It's out. Only for the Nexus 5, 6, 9 and the Nexus Player. Grab it at the link below. http://developer.android.com/preview/download.html You will need to have your device unlocked and it will need to be flashed via adb. You can find tutorials on how to do that via a google search.
Google needs to find a way to globalize updates, because otherwise this is far to fast. I´m still wainting for official 5.1 update for my moto g2...
This is a preview, the final release probably wont be out until fall. By then most devices will probably be on 5.1.
No they won´t. Big companies and flagships phones and certain budget phones that are a hit, sure. I mean, google needs to find a way to make it easy for a small company to program updates; it take months and most don´t bother. Just think of all the phones that could run lollipop fine and will be stuck with kitkat because companies see it as too much of a harass.
Well Google isn't going to be able to do that without revoking the ability for manufacturers to differentiate the software on their device. I mean Samsung's Touchwiz and HTC's Sense heavily modify the android source code. Google can't deliver an update that also does that, without breaking their framework or just preventing them from modifying it in the first place. In some cases the level of integration goes all the way down to the hardware and in those cases proprietary firmware and whatnot definitely come into play. I can't really see google working a way around that while allowing them to control updates. Especially while having to maintain Apache 2.0 licensing. AOSP would become even more fragmented if they went for a Windows approach or something. The better solution is probably what they've been doing. Which is working more closely with the OEM's and having preview versions in order to give time for the manufacturers to update. I think google recognizes fragmentation as a problem, so they are obviously trying to curb it -- will probably be a while before you see a major effect though.
That is what the Nexus line is for. A Line of devices that are built by a 3rd party, but maintained by Google. Google also has the Google Play devices, which were just devices with AOSP roms but those did not sell well at all. I would say at that point watch what device you buy. Samsung is notorious for dropping support for devices for example. Motorola used to be pretty bad, but since being absorbed by Google Motorola has stepped up its support, and even remain to be a powerful force in support being owned by Lenovo. LG supports their flagship devices, but lesser devices don't get too much love. Google did launch Android one, which keeps updates in line for multiple devices at once. I wish they would expand on this more.
My next phone is probably going to be an iPhone. I've been with Android since the beginning, but the bugs, stability and lack of updates is going to force me with Apple. I litterally spent hundreds of hours getting my Nexus 4 and now LG G2 to the state where they are stable and working (with decent battery) while offering the services and options that they should have in the beginning. I'm tired of rooting, installing several ROM's to find a stable one/one with good features, deleting system files, tweaking the build prop, installing Xposed (and all the nonsense with it), etc., just to get a stable system and long lasting system. Not saying Apple is a million times better, but it's godamn easier to live with and gets timely updates. Even after searching through all the Kernels and ROM's, the latest stable one's for my LG G2 (a year and 8 months old flagship) is Lollipop 5.02, with 5.1 (forget about Android M) nowhere on the horizon. The Lollipop update (from 4.4.2, not 4.4.4 even) took over 7 months to arrive from Lollipop's release.
My Aunts S4 just got Lolipop pushed to her phone the other night. I don't understand why carriers take so long to release updates. My S5 got it back in Feburary. And from what I understand, is the Nexus devices are at the mercy of the carries as well. So either way, we'll be waiting for M.
I love rooting and customizing an Android device, but for some issues that manufacturers refuse to fix rooting and breaking you warranty should not be the answer. I love my iPhone, it just works! I would like to jailbreak it to add a couple of things to it but I'm fine with it stock right now(And there's no jailbreak for 8.3 yet.).
I dont think there is going to be be a jailbreak. 8.4 is supposed to be releasing within the next week or so. And ios9 is supposed to be announced shortly afterwards.
With the iPhone 4S still getting updates after 3 and half years, there is no excuse for any Android flagship within the last two years, which would gain even more due to the changes in Lollipop speeding up slower devices, not getting rapid updates; especially since most of the work is done by Google and all they have to do is skin the damn things.
To be fair though, Apple did have to cut out some fancy stuff out of ios8 to run on the 4S. Still runs pretty decent though. The OEM's problem is they all try to pack too much in a device. Samsung has so much bloatware and unused features in Touchwiz and their devices. The i9300 did not receive Kit Kat because of this(Despite Kit Kat's major advantage was it used less ram!).
That's what I love about Android. Depending on the brand of phone you have, it can be a nightmare especially stability, bugs, updates, etc... I've had all sorts of Android devices from LG to Samsung & HTC to Sony. Sony by far was the best possible device with regards to very few bugs, high stability, frequent updates and excellent user interface. Even stock UI was fluid and for this reason there are very few custom roms since the stock rom is so stable! I've had the Sony Xperia Z Ultra and now I've got the Z3. It's a fantastic all rounder and even after having the phone for several months, it's already been officially updated several times. I can honestly say it's the best phone I've had. I can bet you've never owned any recent high end devices made from Sony? They are in a different league than the others. Updates are regular and the device is fluid. I've no complaints with regards to the phone. If you happen to try a high end Sony such as a Z2, Z3 or the new Z3+ you'll love every bit of it... And yes, I agree with you 100% with regards to rooting. Without having root access, there is not much point in having an Android device. Unlocking the bootloader, removing bloatware, playing about with custom roms, running apps that require root access, etc. This is the fun of owning and using an Android device. You gotta know how to use it to get the most out of it and make it look and run the way you want to...
Nexus 4 is end of life, Nexus 5 has about 5months left before it gets the same, although it should hopefully get all Android M updates.
^ Pretty much that. That's one good thing I can say about Android when I was using it. The developer community is amazing when it comes to support for older devices