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I've been feeling this way for over a decade.

But a big part of the problem is us, the consumers. To a large degree, these devices we love are being subsidized by the expected revenue from the long-term add-ons. People need to understand that as things become more and more subsidized, we are no longer the customer. When you are paying $100 to free for a phone that actually costs several times that, you are not the customer for that phone; The phone company that paid for it is.

I would much prefer to pay a higher up-front cost to have a device that I totally own and control, and then pay a lower price for the service. Unfortunately, too many people like the new "free" phone every 12 to 24 months. Only now are some people learning how expensive "free" really is.