| If pre-M3 updates were intended to slow down M2s, it would be a big and unwelcome surprise to the community, and a huge scandal. Generally it isn't assumed to be the case. This also didn't really happen with iPhones. What happened was this: - Some iPhones started to develop a problem where sometimes, but at quite noticeable moments, the phone would unexpectedly power cycle, interrupting what you were doing. - Apple tracked this down to a problem in the battery used by those phones. Those batteries, once aged, became unable to meet the maximum power draw of the phone, resulting in the phone losing power when it tried. (This is why the reboots were so noticeable - they happened when you were doing something that required you to push your phone). - (The controversial part) Apple issued a firmware update that mitigated the issue by throttling the max power draw to something the battery would reliably output, but did so without acknowledging the issue or notifying the user. - People discovered what was happening (as Apple devices receive a lot of scrutiny in general), and a large media storm played out. - Apple issued a new firmware update that, this time, told you when your battery was degraded, that the maximum performance of your iPhone was reduced, and you needed to replace the battery to restore the original performance. - Since then, Apple have added more statistics to tell you about your battery health in general. |
Say what you will about Microsoft, but the reason MS software grew so much bloat in its OSes was the impossible backwards compatibility required for each new version. It would have been much, much easier to force upgrades along the way but they made backwards-compatibility an unshakeable requirement at the time.
I think Apple doesn't maliciously force users to upgrade, it simple doesn't put any focus on long term support for its older products. That's always been in the DNA of the company and its products and a major reason for many of their sales.