[masklinn]

> I think manufacturers are very pissed at having to make a different model for each carrier or make slight changes in the design and naming for each carrier.

I'm guessing that depends on the carrier, Nokia had power and brand name but HTC was founded as a strict ODM.

The advantage is that you get money to build the phone (to specs, and usually shitty, but still build it) and are cushioned from device failure: currently, carriers want many devices in their portfolio (even if most barely sell).