LX Era 80 vs S80/S100

I am puzzled by your complaint, however. Do you prefer the LXNav vario, and are
just disappointed it might cost more at some unknown time in future to change to
different vario of the same brand?

AFAICT, LX Nav makes quality hardware which suits the needs of a wide range of pilots. However, it has made a decision which negatively and needlessly impacts a subset of those pilots. Consumers in 2020 expect that when they change their hardware they take their paid software with them.

If you are an instrument pilot and like to have an AHRS in your plane, then this impacts the value proposition for LX Nav. LX Navigation makes a portable AHRS system, which enhances its value relative to LX Nav.

I don't think there's a lot to read into this. Possibly, as krasw points out, the subset of pilot is no larger than a handful of people. Still, it was useful to me to know about the AHRS decision *before* purchasing an LX9000.. Now I can more fully consider my options and better understand the true cost of ownership. I imagine this information will be useful to other AHRS clients as well.