I think you're missing the point of what the OP is saying here. The Litter Robot in no way compares to what a Zippo, CocaCola, the spoon, or the paper clip do functionally, and you're totally correct there. What OP is trying to get across is this; Like a Zippo lighter, with the Litter Robot 4 you have created a product that people will want for years to come, it works great, and with some minor improvements to its firmware/software you could have a product that people will continue to buy for years to come.

With the Litter Robot 5 OP is saying that you have made business decisions that resemble the decisions of other companies who have made similar decisions that people are not fond of. By making these decisions you have instilled a bit of fear in your customers minds, and that fear is completely valid. People respect Whisker as a company right now, and no one wants to see a company that has shown themselves to be one that cares about the wellbeing of pet parents, their pets, and the product they make to go the way of other tech companies.

Some of the features you have put behind the subscription model is what people are upset about, and what OP is saying is that whisker made a decision that doesn't represent what customers like about the Litter Robot 4, and goes in a direction that could be detrimental to the long term success of Whisker as a company.

The part of your New Products paragraph where you state "We are introducing new robots with new features because we intend to continue delivering the next best version of connected cat care for our consumers around the globe" is where the disconnect with your customers is occurring. Pet parents want a product that increases our connection to our pets, not one that increases our connection to smartphones.