Yes, but that they needed to was my comment. Personally, even as a mobile developer, customizing my phone is not my hobby. I'd prefer a new foreign car that has certain limitations to a used Jeep that I can extend in any way I want.
But you need specific skills to customize your Jeep. On Android it takes 30 seconds and no skill to install the keyboard you want.
It's not a very hard thing to do, I'm sure as a mobile developer you don't mind installing apps other than the ones that come with your phone. A different keyboard is just another app to fulfil a need, go to the Store, click install, new keyboard. Done.
Not really. Parts are cheap and most are bolt on. It's just a matter of preference, which is why all of these droid vs apple discussions are circle jerks.
Absolutely. I need my phone to work, be simple and reliable, not require much/any maintenance. Similarly, I prefer a nice car with a warranty that I don't have to worry about or have any hassle with. A jeep might be cheaper, and when it runs slow I could install something to fix it, or if I don't like the steering wheel I could personalize it easily... but, for something I use every day and depend on, I just want it to be there and not have to deal with any complications. I'm ok with the one-size fits all steering wheel, the research driven interface on my stock radio, etc etc.