While I mostly agree with the spirit of your post, I don't feel this particular analogy works at all. The barrier to trying out different "distros" of Android involves purchasing different phones and returning them, and even more difficultly switching between cell phone contracts.

And that's just the practical challenges. On top of that you have to deal with companies that just don't make software well at all (the phone manufacturers). It's not just that you have to get used to each interface, it's that often (especially on the Samsung phones), there's fundamental problems with the software (GPS doesn't work, broken PC syncing, etc).

I don't blame Tom for returning his phone. The UI that Samsung has put on there has been panned all over the place (except for Mossberg, I guess).