It's entirely technically possible for you to have multiple "caretakers" for the internet, setting standards, providing DNS etc. who negotiate with each other to ensure interoperability without a central point of failure. Unfortunately such a suggestion has always been politically defeated because, hey, the US has been a good caretaker so far, with laws protecting basic freedoms, so what could they possibly to do screw this up?

Those sound a lot like hobbies to me.

I thought they'd gone sealed this generation! Nice. I must've been thinking of HTC.

It was an awesome phone and I nearly got one instead of the iPhone 4. In hindsight the software situation worked out much better (which is why I went with the iPhone in the end) but it was very appealing in the moment.

Or to put it another way, this is the list of features I don't get in iOS7. Everything else will be updated.

Panorama format is available on iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, and iPod touch (5th generation).
Filters in Camera are available on iPhone 5 and iPod touch (5th generation).*
AirDrop is available on iPhone 5, iPad (4th generation), iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation)
Siri is available on iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPad with Retina display, iPad mini, and iPod touch (5th generation) and requires Internet access.

*Filters in photos are included, but there's no live preview.

In iOS6, I'm missing turn by turn navigation and the swoopy 3D view from the maps application. I got everything else.

Meanwhile your Galaxy S got updates to Google's apps. I also get updates every time an app is updated, but I get the OS-level stuff too.

Just as an example here, the Galaxy S has Android 2.3 at best, assuming the carrier authorised it; that means that none of the APIs outlined here are included, and apps which use those APIs (or which expect changes in behavior in existing APIs) may not operate properly. Given that most Android handsets are still on 2.x, develoeprs have wisely stepped carefully in implementing the 4.x APIs of course, but it will be an issue in future. (Current releases of many apps misbehave when running on the original iPhone for this reason.)

You're wholly dependent upon the forward compatibility of the underlying OS for those updated apps to be available, though.

It's the case in the UK; the idea is that sellers are incentivised not to stock and sell crap.

Swappable batteries are the way and the light, but unfortunately these days that comes down to choosing a low- to mid-end phone or one with a fixed battery.

Waay off topic.

A wise man would plan to give his "flesh" self a long and pleasant life after the copying process, too.

This is all in response to "Their products only last a year, by then you would be two versions behind and obsolete."

That's not what this thread is about. Read the original post up top.

Pretty sure turn-by-turn and Siri were just them looking to give the newer products a selling point, though.

Basically the second rule here applies:

http://ns.is/ns/upload/files/pdf-skrar/ena/10basicprinsciplesen.pdf