As we know that Google was officially announced Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) on October 18th 2011 for developers to start building apps for the new platform. And the next month later Google made it available as an open source download and people was introduced by the launch of the first mobile device with the new OS version installed, the Galaxy Nexus. The next is the Nexus S as the previouse Google phone which is the only other smartphone to be receiving an official update to ICS.
It seems that what the Verge was write is true that "Google is having its Ice Cream Sandwich and eating it too, but users are left hungry".
When HTC response to Google to questions about upgrades for its older smartphones, Google said that they were "reviewing the features and functionality" of the new operating system and evaluating the viability of updates. Was this the sign that HTC really kept out of the loop until the code was publicly detailed and released under an open source license? It's possible.
There are rumors of Google choosing favorites among Android manufacturers by providing early access to its next OS for some but not others have been heard, but we shouldn't place all the blame for these delays on Google's side.
Google doesn't make a habit of enforcing exclusives, of course, but its own active involvement in the Android upgrade process seems to mirror Apple's behavior with the iPhone: get the hero device out with the new OS, update the previous hardware generation, and focus on delivering a cohesive user experience that's recognizably yours. Android phone owners are left at the mercy of quixotic phone makers and myopic carriers.
The one party that isn't gaining anything in this unholy muddle is the user. The term "Android" still encompasses the full range of devices running the operating system, from the Acer Liquid Express to the ZTE Blade II, and yet we're sat watching as a two-stage software update roadmap develops. One is for Google's own, the Motorola Xooms and the Galaxy Nexuses and the other is for everyone else, leaving Android phone owners at the mercy of quixotic phone makers and myopic carriers. Needless to say, that's not the way it should be.
If Google is in charge of the Android project, it should accept responsibility for all of it, because that's how the rest of the world perceives it. And if it's not, it should come clean by clearly defining which devices will and won't benefit from its "express new OS" service. The Android users really want to know what's going on the Android 4.0 rumors.
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