Though I like (liked) having a latest/greatest Axefx, I knew the feeling would not last going in given the pattern with Axefx2 (mk1,mk2,XL,XL+) - not sure how some are surprised when the pattern continues. I can't afford to do all the "mk" upgrades - I'm ok with being a little out of date till the next major release.
"Free" seems overstated to me - I think of the updates as baked into the pricing model. Imagine the uproar if they started charging (truely "free" would only evoke a "well - good while it lasted" reaction if it stopped). I've always thought of Axefx as a not so expensive best of class high end modeller particularly given the typical generous volume of updates provided during ownership.