[stromstad]

>Carriers have absolute control over the consumer sales channels

In the US. But here, on the other side of the pound, there's hardly any carrier specific additions or subtractions to/from android, just the manufacturers. The big EU markets have some (like Germany, France, UK), but unlocked phones are still always available, and many customers opt for those.

I think you're right about the situation when talking about North America, though.

Personally I've been burned by both HTC and LG on slow or no updates, so I will never by an Android phone that's not a nexus device again.

Edit: Unlocked and unbranded nexus device.