U.S. versions of the Galaxy S III may not see the Jelly Bean update until 2013 (Confirmed)

*UPDATE: Samsung Mobile has just posted the official press-release, announcing that the Jelly Bean update for the U.S. versions of the Galaxy S III will arrive "in the coming months." It also mentions that the specific time of release for each update will be revealed by each respective carrier, kind of confirming the info below. You can find the complete press-release at the end of the story.

Just when we thought that Android phone manufacturers have learned their lesson, it seems the same old story is about to repeat itself.

The Examiner reports that Samsung spokesmen have informed it that the U.S. versions of the Galaxy S III will be the last to receive a software update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The exact reasons for this have not been specified, but we presume they might have something to do with carrier testing processes or the slightly different hardware found in those versions of the phone.

Now, the U.S. Galaxy S III getting the update last may not have been such a problem, if the rest of the markets were getting their updates quickly, but as our readers know, this has not been the case. Earlier this week we informed you that after a pause, the Jelly Bean roll out for the S III has just resumed, according to reports from Sweden.

So, what all of this means in this case, is that the U.S. versions of the Samsung Galaxy S III may not receive their Android 4.1 updates until 2013! But hey, if there's something that Android device owners have gotten used to by now, especially those in the U.S., that is waiting for updates. The good news here is for Sprint customers, who, according to the report, may be lucky enough to get their update a bit earlier. Christmas present maybe? Well, we'll see!

How do you guys feel about that unpleasant development of the story?