Earlier quoted context omitted.
I can see (though don't entirely agree) why companies feel some pain, when the customer paid for the phone, but the public's expectation is free updates for "life" (however you define that). I wonder if having a subscription where they reduce the cost of the phone for the general population, and let others sign up for a paid subscription model for updates, backed up by some kind of SLA type agreement would work. I de…
The cost of providing the updates should be priced into the MSRP. There is no excuse for not providing them if you care about your customers at all.
"But that other phone looks and works exactly the same and is $100 cheaper!"