This one's going to be a doozy:
Don't lie. You totally are. I knew it the moment you kept mentioning "facts" and "kool aid". Well, I'll bite. *Cracks Knuckles*
Thousands? Try 75, but that's a high estimate. Feel free to count for yourself:
http://www.android.com/devices/
The problem is Google, when they first released Android, let the manufacturers put whatever they wanted in the phone. After a while, you had full fragmentation of the Android Line. That's why most of the users don't have the latest version. I see you didn't question the Apple pie chart about how many users are on ICS. Because it's completely true.
Hmm. Windows 7 = 2009. Pentium 2 = 1997- 1999. That's a 10-12 year difference! If you're going to make analogies, and claim everybody is using the "Apple Kool-Aid", maybe try to use better analogies. It would be like using Windows 7 on a Pentium 4 machine. What do you know. It can.
The problem is most cell phone manufacturers don't want to flow cash into support for hardware that either didn't sell or is old by cell phone standards (6 months or more). While Apple supports products for 2 years. I don't see the HTC Desire get ICS. Oh right, because it came out in 2010, and sold marginally well.
Like I said, they support devices for 2 years, more than I can say for any other manufacturer.
3GS: More RAM, better camera, magnetometer, iOS 3.0
Does every iteration have to be a leap forward like the first?
I'll give a little on this point. Apple does usually lag behind in the features department. However, given that their product refresh cycle is roughly every year (Android phones are constantly coming out), and when they do release a feature that is available on other phones, it's usually implemented very well (or in same cases better than the other phones). But that's a subjective statement, so take that as you will.
The iPhone has never had the best specs. But it has had the best user experience, which is what matters to most consumers.
Also, you don't need the best specs when your OS is highly optimized.
For example, a friend showed me a shooter game (can't remember the name) on his iPad 3, and Asus Transformer. Now keep in mind the game was highly omptimized for the Transformer's Tegra III graphics processor.
He launched the game at the same time on both devices. The iPad blew the Asus out of the water. Load times, sound, graphics were ALL better on the iPad's "inferior" specs.
The iPhone was the first smartphone to sell extremely well. That's what matter. Android probably would have been around without Apple, but it wouldn't have sold as well, and it definitely wouldn't be as powerful as it is today.
When it all boils down to it, Apple has NEVER been the first at anything. I don't think anybody claims they ever have. They have, however, been the one to make (whatever it is) popular and a pleasure to use.
Well, that was fun.