> The fact is that manufacturers want us to buy new phones so as to make profits and stay in business, even though most of our “old” phones are capable of runni

> The fact is that manufacturers want us to buy new phones so as to make profits and stay in business, even though most of our “old” phones are capable of running newer versions. That's not the only logically sound story one can tell. Another story might be: porting OSes to old hardware raises their resale value, which means your new phones won't be competing against a cheaper version of itself. And people will be willing to pay more if they trust the phone they buy can be sold years later, or handed down their family.