We are first familiar with this concept of payment activation in software where all product units are identical and the cost to produce an additional unit is 0. To implement this same concept in a machine is a little funnier. If this means the car units can be produced identically, at a lower cost of production per unit, I understand why companies do this. But it is also a natural human reaction to be frustrated by this concept implemented mechanically where the cost to produce is >0. Both sides have a point.
oliwarner|3 years ago
Hopefully consumer rights will catch up, and make nonsense features like this go away. But I expect manufacturers to resist this as much as they can, probably tying it into certified safety systems and playing a "think of the children" argument.
gruez|3 years ago
Software is almost always licensed, not sold/owned.
>If it's not, why am I expected to pay full price?
This isn't really a good argument. For one, it implies that if it's on sale for black friday or whatever, that it's magically fine because you're no longer paying "full price". Moreover, the concept of a "full price" is nebulous at best. Suppose the "full price" of a product is $999,999,999, and the discounted price (with locked down hardware) is $1,000. I doubt that would alleviate your concerns.