First, let me preface this by saying I'm looking at this from the US consumer's perspective.
I'm sorry but I think you are giving the general buying public far too much credit. Most people don't care about stock Android, how easy it is to update, rooting, unlocking, or flashing ROMs. They're not breaking down every little spec and comparing it to every other device on the market. They care about the price, bottom line and while this is a great price for an unlocked device, it's still significantly more expensive than nearly all subsidized smartphones. People go into a carrier's store, see a device listed as 'free' or $99 and it's got a big screen and says Android or it's an iPhone and it's only $199 for the same 16 GB and they're not going to buy this. 'But it's such a great price for an unlocked phone,' and their response is 'Why do I need an unlocked phone?' They don't care if they're signing a new 2 year contract because they're getting their $99 or free phone. The value of an unlocked device in the US is far less than overseas. We don't pay a reduced monthly bill if we purchase an unsubsidized phone--same cost either way.
The vast majority of US consumers aren't on these forums analyzing the hell out of every device that's released. The first 3 Nexus phones weren't big sellers and hate to break it to you but, this one isn't going to be a blockbuster either. Google isn't marketing it that way, else you'd see it available subsidized on every carrier.
