And that manufacturer had things this way since day one. It's not like they locked down App Store afterwards you bought the device.

You can say that about seatbelts, lead in gasoline and paint and many other things. That isn't an argument. I can't know what my future needs of my phone are and I shouldn't be forced to buy a new one if my current one is perfectly capable of satisfying those needs but can't because the manufacturer put artificial barriers for it.