Not Supporting Product-Lack-of-Support

Feb 7, 2026

The reason we can't have cool things is because companies can't commit to developing cool things.

I used to have a Samsung Z Fold 3. I didn't go for the Fold 1 or 2 because the technology seemed like it would have some issues come up (fragility, creasing, dust/particles, etc.), so I waited a few versions they could work out those issues a bit. Either way, the Fold 3 was cool. I also eventually got the S Pen Pro for it, which was also kinda neat.

Then I wanted to get a smaller phone, because the Fold 3 was like having two phones in your pocket. I went for the Z Flip 4, still just as thick but shorter folded, or leave it unfolded in my pocket (carefully) for a normal-ish-sized phone. I was disappointed to find that the S Pen Pro did not work with the Flip series, nor did any S Pen. Given the move to start supplying styluses with their S-series phones (and dropping the Note series in doing so), the lack of support was a little questionable, as the high-tier S-series had S Pen support, the Z Fold has S Pen support, and the Tab-S-series has S Pen support, but just not the Flip for some reason. Oh well, I guess I'll just not use it.

I've just gotten a Tab S11 Ultra. I'm planning to ditch my phone entirely and just have a 5G-serviced watch and the Tab. Although the Tab S11 Ultra does support S Pens, I was disappointed to learn that some of the features of the S Pen Pro are no longer supported (all Bluetooth-pairing-related), essentially just rendering the S Pen Pro a regular S Pen with this tablet.

Given this, why would I go buy a future accessory for a Samsung product when their support is only partially-present or dropped?

This even extends to features and software of devices. Samsung also had the Note Edge, which had a curved right-edge with special features related to it like a quick-launcher and other tools. It was kinda-neat, but then in future versions, the "Edge" disappeared and the features that it brought were rendered useless or altered into something completely different. Given that, why would a 3rd-party developer develop software for a device if that software would not be supported with time. Same thing with the Z Flip series, with the Flip 3 and 4 the front display is about 2/5 of the size of the whole front-cover, but had special-widgets on it. Those widgets are now useless with the Flip 7, where the front display is basically a half-height screen.

And Samsung isn't the only one, here. Google is infamous for killing their products, so my condolences to any who had their work rendered useless by that. I mean, pick any big-tech company, really. If the company making a product isn't willing to commit to their software and features, why would 3rd-parties develop for them either? This creates the big argument for why people push for open-source software, and why the Stop Killing Games initiative has garnered its support.

Anyway, long rant just to say I'm not rushing into new series-of-stuff anymore.