[lostsock]

Came here to say exactly this. OP doesn't hate Android, he hates the mobile landscape in the US.

I live in Australia with a fully unlocked Android handset. I pay $16 / month for my no contract dumb pipe and that's that.

Android has nothing to do with the issue that the OP hates...

[drats]

Exactly the same where I am. I have vanilla ICS on a Nexus S with a pre-pay that I can leave for a better deal at any time. This guy's article is totally off looked at from a global perspective. The billions rising out of poverty into the global middle class will never be able to afford an iPhone, Android is going to totally dominate in these markets. That's multiples of the US population. Apple has no hope at all in clawing that back.

[unicornporn]

Same in Sweden. And I too have vanilla ICS on a Nexus S.

[reidmain]

Why won't they be able to afford an iPhone? Are you are implying that they can afford an Android phone because they will be $0 if you sign a contract? iPhones have this option nowadays as well.

What makes an Android phone easier to get a hold of compared to a iPhone? Both phones are $500+ if you get them standalone.

[andrewpi]

Actually one can get off-contract Android phones for as cheap as $99, or maybe even cheaper. They aren't top of the line devices, but they work. The only time an iPhone is that cheap is with a carrier subsidy.

[reidmain]

ah OK if we're talking about phones that don't compare to the iPhone then yeah Android has a lot of options.

You referenced Nexus S with ICS so I thought we were comparing that to the iPhone.

[2muchcoffeeman]

I live in Australia too. Carriers are still able to have their way to some small extent.

I was regularly inquiring about android handsets for the last couple years. There were still carrier exclusives (for x number of months), and no one would sell me a high-endish, unlocked handset (e.g. Galaxy S).

The easiest way to get an unlocked Android handset is buy it online (be careful you get correct handset variant).

If manufacturers weren't capitulating to carrier demands silly things like this would not happen.

If you want an unlocked iPhone you go to an Apple store and just say so and it works on all carriers.

[etherael]

There's no such thing as an unlocked iphone. I get what you mean, carrier unlocked, but the implication you can get one that is unlocked in the same way as an android phone can be unlocked is not true. And you're right, even in Australia if you absolutely positively insist on dealing with the carriers at retail, they will try to screw you almost as hard as the people in the US get screwed. You don't have to put up with it though, just buy online.