[thescrewdriver]

It's not just the operators. If an Android phone is more than 12 months old manufacturers simply stop providing updates, and even if they did they'd have to wait for the operators to add their crapware. It's a problem with the Android ecosystem as a whole, which doesn't seem to affect (the overpriced) iPhone from what I can see.

[aNoob7000]

I'm not sure what Apple has to do with the poor software support by Android manufacturers.

I want also point out that cost is really not the issue with Android support. As an example, Samsung which has large share of the smartphone market does a very poor job of keeping their phones updated.

[droopybuns]

This is simply incorrect.

The OEMs have to pay developers to implement AOSP on their devices. They reassigning the developers to new devices after a Handset has shipped. Those developers are always working on the next revenue source.

Assigning developers to implement patches on devices that have long since launched does not generate new revenue and it takes them away from developing devices that will generate new revenue.

[thescrewdriver]

Apple demonstrates that it's possible to keep devices up to date, an example which the Android manufacturers could emulate.