This is what the iPhone 6S should have been

[pixel_junkie]

Thats not what the foundation of apple is (of course profit is a priority, but never at the expense of customer experience). Of course this Apple is closer to the John Scully Apple than the Steve Jobs apple so we can't expect much else.

And yes, you are absolutely right - we keep buying the products so they have no inclination to step their game up, but if i didn't want to buy it where else can I go not wanting to give up iOS.

Before one entered (and stayed) in the enclosed apple ecosystem because it was the best place to be, now many of us stay because we are trapped. I won't give up MacOS for Windows and can't go anywhere else for iOS, so i'm "stuck with whatever hardware they give me"

And there you have it. I think your conclusion is spot on. Now rethink your first statement about their foundation based on what you said after it ...