[lubujackson]

These are all reasonable mitigation steps. The issue for me is that this major flaw wasn't noticed during construction - or if it was, passed the bar of "we only care about the first 2 years of use".

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.