I disagree that Cell is based on a dislike of cell phones, unless sK has said that at sometime. I liked it, partly because it is so different from any other thing I've read of his or anyone else's. But so many sK stories are that - utterly different - as I perceive them. The ending did sneak up on me, but the fact reminds me that I've heard more than one sK fan complain that sK endings really suck. Personally, I've liked all his endings, not feeling they've lacked in any way I could imagine improving on.
I think he did say somewhere (I'm terrible at remembering where I read something--forgive me) that he disliked cell phones. I'm more than a little conflicted about them myself; maybe that's why I liked this story so much.
About Mr. King's endings, here's where I think the problem lies: There are readers out there who want one of two things. First, they want a neatly tied up ending--no loose ends, every damn issue solved. Second, they want a big bang; in that, they remind me of the movie
Amadeus, where Salieri tells Mozart that his subtle ending doesn't work--the people want a bang so they know where to clap. Mr. King rarely does either of these things. It seems to me (and
Ms Mod would be the real authority here) that Mr. King is trying to create worlds that reflect real life, and real life is messy. We usually never know the real story of anything, we rarely see every problem solved, and no one tells us when something is over with a crash. Things just sort of… end. And we move on, because that's what real people do. We pick ourselves up and do the next thing, and hope to God that we make it through the next whatever no worse off than we are now. That's people.
I realize that I probably think about this kind of stuff way too much (lol), but I admire the hell out of Mr. King as a writer. He never leans down and kisses the reader's butt for applause. He holds up a mirror; some things you're gonna like, some things you won't. But it's no more than a reflection of who we are as human beings.