Apple can wait until their OS is really ready, though, with its "beta" versions, and as soon as it's ready to be put on the iPhone, they launch the iPhone. And

Apple can wait until their OS is really ready, though, with its "beta" versions, and as soon as it's ready to be put on the iPhone, they launch the iPhone. Android on the other hand is launched as open source, and then the manufacturers have to take it and upgrade to it. What Google could do is keep Android theirs for longer, maybe call it beta, too, like Microsoft does with Windows as well, and 6 months later they could launch it at once with many manufacturers. It's won't change the timing, only the perception that everyone got Android faster.