Well, that counterfactual implies a world where the carriers don't have a stranglehold on the market and the ability to cripple or deny service to hardware and

Well, that counterfactual implies a world where the carriers don't have a stranglehold on the market and the ability to cripple or deny service to hardware and software they don't like. In that world Android would be better off as well; phones wouldn't have unremovable bloatware or disabled functionality, and they'd get updates in a timely manner.