I am most definitely in the “it should have the most recent Android version within a reasonable delay” camp (meaning Fairphone is already overdue for 4.4 KitKat). Basically for 2 reasons:
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Security: any list of security advices will include: make sure you keep all your software (OS + apps) up to date. You make sure you install all updates (for Windows, Linux, …) on your desktop PC, don’t you ? There is no equivalent of “Windows Update” for Android, but major security fixes are included by Google/AOSP in every new Android version and smartphone vendors should distribute the new version within a few months to their customers who recently bought a smartphone from them. Most companies would define “recent” as 1-2 years, but given its aim of sustainability it should be longer for Fairphones. It’s good that Fairphone provides individual security fixes (like the one for the “SMS =” bug) in software updates apart from Android upgrades, but they are no substition for the problems that Google/AOSP has solved in the main Android development line. It’s like a PC vendor would say: “It’s OK for you to keep running Windows XP, but we’ll provide some hotfixes for driver issues now and then”. The fact that some users may like/want to keep working on Windows XP is irrelevant - security should not be bargained with. Which makes the “your opinion” in the OP also irrelevant, imho.
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Technological advancement. Not for the sake of having the most recent version per se, but for the possibilities that it allows. Just as an example: I have ordered a (very useful) gadget that uses Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy to interact with a smartphone. The FP1 includes a BT LE radio, so hardware-wise I’m ready to go. However, BT LE is only supported in Android 4.3 and up. So right now, I couldn’t use that gadget simply because of the already outdated OS. I’m hoping Fairphone will have a KitKat update by the time my gadget ships (November or so). This just to illustrate that it isn’t simply abstract, it can be something really practical as well.