Okay OP, the first two posts aren't giving you the full picture. I work for a carrier. This is the situation:
Neither the OEMs nor carriers can make any changes to the WP OS. In that sense, WP is exactly like iOS. However, OEMs are required to provide drivers that mediate between the OS and their proprietary hardware, like Nokia's camera hardware. So, OEMs do have to put some work in. That is a consequence of supporting multiple hardware vendors instead of just one. In that sense, WP updates reach consumers in the same leisurely manner as Android updates do, because both require OEM involvement.
Unlike with Android, carriers are equally unable to change anything on WP (which is typically done by the Android OEM on the carriers behalf). Carriers do however reserve the right to test updates before releasing them. Apple has contracts with carriers that bind them to a certain schedule, but MS doesn't. That is another factor that delays WP updates, similar to Android.
For consumers, the fact that WP updates function nothing like Android is apparent in a few places. The existence of MS' developer program, through which anybody can get updates on day one (just like on iOS), is one example. Getting OS updates like this means the OS release has just gone through MS' testing, but not yet through the OEM's or the carriers. Another big difference is that on WP, most devices tend to get all updates, because the amount of work required to do so is rather small compared to what Android OEMs must go through. That means you are far, far, far more likely to get every WP update than you are to get every Android update, particularly on low end devices.
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