Quote: "The problem with Windows Phone and Android is that the software makers do not control the hardware." -Contradiction

I actually like the way Microsoft and Google don't control the corresponding hardware that houses the phone's software. Imagine if Microsoft, Google, Samsung and others followed Apple's lead and bundled software into their own specific, pre-determined hardware. The result would be a stifling of new ideas. Innovation would suffer and this is one of the reasons why I like how Google doesn't force their own ideas on either the software (developers are more free to vastly customise the Andriod OS) or the hardware (there is wide choice of differing hardware setups in Android devices).

After all, It's up to us, the developers, to create working, usable and friendly software that meshes well with hardware and suits the intended user.

It shouldn't be the other way around where phone manufacturers use a 'cookie cutter' hardware spec and force consumers to use a defined hardware model. Fixing the phone's base dimensions, setting the sized screen to 3.5" (or another arbitrary size) and restricting peripheral connections are just some of the practices that Apple partakes in.

However, in actuality, Apple is pushing their own opinion of 'what's best' onto their users. This, in turn, results in the user having to adapt to the phone's limitations and quirks rather than providing different hardware specs/sizes to suit the demands of each target audience.