[T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Questions & Answer] ianmacd:
I still don't see the direct relationship with the denial of root.

Speaking from my own personal experience, I've owned many devices that I didn't root, but the fact that my phone had vendor bloatware on it never encouraged me in the slightest to actually use that bloatware. I just ignored its presence on the phone.

So, even if Samsung Pay is lucrative for its owner, making it impossible to remove isn't going to make me use it. If I want to use it, I will, but if I don't want to use it, then denying me something else I want/need in an attempt to coerce me is going to serve only to antagonise me and make it even more unlikely that I'll use Samsung Pay.

Because who wants to enter into an antagonistic relationship with a vendor and pay for the privilege?

And, incidentally, that's a question I find myself constantly pondering when I read XDA threads populated primarily by American owners of flagship Samsung devices. Vast numbers of people who knew that their S7(E) wasn't rootable at the time of purchase bought one anyway and now complain that the device isn't rootable. Why? That's just not rational. And many of them even blame Samsung for the continued lack of root following the purchase. Why? No-one has done anything underhand here, and Samsung doesn't owe anyone root, because they have never promised it to anyone.

Personally, I steer well clear of vendors I despise. I could name a couple, but it wouldn't add anything to the discussion. Samsung isn't amongst them, though, because from my vantage point outside the USA, Samsung seems to treat its users fairly well; and they make really nice devices, of course.

And there's another question on my mind: If Samsung Pay and Android Pay are as lucrative as you say, why is that so? Why are these technologies proving so popular?

If I want to pay for a purchase in the Netherlands, I pull out a card (or even leave it in my wallet) and hold it up to the terminal. If the amount is under a certain threshold, that's all I need to do. Otherwise, I need to key in my PIN. So, contactless payment is already here, using a thin piece of plastic that can't crash and needs no battery.

Why exactly is it more attractive to the American to consumer to have to pull out their phone, unlock it and hold it up to the terminal?

I tried to answer this question for myself by googling Android Pay (I believe Samsung Pay works the same way). The text snippet of the top result, from android.com, has this to say:

"Forget fumbling through your wallet and handing over a card next time you're in a store. With Android Pay you can simply unlock your phone, place it near a contactless terminal, and you're good to go."

First of all, who says I'll need to fumble for my card. My wallet is optimised for access to my debit card. Isn't everyone's?!?

Secondly, who says I won't have to fumble for my phone? My wife keeps hers in her handbag, near her purse. Sometimes it's easier to grab the purse than the phone.

Thirdly, what's so laborious or undesirable about "handing over a card"? If it's a security (e.g. skimming) concern, then simply swipe the card yourself on an old-fashioned terminal, or hold it up to the terminal yourself on a new one. No need to hand the card to anyone.

These new digital payment technologies such as Samsung Pay and Android Pay therefore appear to be nothing more than smoke and mirrors to me, a severe case of The Emperor's New Clothes. There's no substance as far as I can tell. It's inferior technology solving already solved problems whilst lowering reliability.

For that reason, I just cannot grasp why so many people are so excited about paying for goods using these technologies (and thereby allegedly causing Samsung to deny American users root). I feel I must be missing something, yet reading more on the subject only adds to my bewilderment. I just can't see these technologies catching on in Europe, where obviously superior alternatives are already in place.

I lived with an untripped KNOX bit for a year on my S6E, waiting to see what the future would bring. At the end of that year, I couldn't say that I had derived much pleasure from having one bit among millions set to zero.

When I received my S7E, the first thing I did was flip that KNOX bit to 1, and I have to say that the enjoyment of my phone has been much greater since. Why keep one bit set to zero, when you can flip so many other bits and enjoy all of the goodies like Xposed that root has to offer?

Anyway, I appreciate your comments and time spent replying, even if I am still rather baffled by the points raised above.