I agree, it's totally weird. I've been thinking about it ever since I saw the article, and thinking about other pieces of equipment that I have that operate on

I agree, it's totally weird. I've been thinking about it ever since I saw the article, and thinking about other pieces of equipment that I have that operate on a similar model. I've got an oscilloscope that I bought as a 50MHz model, knowing that an upgrade to 100MHz could be purchased after the fact. When I bought it, I didn't need the extra bandwidth and it was a decent price. Recently, I started to need the extra bandwidth so I inquired about the upgrade cost. $300. To do the upgrade, they give you a file that you stick on a USB key. Part of me is grumpy about the fact that the equipment I bought was actually capable of 100MHz out of the box and was just software locked. And part of me is happy that I got to hold on to my extra $300 until I had a compelling reason (read: a client was paying) to do the upgrade. $X was a decent price for a 50MHz scope, and $X + $300 is a decent price for a 100MHz scope.