1. skstrials's Avatar
    I find it quite ridiculous that we have android phones costing close to a grand. Yet, their within two years of the phone release, the phone does not receive up to date security patches.

    I have a Dell windows tablet that is worth $300 new. It had been updated to windows 10 from windows 8.1 for free and windows 10 should receive security patches for 10 years from the release of the software.

    My phone is now the most expensive electronic I carry but it is ridiculous that it should be replaced so often.
    08-17-17 10:25 AM
  2. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    Will your tablet get Windows 12 for free? The free Windows 10 was a gimmick to try and create a userbase that would help their mobile efforts.

    Problem is you have one company doing the OS and another doing the hardware. Unlike Windows that runs on most all PC hardware, each Mobile OEM is responsible for providing the drivers and tweaking the software as they see fit. Google at this point is contractually limited on what they can do.

    If you want long term support from an Android phone, buy a Google sold phone. If you want the best long term support for your $1000 investment, buy an Apple phone. Which is why most of the business world that hasn't gone to BYOD has moved to Apple - support and service means a lot to them.
    08-17-17 10:56 AM
  3. bb10adopter111's Avatar
    It depends on how you define fair. It's within BlackBerry's rights, from my reading of the licensing agreement I signed. So it's probably legal.

    At the same time, I'll be disappointed if my phone isn't patched for at least four years, as I've never had a BlackBerry last less than four years.

    Finally, it also depends on how critical the patches are. If my phone works and has no known vulnerabilities, I won't care about the technicality of patches frequency.

    Posted with my trusty Z10
    08-17-17 01:11 PM
  4. thurask's Avatar
    Mobile contracts are for two years, no?
    08-17-17 01:13 PM
  5. Dunt Dunt Dunt's Avatar
    It depends on how you define fair. It's within BlackBerry's rights, from my reading of the licensing agreement I signed. So it's probably legal.

    At the same time, I'll be disappointed if my phone isn't patched for at least four years, as I've never had a BlackBerry last less than four years.

    Finally, it also depends on how critical the patches are. If my phone works and has no known vulnerabilities, I won't care about the technicality of patches frequency.

    Posted with my trusty Z10
    The technicality is.... there are people still running unpatched versions of 6.0, 5.0 or even 4.3 that have "vulnerabilities" but that the user will probably experience no issues.

    Technically... there are known vulnerabilities in the PRVI and DTEKs.... There are known vulnerabilities in 7.1 that won't be fix until 8.0 hits. Those montly security patches are just one piece of the Android Security puzzle.
    08-17-17 02:07 PM
  6. bb10adopter111's Avatar
    The technicality is.... there are people still running unpatched versions of 6.0, 5.0 or even 4.3 that have "vulnerabilities" but that the user will probably experience no issues.

    Technically... there are known vulnerabilities in the PRVI and DTEKs.... There are known vulnerabilities in 7.1 that won't be fix until 8.0 hits. Those montly security patches are just one piece of the Android Security puzzle.
    Fair points. I guess the issue is whether the vulnerabilities are exploited rather than whether they are known by white hat experts.

    Posted with my trusty Z10
    08-17-17 02:52 PM
  7. skstrials's Avatar
    Will your tablet get Windows 12 for free? The free Windows 10 was a gimmick to try and create a userbase that would help their mobile efforts.

    Problem is you have one company doing the OS and another doing the hardware. Unlike Windows that runs on most all PC hardware, each Mobile OEM is responsible for providing the drivers and tweaking the software as they see fit. Google at this point is contractually limited on what they can do.

    If you want long term support from an Android phone, buy a Google sold phone. If you want the best long term support for your $1000 investment, buy an Apple phone. Which is why most of the business world that hasn't gone to BYOD has moved to Apple - support and service means a lot to them.
    There is a difference between expecting security updates and upgrades in software.

    I would be happy to stay with both Windows 10 and Marshmallow, if BlackBerry kept on securing it.

    In comparison to Windows, there are multiple different OEMs as well. They all have to create separate drivers for their own hardware too. For instance, Dell had to create separate Windows 10 drivers for each of my hardware component, when I received my windows update.

    It is not unreasonable to expect longer security patches when phones cost just as much as a Windows desktop.
    chi-town311 likes this.
    08-17-17 04:30 PM
  8. app_Developer's Avatar
    Phones and phone OSes are evolving much faster than PC's are right now. So unfortunately expecting a phone to be supported for 4 years is unlikely.

    If longevity of support is an issue, Apple is your best bet.
    Laura Knotek likes this.
    08-17-17 04:45 PM
  9. FishhPoohh's Avatar
    I find it quite ridiculous that we have android phones costing close to a grand. Yet, their within two years of the phone release, the phone does not receive up to date security patches.

    I have a Dell windows tablet that is worth $300 new. It had been updated to windows 10 from windows 8.1 for free and windows 10 should receive security patches for 10 years from the release of the software.

    My phone is now the most expensive electronic I carry but it is ridiculous that it should be replaced so often.
    Why would any company support a product longer than 2 years?? It's not profitable for them to do so. Technology is constantly advancing
    08-24-17 07:45 AM
  10. glwerry's Avatar
    It is not unreasonable to expect longer security patches when phones cost just as much as a Windows desktop.
    Don't forget the huge research and development expenditures needed to create new hardware - especially when you consider the miniaturized nature of phones.
    That's why phones cost a thousand bucks. That and having to have the latest/greatest.
    08-24-17 10:07 AM
  11. skstrials's Avatar
    Why would any company support a product longer than 2 years?? It's not profitable for them to do so. Technology is constantly advancing
    You clearly did not read my post.

    I have already showed microsoft windows products as an example of longer security support. I am not necessarily asking for a constant software upgrade.
    08-24-17 11:14 PM
  12. Troy Tiscareno's Avatar
    Desktop OSs are very different from mobile devices OSs, given that a unique build must be created, extensively tested, and optimized for not just each model of phone but each sub-model. The amount of work to develop a working build is night and day different.
    08-25-17 12:51 PM
  13. anon(10218918)'s Avatar
    To the headline question: No, it is a shame !
    08-25-17 04:52 PM
  14. puffstack's Avatar
    If you have an iPhone 5 (released September 2012), you still have access to the latest security updates, and OS updates. The iPhone 5 shipped with iOS 6, and you can update that phone to iOS 10.

    This to me sounds like a security conscious company.

    The next version of iOS, 11, will drop support for the iPhone 5. That's five (5) years of support.

    What standard will BlackBerry stand by? What identifies a security driven company that sells security minded products?
    08-26-17 01:31 PM
  15. app_Developer's Avatar
    If you have an iPhone 5 (released September 2012), you still have access to the latest security updates, and OS updates. The iPhone 5 shipped with iOS 6, and you can update that phone to iOS 10.

    This to me sounds like a security conscious company.

    The next version of iOS, 11, will drop support for the iPhone 5. That's five (5) years of support.

    What standard will BlackBerry stand by? What identifies a security driven company that sells security minded products?
    Apple does that because there are a LOT of iPhone 5 users. That phone sold hundreds of millions of units, and because of strong refurb market, many are now in the hands of their second owners. That's a lot of people who benefit from that support and those security updates.

    The other thing is that the iPhone series has been a steady evolution. It's easier to support 5 years of devices when they are a nice progression like that.
    08-26-17 02:04 PM
  16. Antberrymartyr1's Avatar
    If you were to be a person experiencing the present DTEK60 ripoff... with security updates and questionable support not having been provided since early June (and gaps in security updates prior to June) - then fairness and the fact that the phone has been abandoned well within one year of launch ..... that would be evidently UNFAIR.

    Caveat Emptor - especially if you have not yet been ripped off by BlackBerry group products ... you may well be
    08-28-17 05:32 PM
  17. The_Passporter's Avatar
    I think Wikipedia should list "Blackberry" definition as "tell someone who cares".
    09-22-17 10:21 PM

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