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One of the most requested features in Symbian devices, has always been being able to update the device’s OS to it’s newest iteration. Many people today, still use the S60 V3 Feature Pack 1 devices like the N95, N82, E71, etc and wish they could update it to the S60 V3 Feature Pack 2 OS that’s on the newer devices like the N96, N85, E75, etc. A new feature pack brings newer features, fixes bugs, etc.
This is not to be confused with the Software/Firmware updates Nokia releases for its devices occasionally, which are more like Service Packs for the device, than a whole OS update.
However, why this has never been possible, has never really been answered officially. Users of the older devices often heard various reasons through the grapevine, such as “The old hardware wont support the new OS“, or such.
David Wood of the official Symbian Foundation Blog, posted a bit of info about this topic, today.
Many people said, in essence:
- We like the idea of new software;
- We don’t want to change our hardware (perhaps for cost reasons, and perhaps for attachment reasons);
- Can we please have the new software on our existing hardware?
He then goes on with :
Software upgrades come in different forms:
- An over-the-air (OTA) update – sometimes without the end-user being aware of what is happening
- An upgrade that takes place via a PC Connectivity software application: the new software is downloaded to the PC, and is then “side-loaded” from the PC to the mobile device.
Software upgrades also vary in scope: some just deliver bug fixes, whereas others deliver extra functionality.
Symbian OS phones in Japan, running on the NTT DOCOMO network, often receive OTA updates. This system has been in place for a number of years, and works well.
However, there can occasionally be technical complications with an upgrade (especially when significantly new functionality is delivered). Users will typically want their add-on apps to continue to work, after the upgrade takes place. They’ll also want to preserve the data on their devices. There have been cases when upgraded software has got itself confused when it runs into data created by a previous version.
- In principle, the answer to this kind of issue is well known. Data formats need version labels: new software should be prepared to run into data created by previous versions, and to cope with it. But you have to think about this kind of thing in advance. In other words, the software has to be designed with upgrades in mind.
- So far as I’m aware, the bulk of the software inside the Symbian Platform has followed that design principle, and is therefore “upgrade ready”. The same may not be true, however, for all the additional software which gets included in actual phones.
A bigger set of issues is to do with the business model for upgrades. If new software can be downloaded onto old phones, it reduces consumer interest in buying new phones. Phone manufacturers therefore risk losing revenue. I see several answers to this point:
- In some cases, users might be prepared to pay for upgrades that provide significant new functionality;
- New software could result in more data traffic and services revenues – in principle, a portion of that could be provided to the handset manufacturer;
- Other things being equal, handset manufacturers who fail to provide software upgrades will, over time, lose out to those who do provide it.
One final twist is that, when Symbian OS had a licence fee attached to it, manufacturers would have to pay Symbian extra if they installed a later major version of the software onto an old phone. Because the Symbian Platform has no licence fee, this consideration will no longer apply.
I have to say, I’m glad to read that this is something that Symbian knows, and is talking about atleast. Head on over to the post on the Symbian Foundation Blog to read the post in it’s entirety and leave a comment.
Will we see Newer Symbian OS’s trickle down to older OS devices ? That can still go either way.
All I know is, I’d love to have S60 V3 Feature Pack 2 running on my N82.
Clinton is currently based in New Delhi, India and is executive editor for UnleashThePhones. He is responsible for all editorial decisions, and covers all forms of Mobile and mobile-related accessories.
Cj is addicted to caffeine, social media, and technology. Always up for a good conversation, you can reach him through the contact form, his website, on Google Plus 
or on Facebook or Twitter: Follow @clintonjeff
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