>
Apple would do well to decouple certain software components from iOSI'm not really convinced of this. When you control the entire hardware and software stack, and already provide updates for 7+(?) years per model, would doing this really change much? Google needed to do that because some cheapo manufacturers weren't really providing any updates to speak of, and Google has limited ability to force manufacturers to provide updates on any particular schedule.
It's funny, because to me this is really just the Linux model vs. BSD model, in a way. Linux base systems are cobbled together from various bits of software maintained by different people and groups. Many of those components can be updated independently of one another, including the kernel. The BSD model is to ship the entire base system as a versioned unit, and only update the entire thing monolithically. Android does the Linux model, iOS does the BSD model. Both models work just fine, depending on what your goals are and your distribution model.
I think the one thing I'd argue Apple should decouple from the OS is Safari. A web browser (and the underlying OS web view) should be independently updateable, even after a device stops getting OS-level security updates.