Sure, it's currently an illiquid (due to lock-in) and uneducated market. I believe Google is trying to change that. That's why I think "users vs manufacturers"

Sure, it's currently an illiquid (due to lock-in) and uneducated market. I believe Google is trying to change that. That's why I think "users vs manufacturers" is a false dichotomy. Users and manufacturers are essentially on the same side, as the natural participants in a handset market that the carriers are trying to convince everyone doesn't exist. Update: worth noting that Apple, as a handset manufacturer, is also trying to educate the market here. One of the big advances of the iPhone was to get people buying the iPhone, not the "Verizon iPhone" or any such thing. Apple is a handset manufacturer and Google is (in this arena) a platform vendor, so their strategies look quite different, but I believe they're both interested in fixing the broken handset market.