[sjs]

Even if you break out Samsung, Motorola, HTC, etc. you will still have the same problem within each manufacturer's lineup. Comparing individual phone models is logical but nobody does it for some reason.

It seems that people always want to compare the iPhone (a single hardware line) to Android (software) which is just bizarre.

[alsocasey]

Resale value is also being measured as a percentage MSRP, which makes sense for the iPhone, as it isn't really available for anything but MSRP, but isn't as realistic for most Android phones that can often be had for less than MSRP.

[schraeds]

So Android phones lose value just sitting on the shelf.

[mechanical_fish]

Problematic it may be, but I wouldn't call it "bizarre". The fact that the iPhone has a single line of hardware evolution, a single line of software evolution, and an extremely straightforward product line at any given time is a very deliberate branding and marketing decision by Apple, aimed at avoiding exactly the situation we see in the rest of the phone market: The marketplace is a confusing zoo in which the available mix of models changes every five minutes and nobody knows what they're buying unless they have the data sheet sitting open in front of them.

[sjs]

That people do not find it bizarre is the bizarre thing.