As the adage goes, if a for-profit corporation gives something away for free, you're not the customer, you're the product. This applies to OEM's, in this case. The "product" is a Google-controlled mobile landscape; the OEM's aren't customers, they're a means to that end.

These days I actually feel more comfortable when things aren't free. It means the company's motives aren't (completely) obfuscated.