Actually this would be a good business model - update as a service (already exists but for paid products mainly or in a slightly different form[0]): you get the

Actually this would be a good business model - update as a service (already exists but for paid products mainly or in a slightly different form[0]): you get the product for free (Android, Google, etc.), but if you want to continue using it past a certain date and enjoy security patches, you need to pay. This wouldn't be that hard for Microsoft to pull off - their updates are already crap so they don't risk that much. Basically a free additional stream of revenue with almost no downsides. Yes, Satya Nadella, I'm talking to you - I know you read HN so think about it. [0] E.g. kernel-livepatching-as-a-service like Canonical Livepatch for people who care about uptime