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I get that having a single model that you can artificially differentiate to multiple product lines is efficient for the manufacturer, and not unprecedented: CPU

I get that having a single model that you can artificially differentiate to multiple product lines is efficient for the manufacturer, and not unprecedented: CPU manufacturers do it all the time. Why does it rub me wrong? I guess it is in part that there is a monthly subscription model that is being pushed, for faster acceleration, but also for seat warmers. And that irks me in the sense that it alters what it means to own a vehicle. It also leads me to think that they will try to crack down on aftermarket mods: If all that keeps your car slow is a chip, replace the chip (i know, easier said than done these days). Its also that it means maintaining a constant relationship with a company. Right now, I buy a car, I'm pretty much done with them, but this way its one more account that takes money out of my bank.

awritawirj 3y ago
It also means that when Mercedes decides it's not cost-effective to maintain these subscription features when they're more than six years old, they just go away completely and portions of your car get bricked. What a load of crap. I see Mercedes cars from the 1960s on the road frequently. Mercedes cars made today will never become classics.
Bran_son 3y ago
> Why does it rub me wrong? Because "your" car is betraying you and obeying a different master. Once you cross the bright line of "items should be loyal only to their owner", things get dystopian very quickly - subscription seat warmers, DVD players that won't let you skip commercials, TVs that embed ads and spy on you, printers that secretly embed tracking dots on your documents... It all adds up, until you find yourself living in a cage, with little control over your environment. And trying to take back that control is not only technically difficult, but thanks to anti-circumvention legislation, often outright illegal.

awritawirj 3y ago

It also means that when Mercedes decides it's not cost-effective to maintain these subscription features when they're more than six years old, they just go away completely and portions of your car get bricked. What a load of crap. I see Mercedes cars from the 1960s on the road frequently. Mercedes cars made today will never become classics.

Bran_son 3y ago

> Why does it rub me wrong? Because "your" car is betraying you and obeying a different master. Once you cross the bright line of "items should be loyal only to their owner", things get dystopian very quickly - subscription seat warmers, DVD players that won't let you skip commercials, TVs that embed ads and spy on you, printers that secretly embed tracking dots on your documents... It all adds up, until you find yourself living in a cage, with little control over your environment. And trying to take back that control is not only technically difficult, but thanks to anti-circumvention legislation, often outright illegal.