I'd agree with you, but ever since mobile devices have taken off, aren't we much worse than before? In the last peak PC years, say, before 2011, I was under the impression that hardware vendors were starting to play ball, but now things seem super locked down and Linux seems to be falling behind in this tug of war between FOSS - binary-only.
I think the problem with mobile devices is not the software but the hardware.
These devices are locked down partly because of business interests (planned obsolescence), but another part is personal identity security.
A run-of-the-mill Android or iOS device carries more secrets inside, which have much more weight (biometric data, TOTP, serial numbers used as secure tokens/unique identifiers, etc). This situation makes them a "trusted security device," and allowing tampering with it opens an unpleasant can of worms. For example, during my short Android stint, I found out that no custom ROM can talk with the secure element in my SIM, and I'm locked out of my e-signature, which is not pleasant.
If manufacturers can find a good way to make these secure elements trustworthy without the need to close down the platform and weld shut, I think we can work around graphics and Wi-Fi drivers.
Of course, we also have the "radio security" problem. Still, I think it can be solved by moving the wireless radio to an independent IP block inside the processor with a dedicated postbox and firmware system. While I'd love to have completely open radio firmware, the wireless world is much more complex (I'm a newbie HAM operator, so I have some slight ideas).
So, the reasons for closing down a mobile device are varied, but the list indeed contains the desire for more money. If one of the hardware manufacturers decides to spend the money and pull the trigger (like AMD did with its HDMI/HDCP block), we can have secure systems that do not need locking down. Still, I'm not holding my breath, because while Apple loves to leave doors for tinkerers on their laptops, iPhone is their Fort Knox. On the other hand, I don't have the slightest confidence in the company called Broadcom to do the right thing.
Interesting details, thank you for providing them!
Regarding this:
> Still, I'm not holding my breath, because while Apple loves to leave doors for tinkerers on their laptops, iPhone is their Fort Knox.
People don't realize, but 99% of what Apple does hinges on the iPhone. The rest of the products pack a much lower punch if the iPhone were to vanish from the face of the Earth completely. It's the product all their customers have and they have it at all times with them. It's the product that's probably the easiest to use and the easiest to connect to other things.
So yeah, the iPhone will probably be the last non-military device on the planet to be opened up :-)
