Back when phones were mostly sold via carriers ("new phone every 2 years"), I suspect OEMs wouldn't want it because updates would almost guarantee no updates fo

Back when phones were mostly sold via carriers ("new phone every 2 years"), I suspect OEMs wouldn't want it because updates would almost guarantee no updates for the duration that the phone was supported by Google. In a plateauing market where more customers buy their own phones, it could be a differentiating factor. As an iPhone user I buy an unlocked phone every 3 years or so, updates are therefore important to me -- but clearly not to enough of the Android market right now.