This is really unreasonable entitlement. Expecting perpetually free cloud services of any kind is wholely unreasonable. Clouds have monthly costs. The only reason companies like Apple can offer them is because they are very well capitalized. They offer them to addict you. Small companies and startups that don't have access to cheap capital cannot afford to do that, and it's much more honest for them to not do that!

Do they sell one that is functional without the cloud though.

I’m not buying any device that requires a paid subscription to a cloud to get full functionality since if that goes away so does the ability to use the device.

A policy that’s served me well having friends IRL who keep getting bitten by services/IoT changing/going away/end of life.

Sell me a functional product with a subscription and I’m interested, everything else, no way.