Quote Originally Posted by henners88
The problem at present with the two devices listed above that are being released with stock Android, is the fact they are not marketed well enough. I wouldn't mind betting the average consumer doesn't know they exist. Basing this on the UK as its my only reference, but they are not advertised on TV and most of the major retailers push the standard models and don't give the option. The only places I've seen them discussed is the techy sites that gadget minded enthusiasts visit. Its a shame IMO.
I think a large portion of Android customers have always been the gadget minded enthusiasts you speak of. Besides, lack of advertisements is also one factor that helps them keep the handset cost down. This was especially true in the case of the Nexus 4. Almost next to no advertisements whatsoever, and they still sold out. But yeah, the one thing that always hurt Android flagships is lack of good advertising, which is exactly where Apple is ace.

Quote Originally Posted by henners88
If I wanted to go out tomorrow and buy the S4 on stock Android with a contract, I'd most likely have to buy the handset outright and then buy a sim only contract to go with it. It cuts down you bargaining power too as you can barter the prices of contracts down, but sim only versions are usually fixed.
I will let you in on a secret, although I'm sure you know this already. My ex told me the inner workings of the sales department at 3, and I'm sure the same works for Vodafone and Orange too. They already have a crazy markup on top of the set basic contract rate. If the customer buys it at the advertised rate, then a huge payday for them, but if not, they will easily reduce the handset cost or the monthly rental to an acceptable limit during the haggling as long as the customer thinks they are winning and getting a bargain, but as it reaches close to their acceptable set marker, they will simply refuse to go down any further, no matter how much you haggle. In fact, even if they give you the handset for free at a 25 euro monthly contract, they're still making loads of money off of you. Anything on top of that is a bonus for them. It's never a loss for them, always a win. The salesperson who sweet talks you into anything over the set rate then gets a bonus. The more you pay, the higher their bonus.

Mind you, the existing customer who gets haggling privileges has to have some prerequisites fulfilled. All their data is in the CRM module, and it depends on if you were on a higher contract and if you've been a good payer, not missing a single payment before. If the company thinks they've already made enough money off of you, they don't mind giving you a nice little discount.

Like I said, I'm sure you knew this already, but this is how these corporate SOBs operate. But at least you have the luxury of haggling in the US and UK. Most of the other places there's usually a monopoly, and they just charge absurd rates for similar contracts.

Quote Originally Posted by henners88
Hopefully we'll see stock becoming more popular on flagship models in future. The question is, would Samsung and HTC prefer the wider audience to buy their custom interface though?
I think if more customers buy and prefer the stock version, then it's less hassle for them. They don't have to bother with developing UIs anymore. Most probably the stock Android S4 and One are tests. And depending on their success, we might see further devices going the stock route in the future.