Instead of minimizing or dismissing serious problems as 'already patched', hackers could help by warning consumers about the proliferation of Android malware. If sales were jeopardized, vendors would start caring about updates.
Vendors don't prioritize updates because their customers don't understand enough to make this part of their purchasing decision, so there is little incentive for them to spend resources on it.
Minimizing this major problem doesn't help.
And - instead of saying 'think outside the box' - why not actually contribute some out of the box thinking?