Are they doing this on purpose?

It has been three decades since the public, which for the most part was just starting to get comfortable with computers, had to learn a whole new operating system called windows. This was forced upon Microsoft by the much faster and sharper (and more user-friendly) IOS operating system from Apple. Then every few years Microsoft would come out with a new software package, applications and operating systems, that made us spend more money to keep up. And if you didn't keep up you'd be sorry because if you weren't upgrading from the most recent version of their software, you were very likely to have to do it later. When Windows Seven came out, it was a nice operating system but many software applications from other vendors were not compatible, so again it required an investment in the latest software. It never seems to end. If you're working on systems more than five years old you will soon either buy the latest upgrades or you will be forced to sit on the sidelines and watch the the tech world pass you by. I just spent $650 for a solid state hard drive and some extra RAM for my seven year old MAC laptop. But you have to admire the business model - it made Steve Jobs a wealthy man and it made Bill Gates the wealthiest man in the world (for a time).