Am going to have to totally agree w/you on this topic. This is a multi-faceted subject, but it really does come down to the company's decision when the product is first decided upon to be introduced into the market of what their level of support will be from then on. Having worked in this type of industry for quite some time, I have been able to see what it takes for a company to estimate how long the life of the product will have to be until it starts to make money (how many units have to be sold until the subsidies to these products have broken even or are no longer affecting the projected profit margin) and when it can be shelved, and when a new product can be introduced to start the profit cycle all over again.
IMO, you can garner more repeat and new customers by providing good/great customer service for your existing products (which influences on how/where one makes their next major purchase) than by just throwing so many products at customers in hopes that someone buys any one of said products and is locked into a contract for
x number of months.
However, with all that said, this is where the mod/hacking community steps in and saves the day. In the midst of all the angst/anger against dumb decisions made by corporations, let's be glad we live in a country that (still, for now) allows us to do what we want with our purchased products.
It's up to us to make things better, no body else.