxy S, not offer to give us some other little package instead of ICS update !
The problem is samsung sold the phone with touchwiz and has to keep that there or risk confusion since the everyday consumer is not as bright as us who come to these blogs.
That’s Samsung and HTC now questioning whether to upgrade recent phones to ICS. No doubt at the back of their mind is that they want to force people to buy new hardware.
The Galaxy S isn’t capable of running ICS. It’s as old as the Nexus One. You can’t expect an old, obsolete phone to be supported forever. It’s a miracle that the Galaxy S phone got Gingerbread.
and what about the nexus S what would you say about that phone?
http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=3620&idPhone2=3115
The Galaxy S can’t be upgraded for the same reason as the Nexus One. Their memory configuration is identical. The Nexus S is configured differently than the Galaxy S is.
Ur an idiot. U have no idea how stupid u sound. The galaxy s and the galaxy s 2 have the same memory configuration. (2gb rom rest as internal SD.) The problem is Samsung thinks that if they upgrade the galaxy s we won’t buy there s3 or s2. Besides if the Sony xperia arc could run it the galaxy s can…
The Galaxy S can certainly support ICS. But ICS should be without any junk including TouchWiz. We are seeing multiple hackers coming out with ICS mods for Galaxy S i9000 which are running smooth. Coming back to the same old question:
WHEN SOME HACKERS ARE ABLE TO PREPARE AN ICS MOD FOR GALAXY S AS A HOBBY SPENDING JUST FEW HOURS, WHY CANT SAMSUNG SPEND A BIT MORE TIME TO GET THIS DONE? (ESPECIALLY WHEN MILLIONS OF HANDSETS HAVE BEEN SOLD WHICH HAVE CONTRIBUTED SIGNIFICANTLY TO THEIR PROFITS)
to smarterthanuare the galaxy s is a very fast and compatible phone with the new update ICS the only problem is samsung screwed us users and put touchwiz that really no one even really cared for lol