I agree with you Agbiggs, except that a lot of people will not agree with it only because of the precedence (of free updates) that Fractal and Kemper have established in recent years. If they charge for new amp models, Line 6 risks the potential of not attracting new customers. So free updates could be thought of as a way to get people into buying Helix.
Having said that, I personally wouldn't mind a small charge if it includes amps and effects that I want, given the lower price point of Helix. It also depends on how frequent they update and improve Helix. So far, it seems they are on the right track, given the update they just released.