Sounds to me like they are making the point that you won't be "double subscribed" if you renew early -- no overlapping terms. In other words, a good thing. Did you actually talk to anyone who told you you'd be out-of-luck, or just interpreted it from that page?

On the other hand, I believe the product will not deactivate. So, if Version 2 is released on the last day of your subscription and you upgrade and let your subscription lapse, and version 3 is released 8 months later and you renew then, you sort of got a pass on the "down time" whereas active subscriptions would not.

You did not misinterpret the page, but it seems that you encountered an out of the ordinary situation. Again, I would be happy to look into this if you sent me your details.