The difference being that Microsoft supports their operating systems for up to/beyond a decade security/support-wise, for the most part...even including many of their software products.

Apple? They have no claimed policy. Historically they have supported only 2-3 of the last Operating Systems released.

Now also take into that Apple pulls support for older apps that no longer receive updates, and you actually risk losing an investment in a software ecosystem that you might depend on in as little as 3 years with OSX.

AND, Apple has no stated support guarantee. Period. So really you're at their mercy depending on how they feel in terms of an ecosystem that supports legacy environments.

But that also seems by design. There are probably people that LIKE this strategy; as it keeps their systems fresh and modern. Can't fault that philosophy. 

These features are pointless for 99% of users. While it's disappointing that they're ending support for intel products. It's not surprising given they told us that. Plus, time moves on and so does technology.

Oh, dear. Of course, Microsoft wouldn't release an operating system update that doesn't support randomly selected processors.

If your Mac system was bought in 2016 it will still work as it did before, it simply won't have the latest features that the new chips make available.

If only Apple had told us support for Intel Macs was going to be phased out over the course of several years when they launched M1 in November 2020. Oh wait...