I've got a news flash for ya: Apple has been doing this sort of thing from the very beginning.
Being an old foggie, I watched Apple and IBM battle it out from the start. Apple's hardware has always been "closed," while IBM (with the exception of their MCA (Micro Channel Architecture and PS2 machines) has been "open".
The result is, there are more "IBM Clone" and 3rd party hardware and software vendors than there are Apple vendors.
Back in the day, I could get an IBM clone with the same functionality as an Apple II for less than half the price. Over the years I have built numerous desktop PCs, starting with an 4.7 MHz 8088 based box with CGA graphics, 20 MEGA byte Seagate hard drive, dual 5 1/4" floppy drives, and a whopping 64K of ram, running MS-DOS 2.0 and Windows 1.0. There was no Internet, but I could get "on-line" and "surf" bulletin boards using an acoustically coupled modem at a blazing 150 BPS.
What is strange to note is that Apple chose to use a commercial based on George Orwell's "1984" to herald the arrival of the Macintosh (Super Bowl XVIII on Janurary 22nd 1984), and yet Apple's behavior actually borders on the draconian.
On the other hand, IBM (Big Blue) and MS took a different tack. An individual could build his own PC, and as long as he purchased a valid licensed copy of the OS and/or Windows, MS would support it. I know this to be true because I used to work for MS supporting DOS and every version of Windows up through Windows 2000 Server.
The only real "fly in the ointment" is that MS does not have Apple's strangle hold on hardware development, so they are always playing catch-up over compatibility issues.
The sad fact is, one would think that based on its business model, Apple's devices would be light years ahead of the competition, compatibility issues would be non-existant, and customer satisfaction would always be 100%.
To the contrary, Apple emotes an aura of superiority that borders on snobbery, and as we all know, some software "upgrades" can do more harm than good.....
Just my $.02.....
Cliff Hipsher
ICC USN (Ret.)
Former "Microsoftie"