Why is my iPad 1 being made obsolete

Question

I keep getting messages on my iPad 1 that I need to update certain apps if I want to continue using them.
Then when I go to update them I'm told I need to update my Ios to version 6 or higher! Not possible with the iPad 1 which is only allowed to run Ios 5 at best. I understand that it lacks processor power to run the new Ios, but certain apps still allow me to run old versions of their apps, compatible with old versions of the Ios. However bigger brand apps such as 4OD and (soon to join) Linkedin will not allow access to older versions of their apps.
Now the current solution it seems is to fork out £430 (for the Ipad 2 which is probably destined for a similar fate) or £500 for the new iPad air, just so I can continue to use these free apps. A large part of the Ipad app community. This seems completely excessive when it's not me making the decision that my iPads getting on.
Will this also happen to apps that I have paid for? Why isn't Apple looking into an upgrade program to keep people using the iPad? Right now the Nexus is looking a lot more tempting with it's accessible price tag. I don't want to fork out another £500 for a tablet that wont last past the five year mark, purely because of the developers forcing us to upgrade.
The battery life is still perfect on my iPad and it still runs the apps I’m allowed to have. It's in perfect working order. But I fear that in less that a years time it will only be useful as a door wedge. Will Apple look after their customers? The ones who invested in the first model of this revolutionary tablet?
Don’t mean to sound whiny, but It’s the first time I’ve been forced to upgrade because of software. Usually it’s hardware, but this hardware is still fine and I know it. But the developers are telling us otherwise.

Answer 1

Yeah I think Raymond's analogy is a little ott. A more accurate analogy is having a floppy disk reader that has a firmware patch that decides you can only use new shiny floppy disks with a whole extra 1mb of space on it. The old 30mb floppy disks are now unreadable. I'm not against progress at all. In fact I crave it. But there is simply nothing wrong with my iPad yet I'm told that I have to be rid of it and invest heavily on whatever is newer.
The iPad 1 and iPad Air provide the same apps and the same architecture. I would be totally fine if I could use archive versions of the apps I'm currently using. But instead I am told I cannot use them at all anymore, simply because something newer exists.
Just thought of another analogy: I just bought Day of the tentacle (amazing game) for my dusty old G mac 4. Suddenly a new version of Day of the tentacle comes out with marginally improved graphics (which would be awesome), Ok so it doesn't work on my G mac, I can live with this. But if that update suddenly made my older version stop working, then I think that my purchase has become slightly void, it doesn't matter how many years I've owned it or what it its. I purchased it for a reason and now bit by bit some one is removing accesibility just because it's too old.
You know I even heard the new Wii U has a built in magnet that corrupts any N 64 cartridges that you have in your house. Because who would even want to use those things anymore?
I just don't see reason in this happening except for forcing me to fork out another £500 on something that will turn around and do the same in a shorter period of time. It's not a great way to treat long term customers of a specific brand and product.