This is a fair story (though overstated) because, as with carrier modifications, it's another example of a theoretically open platform being restricted in pract

This is a fair story (though overstated) because, as with carrier modifications, it's another example of a theoretically open platform being restricted in practice. Yes OEMs don't need Google's approval to use Android, but will they go against Google's wishes if Google branding helps shift handsets, and if by going along with Google they get closer involvement with the OS development, upgrades and so on? Yes anyone else can set up another App Store but how much of a benefit is that when Google use their vast might to make it unlikely that 90% of people owning phones will ever know anything but the Google sanctioned one? I don't think it's a case of Google vs. Apple, more a case of the theory of openness against the practice of it. You'd be foolish to overstate what this means for Android, but similarly you'd be unwise not to see that the practicalities of the situation mean that it's not quite as perfectly open as many would hope.