One smart move Apple has made in this is pushing hard to get people updating their iPhones to the same OS level. Of course, they're on practically identical hardware, too, which makes it very easy to remain compatible, but much less interesting from a buyer's perspective. Apple will have to deal with some of these issues, too, if they ever advance beyond 480x320 pixel screens.
And other hardware, too. My sister saw one of the barcode scanner apps on my DROID, and found something similar for her iPhone... only, the camera prior to the 3GS has a fixed-focus lens. Not useful for scanning barcodes, sadly.
I think the phone companies need to be forward about user's getting upgraded versions of the OS, much as possible. Unfortunately, while this is kind of S.O.P. for computer companies like Apple, many CE companies are not very good about offering updates, much less letting consumers know about them. This needs to change when you have a device that is, really, a full fledged, general purpose computer.
