No new software update?

We are 5 days into Q3... 

It's totally normal for there to be no movement for 4-5 weeks between the last major public firmware update and the start of the next beta update cycle.

This is how Garmin normally does it now (give or take a few weeks):

• Week 0: Major new public firmware update gets released
• Weeks 1-5: Garmin works on next major update package behind the scenes, loaded with tons of new features and bugfixes, but not ready for alpha/beta testing yet
• Week 6: Garmin releases the first Alpha/beta for the next major firmware update
• Weeks 7-12: Garmin continues to tweak the firmware and fix bugs, sometimes adds a new feature or two along the way
• Week 13:  Major new public firmware gets released... cycle starts over again at week 0.

We're still in the "Weeks 1-5" stage, but we're pretty close to the end of that.

Good theory, because it sounds logical and structured.

But if I check the history of the F6 releases of the last couple of quarters I found none to comply with this logics. Not even Q2 2023.

https://forums.garmin.com/beta-program/fenix-6-series/f/announcement

 Sometimes there were almost a month break after a public release, sometimes just 2-3 weeks.

Tisztul_A_Visztula said:

Sometimes there were almost a month break after a public release, sometimes just 2-3 weeks.

I thought that was pretty much what I said:

"It's totally normal for there to be no movement for 4-5 weeks between the last major public firmware update and the start of the next beta update cycle.

This is how Garmin normally does it now (give or take a few weeks)"

I felt that a silent period of 2 weeks is far enough from the 5 weeks to get “Week 6: Garmin releases the first Alpha/beta for the next major firmware update” (even if I can take or give a few weeks) to mention it.

Because if these “a few weeks” can be as much as 5, you say something which is null. If it can be 3-4 then the silent period of 1-2 week is not a long silent period

In other words recently I really did not see a silence of full month (or 5-6-7 weeks) after a succesful public release. So no offence meant.

I experienced just the opposite in 2013 YTD. The silent periods were smaller than earlier, Garmin published much more beta versions for an older watch compared to 2022, when the same watch was younger.

Thus I guess people got used to it and now they feel some change happened, they dont get their regular bones.

I hope that I could express why I commented your structure. Without any intention to make you upset.

I think what makes this quarterly update cycle unique (and more time consuming) for Garmin is the addition of the new Pro products lines, which share the same firmware as non-Pro models. The Pros added a bunch of new features and changes which need to also be implemented into the non-Pros this cycle, and they need to be confident that the implementation is stable enough that it doesn't brick all the beta testers' watches. So I think that's largely why it's taking so long to get this party started.

In other words, most quarterly update cycles are just incremental updates that add a couple features and fix a few bugs, but this quarterly update cycle is likely more of a sweeping overhaul of the whole firmware, which is something that hasn't really been done yet since Garmin began this quarterly beta cycle program last year.

Good bet.

Frankly speaking I simply supposed that these new Pro models are different from the non-Pro ones just because the former have some features which  the latter will never get, but I did not check any reviews, so I did not know whether they are different in the field of hardware, too. I mean apart from size and LED.

Heartrate sensor is different too, and supposedly has ECG hardware (though not "turned on" at this point). But that could be as simple as a different sensor hub firmware file, separate from the main OS firmware. Not really sure. I'm mostly just assuming that the firmware is the same because they share the same beta forum, but it's possible they may be entirely different, too early to say for sure.

But according to DC Rainmaker who says he spoke with Garmin engineers about it, he says all the software features that the Pro has, the non-Pro will also be getting this quarter. Granted I'm just taking someone's word for it and don't have any firsthand knowledge of it myself, but usually he's a pretty reliable source of insider info.

Thx.

Btw since my honey has a Venu2s, occasionally I check the beta forum of Venu 2, too, and it is unique as regards getting continuous beta versions: https://forums.garmin.com/beta-program/venu-2-series/f/announcements

Maybe C-level of Garmin wear Venu 2. and everybody knows C-level is rather impatient  ;-)

The Venu 2 hasn't got a substantial update in forever, though.