The HTC Thunderbolt for Verizon is finally receiving its Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software update. It’s a little disappointing that Verizon and HTC have taken so long to release the update, especially since two newer versions of Android have been released since ICS.You should receive a notification when the update is available for your device (if you still have it around) at which point you can download and install the update. You can also manually check for the update under Settings.
The update was first expected to be released in August 2012, which itself was almost a year after ICS was released. Now Verizon customers have many new devices to choose from, and its likely that they have moved on from the Thunderbolt.
Software update delays are a common problem with manufacturers, but Android updates seems to be the slowest. This is greatly due to the customizations manufacturers include on their devices to give their users a unique experience over other Android devices. Ice Cream Sandwich seems to have been the worst update in recent history with many manufacturers facing huge delays before finally releasing the update.
The other fault is in the hand of carrier’s who in turn insist on taking several months to test these updates before rolling them out to their users. Verizon has been known as one of the worst even delaying the Google Galaxy Nexus updates for months even though the Nexus experience promises the device to be the first in line for updates.
The Thunderbolt users have had probably the worst experience and we don’t know if the fault is with the carrier, manufacturer or both. In any case it is extremely disappointing that customers who pay premium prices for their devices are left with a poor experience because of poor after sales support.
Google has been working hard to improve this issue, but sending their new software to manufacturers months before it is released to the public. However if this continues, Android customers will soon shift toward iOS or Windows Phone.
source – PhoneArena