I agree with you that it would be foolish to believe that any company would support a cheap device perpetually but I think it should be common practice (or mandatory) to open the software so that people can extend the life of these devices. Generally speaking, as a species we cannot afford to waste electronic devices simply because the software is not up to date.
Perhaps it’s because our society values certain professions much more than others, particularly those in the social/educational sector, which are particularly undervalued. IMO, we need to put everything on the table and reconsider what we want to be considered as useful work for society.