That the developer community and Microsoft themselves have had to conspire in order to give users an end-run around the carriers is pretty sad. Getting a simple firmware update for a device you've paid good money for shouldn't be so difficult or carry these risks. I've always gotten pretty good service from AT&T, but this shakes my confidence and turns it into pure nerd rage. Last year AT&T doubled the penalty for breaking contract with them from $175 to over $300. That's about what I pay for four months of service.
It's tempting to just do it, put my phone on eBay and try a different carrier in August.
I keep wanting there to be some grand reason behind the update delays. AT&T is delaying the updates because they have the best interests of their customers at heart. Given their previous behavior and public (sometimes accidental) disdain for their own customers, I'm finding it harder and harder to believe that.
While I do not work for said AT&T I do work for a major cell phone service provider and I believe I have some insight into this matter.
ReplyDeleteSince I now work for the technical support aspect it has become more prevalent: Sales.
The market is shifting towards the next best smartphone. What better to convince you to upgrade than an 'outdated' device?
While I work hours a day doing my best to fix issues with devices, an outdated and un-updatable system is irrepairable.
And I guess to be fair cellular providers are not solely responsible. Focus has to shift slightly to Samsung. Why isn't there a firmware update?
The firmware update is out there. Other people under different carriers have it, AT&T is just being stingy. There's no new or updated phone to buy, and most people in the WP7 community just think it's because AT&T can't/won't service their customers.
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