Android 4.3: Impatience, Nexus fever and slight jealousy

It's been a few days since the announcement and subsequent release of Google's latest Android Jelly Bean 4.3, and in that time - for those of us on Google+, it's likely if you're an avid fan of Android, that in some way or another you've been inundated with screenshots from fellow Android fanatics and their devices' requests to update to 4.3.

It was all shared love amongst the community initially, and even those who hadn't yet received any such update we're gracious enough to offer commiserations to those now basking in the very freshest jelly beans on offer. Most of the aforementioned were, (and still) eagerly awaiting - frustrated that their Nexi hadn't yet received the update, and this is spurred folks to come to loathe the next screenshot of something they didn't have.



This made me chuckle a little. Android 4.3 brings improvements, sure, but it isn't to 4.2.2 what Android 4.0 was to 2.3, or what 5.0 should be to 4.3. I couldn't quite reason with the fact that the patience of these individuals were so limited, that they were already clamouring at the sight of screenshots within two days of the OS update. We have Nexus devices, yes, but even then that doesn't mean we're guaranteed to have updates immediately. The purpose of Nexi is to bring new flavours before other, more mainstream devices see them. Causing a stir because you've had to sit by and effectively watch everyone else post their glory shots in your news feed is understandable to an extent - but an update like 4.3 can be waited on, as it's nowhere near as significant as a redesign of an OS. People should bear in mind the update has only been live for around a week - a time for getting ones' knickers in a twist is when devices outside the Nexus family begin receiving legitimate 4.3 OTAs from OEMs.

I'm not fussed by my distinct lack of 4.3 on any of my Nexi - but I am cradling my OG Nexus 7 awkwardly, for it knows I'm eyeing its newer sibling. It happens every time there's a new Nexus introduced into Google and Android's family - an outgoing device being made to feel neglected. I love my N7, don't get me wrong, but given the new Nexus 7 is being touted by some tech bloggers as what the tablet should have been from the start, and an even greater steal that the original - it's hard for me not to consider what life would be like with a snazzy new Nexus. But alas, I won't be purchasing one, as I intend on maintaining my streak of buying Nexi in odd numbers, for my theory that odd numbers (at least in the world of Android), bring some exciting stuff (think about it - OS wise). Admittedly, whilst this isn't necessarily applicable to the N7 series thus far, it is certainly the case for Nexus smartphones.

Most of the reason why I'm even considering the new Nexus 7 is because my current one (which from day 1 when I pre-ordered, I hammered into my head that I would own it for two years) is because at times, it's impossibly sluggish for a quad-core. Yes, Tegra 3 is not in any way on the same scale as more modern quad-cores, but for it to feel slower than a dual-core Galaxy Nexus running 4.1.2 (4.2+ requires an incredible sum of patience) is a massive disappointment. On the one hand, I blame myself partly, for perhaps my modding and flashing of custom ROMs and Kernels in particular may have been the cause for the scourge I'm now left to endure, but I can't help that - it is a Nexus, what do you expect?

Android 4.3 is supposed to bring performance and battery enhancements to alleviate the afflicted OG N7, as well as the GNex - and some have found this indeed to be the case in their own usage, but not everyone has noticed a change significant enough, so it seems like something that affects each person differently, and according to how and what they use their devices for.

And now we're back to the topic of updates (unsurprisingly).