Here, I'll just quote a post of mine from ages ago:
"Google can do that with phones that don't have a custom UI. Examples include the G1, Droid, and Nexus One. There are others. These are considered "tier-one" phones because Android is just dropped onto the phone made by the manufacturer (Motorola, HTC, etc.) and nothing is added by them.
These "tier-one" phones are usually the ones that get better and faster support if something goes wrong because it does not have to go through so many middlemen. Google sees a problem, fixes it and sends it to the carrier after some testing to make sure it works.
In the case of the Devour, CLIQ, and Backflip, they are running MOTOBLUR. It is a custom UI. HTC devices like the Incredible and Eris run Sense. Same thing. Home is like a cake with no icing. It's dry but some people like it that way. These custom UIs like Sense are the icing, they make the cake look pretty and, arguably, taste better. It comes down to preference. Icing has some nasty calories. Custom UIs take a toll on your RAM and may slow down the phone a bit.
In addition to this, phones running custom UIs have a middle-man when it comes to updates. Google makes 2.1 for the Eris, HTC adds Sense, tests Sense, VZW takes this, tests it themselves and we're still stuck without it. This is why no phone, other than tier-one phones, have 2.1. It took the Droid a surprisingly long time as well to get 2.1, considering the N1 got it in January when it was released with it. But that was supposedly VZW's server issues that hindered it. But the custom UI adds an extra step to the process, making updates longer and more complicated. Sometimes it isn't Android screwing with the hardware, it's Sense. And since the two are intertwined, it's possible that a butterfly effect occurs where correcting one thing breaks another.
So I dunno if Google really wants to deal with it like this. iPhone users can do it because Apple makes the hardware and software. Not sure how RIM does it, but.."
What I respect about Apple is their philosophy in making their products. Everything is done in-house which means if something goes wrong, they can trace it back to their error and not someone else's. Case being the antenna issue. While the company takes a direct hit for something like that, they can easily fix it and not have to run around for months trying to find which company caused the problem to begin with.
The problem with open-source is when something goes wrong, no one wants to be the father of the child of the whore that is Google. Which explains why the DInc and the Eris have the silent call issue, but others don't. The 50% without a signal issue, but others don't. This is why I left HTC, and it isn't just Android they messed up with, they screwed with WinMo years ago as well.
So this Android philosophy is a gift and a curse. We sacrifice reliability/stability in the name of "freedom." If you want consistency and stability but something that some people (not me) consider "mundane," go get an iPhone.
As for for the next iteration of Android OS after FroYo, I'm not allowed to say much, but I can tell you that the DInc will get it.
That is all.