Most people DO NOT replace their desktop computers more often! They upgrade them or only replace them once a need occurs to do so.
By refusing to update the iOS on the first generation iPad, Apple are artificially creaing a need to 'upgrade'. I for one am smart enough to see through this and will not upgrade. I am not an iSheep :p
What this also means is that by no longer keeping the first generation iPad up-to-date and no longer supporting it, we users of the first gen iPad are no longer bound by the user agreement. Such agreements are contracts, if one party breaks the contract then the other is no longer bound by it.
I will not be purchasing any more Apple devices any time soon (not saying I never will!) and I will not be buying any more apps for this one, I no longer have a use for a tablet!
There are many more devices out there, don't be an iSheep, shop around and compare specs/prices. If you choose Apple, do so on your needs and after deciding it is the hardware you want after comparing with others, not because it's the 'in thing'! Just because it is made by Apple does not mean it is the best! Their desktop computers look good but for the price you pay, you get a lower spec computer than you get if you pay even half the cost on a non Apple desktop PC.
This is not a rant, it is an informed opinion from a computer technician :)