That criticism should be maintained. Perhaps not globally, but in the US update cadence is slowed down significantly by the carriers. It is the carriers that pa

That criticism should be maintained. Perhaps not globally, but in the US update cadence is slowed down significantly by the carriers. It is the carriers that pay for device updates, and they have little incentive to do so when the "next" phone has already or will be released shortly. Nexus devices, and iOS for that matter, are updated outside domestic carrier schedules, so you don't have the same delays that have given skinned phones a bad reputation. As long as the majority of Americans use subsidized phones, the carriers will continue to be the biggest obstacle.