Even the -illusion- that it's working quickly will help. Remember those checkerboards that would show up on the iPhone when the screen couldn't paint fast enough? People tolerated it because the -activity- on the screen matched what the user's finger was doing.
I find it a weak defense for Android by saying "well the newer phones don't have that problem". Most people can't afford to change their phones with every new hardware rev, so it does matter that the OS makes every attempt to make all user experience optimizations on any given piece of hardware. You can't rely on Moore's law to improve usability for existing customers.
With the exception of the 4.0 OS upgrade, I can't say that I've had major performance complaints on the iPhone 3G either. Myself, I'd like to use my current phone as long as possible before giving any phone manufacturer more of my money.
I find it a weak defense for Android by saying "well the newer phones don't have that problem". Most people can't afford to change their phones with every new hardware rev, so it does matter that the OS makes every attempt to make all user experience optimizations on any given piece of hardware. You can't rely on Moore's law to improve usability for existing customers.
With the exception of the 4.0 OS upgrade, I can't say that I've had major performance complaints on the iPhone 3G either. Myself, I'd like to use my current phone as long as possible before giving any phone manufacturer more of my money.