Seems like Microsoft's Modus operandi the last few years has been:
Make anti-consumer move -> get backlash -> repackage same egregiousness while stalling & deflecting -> repeat cycle
Steamrolling their users then getting rewarded with their stock going stratospheric. Excellent!
Perhaps manufacturers unlock bootloaders & whatnot after the 7 years so tinkerers et al can load 3rd party software to give the devices even longer lifelines?
Ah... There's a pattern here. Soon enough, just like with Facebook pages eons ago, they will nerf the reach of WhatsApp channels then prod channel owners to pay for more eyeballs.
It should be a law of nature that whatever Meta/Facebook acquires will surely be ad-riddled & 'spyware' infested regardless of the "we won't" promises they swear to abide by.
Tangent, I find Instagram to be one of the most egregious battery drainers amongst mainstream apps. A former IG employee made a claim here on HN that the inefficiency was due to ghastly experiments being run on clients devices. Shame, I cannot seem to find that comment.
Meanwhile, Mercedes is still charging for full rear wheel steering in Europe after electronically nerfing cars [0] despite shipping the cars with hardware fully capable.
Steamrolling their users then getting rewarded with their stock going stratospheric. Excellent!