So are iPhone users. The difference being that Apple has shown a track record of updating their older phones, while Motorola is developing a track record of the opposite.

There's nothing stopping a manufacturer from developing a good track record with an Android phone, but so far most haven't. Developing such a reputation could be a strong competitive advantage for someone making Android phones.

Agree with you. Someone should step up their game when it comes to updating their older phones.

Apple can do that with the iPhone and Google can do it with their Nexus models probably because they don't release a bazillion different phone models in a year (like HTC/Motorola/etc...).

so, what would be the advantage of being "open"?

There are many advantages of being "open", but being "open" is not a good substitute for having the manufacturer keep the phone up to date.

I read it as the opposite: Android users can update their software regardless of what their manufacturer does.

I think you missed the irony. Such a small percentage of people will ever type something into a terminal that it's irrelevant.

Even more that command would not give you the ability to reflash your phone.

You would still have to root it and get a rom that works on that model.

All that really means is that most people don't really care that much about the number buried way deep in their phone's Settings menus.

Yeah, but they do care when the app they want to use won't work on their phone because their software is too old.