I can see this from SB’s (or any software dev’s) side.
Years ago it was revolutionary to be able to pay $800 to get a software version of what previously cost say, $20,000 – the mixing desk, tape maichines etc., plus the rental or purchase the space to put it in.
Now, in 2014 many older versions of Cubase are complete enough for many users, so updating is not a necessity. Additionally, the way the SB licenses work we can buy and sell our licenses without restriction so a new user can, theoritically, buy a copy of Cubase 5 or 6 and be in business with a rather complete feature set, and SB gets nothing from that sale (and, of course, does not have to provide support.)
I think the model they should adopt (though the pricing would be different) is the one used by Figure 53, who make Qlab: http://figure53.com/qlab/buy/
This can create new revenue, and its implementation would have the side effect of offering an immediate, automated solution the lost dongle emergency. (you could just rent Cubase/Nuendo for a period of time if you could not reach tech support, like on Friday night, 30 minutes before the downbeat of a 3 day run)
Software manufacturers are trying to find a way to make more money without alienating their customers. I thnk they want to test the waters to see how users would react to the idea, and they are getting an earfull from people who already own licenses. People who do not yet own a license would have a very different perspective.
btw image line provide lifetime free updates once you buy their product. they claim to ‘think to’ have the largest user base on the market (that is what i read in a post by their dev anyway).