Too Many Android Phones?(UPDATE)

I am an Android enthusiast and I'm not afraid to admit it. As much as I love Google, there are 2 things about Android that always frustrate me: the frequency of phone releases and fragmentation. 

I'll start with the first one. I, as I'm sure many of you as well, don't like buying the latest "flagship" device only to find out that a new one is on the way a month later. While I disagree with many of Apple's business choices, the fact that they only sell 1 phone a year is smart. I don't want to shell out $200+ for the top of line super phone, and then hear 2 months later that there is something better on the market; it's getting old. 

A classic example would be Samsung. The Galaxy S3 was released in the US around June, and already Samsung has stated that they will be launching the S4 in February. If I owned an S3, I would be upset; I'm sure a lot of people who do own it will be. It really isn't fair to the consumer to launch a phone that is "better" than theirs, when theirs is a mere few months old. 

Another problem with this marketing strategy is that the market is becoming quite diluted. The overwhelming amount of devices that manufacturers are cranking out makes it difficult for the average consumer to choose the best option. I think if OEMs would stick to launching 1 flagship device and 1 mid-range device every year, we'd have more than enough Android goodness to go around. With HTC, Samsung, LG, Motorola, etc... building 1 super phone each a year, instead of every few months, not only would the market be less cluttered, but it would leave room for much greater improvements between flagship devices rather than a few small ones. Then all these "flagship" devices wouldn't seem like they are just evolutionary upgrades. Maybe if there was a bigger gap between launches, we would actually get updated to the latest version of Android...

Finally, one of the biggest annoyances this causes is fragmentation. 

Android 4.0, or Ice Cream Sandwich, was released in November of 2011; Jelly Bean, or 4.1, was released June of this year, and a majority of devices are still running Gingerbread(2.3)...

With the exception of Nexus devices, there is no guarantee that you'll be updated to the latest software. With all the variables involved, like carriers and OEMs skinning the update, it could be months before you actually receive the next software update. By that time there will most likely already be another super phone from that manufacturer running the latest software. In most cases you will be stuck with whatever comes with the phone the day you buy it. So where does this leave consumers? Confused. 

These companies really need to think about their marketing strategy because it is becoming less appealing with each new version of Android. 

So now that you know how I feel, tell me how you feel! Do you think that manufacturers need to take a step back, or is more just merrier? Tell me in the comments.

UPDATE: Samsung has a come out and said that they are NOT releasing the Galaxy S4 in February. I think this is a good thing.