Google's increasingly prickly Android perception problem

Ask most Android enthusiasts for their thoughts on the eternal "iPhone vs. Android" debate, and you're bound to hear some comically common conclusions:
Android is more advanced and ambitious, both in its software and especially in its hardware (hello, folding phones!).
Android is more customizable and conducive to productivity, thanks to all the ways it lets you take total control of your virtual environment and make it work the way you want.
The iPhone is bland, old-fashioned, and boring in co