Modern Vespa

I saw something about the new KTM 790 that was interesting. Not that they are going to make the entire bike in China and still price it like it's not, but that they have a Demo mode for a lot of the features that shuts off after 1500 miles. If you want those features after that, you have to pay a rental fee. I then discovered that BMW is charging a monthly fee to use the heated seats in their cars after 3 years.

[i]Other features that BMW is locking behind subscriptions (as per the company's digital UK store) include heated steering wheels, from $12 a month; the option to record footage from your car's cameras, priced at $235 for "unlimited" use; and the "IconicSounds Sport package," which lets you play engine sounds in your car for a one-time fee of $117.

In the latter case, BMW notes that "the hardware for this feature has already been installed in your vehicle during production, at no extra cost."[/i]

So the idea that buying something means that you own it appears to be turning into the idea that if you own something, the manufacturer can nickel and dime you to keep it going.
Is this commonplace or becoming so?

I just migrated to a new computer and the "key" to my most used professional programs (Adobe CS4—InDesign, PhotoShop, etc.) didn't make it. Of course, I'm welcome to upgrade to their new subscription model but the old programs are no longer supported. Luckily I'm retired so I don't really give a f. But I'm a little pissed that I've locked myself out of things I've created over the last 20 years.

Subscriptions are the new thing. Bah humbug.

I'll just avoid those products for as long as possible. Good thing is I'll never buy a BMW or any "luxury" vehicle. I wonder how long before people start jail breaking the subscription services.

Thank God for hackers.

Ah, but it gets even better!

Both Zero and Mercedes Benz's latest products have a subscribers setting when you can "Unlock" more performance from the battery as long as you cough up.

Dammit, you got there before me.

You're usually quicker on the uptake than me.

It's probably cheaper for the manufacturer to stamp out a whole load of vehicles with all the same components rather than mix and match the different parts.

I'm not sure it's going to work because you won't be happy driving around constantly wishing for more so you pay for the premium package reluctantly and this will piss you off even more.

Oddly enough one of the things I like about BMW is that sometimes they get things totally wrong. Like this for instance.

Allow me to introduce you to Affinity Photo. I gave up on PhotoShop when it went to a subscription model with outrageous pricing.

Affinity Photo (I also have Affinity Designer) is as close to PhotoShop functionality as I've found, and it will open PhotoShop files as well.

All MV graphics work is done with Affinity Photo and Designer.

I actually bought the V2 Universal License for $99. But you can buy a single app for much less.

I'll walk before I buy a vehicle from carpetbaggers that shake me down multiple times after purchase

Of course there's also the cost of constant servicing and repairs of a vehicle. Not quite the same I know but ...


The above is just a logic experiment, but I am against the idea of paying to enable features especial a reoccurring payment

Of course this started decades ago in IT. Ever ran a mainframe? They come fully equipped for high performance, but you have to unlock partitions of their CPUs. But hey, no extra cost for installation.

Salesforce is probably behind all of these test balloons. This will likely become common practice in all manner of consumer goods.

Here in Germany, every employee who gets a company car for private use has to pay up to 45% income tax on 1% of the gross list price (incl. VAT) incl. all all features / equipment (regardless of what was paid after discount) of the car. Example: 1% of 80000€ gross list price = 800€, of which up to 45%€ income tax = 360€ private tax burden per month.

If the gross list price is lower because the extras are activated via a subscription (or later done 1-time payment), the tax burden is reduced. So it can pay off...

Note: approx. 65% of new passenger car registrations in Germany are company cars.

Note: In Europe, it is common for cars to be Build-to-Order (BTO), any equipment, no matter how small, is ordered separately or via packages added to the basic equipment at a cost.

In addition, I find the possibility charming that buyers of a Pre-owned car can get equipment that the original buyer did not need / want.

I read that Tesla do this too? The hardware for the premium options is already installed in the base model, and if the owner wants the upgrades they pay extra for software to unlock them. Take a look at the online image editor at https://www.photopea.com/
It runs right in your browser and has the same functions and layout as Photoshop. It could be useful if you need easy access to your old PS files.

Lots of autos are selling "features" that are subscription based. We are currently looking at one of these :

The video is full of two funny guys ripping on subscriptions for features. No need to watch the whole vid.

My 500e came standard with UConnect through FCA. Good for three years after the original purchase. It allowed for remote warming and such. FCA has washed their hands of it and no longer support it, so even if I wanted to I can't access these features. Features that are built into the car.

I have used Gimp for image editing for years. Neither Adobe nor Microsoft will get my cash for subscribing to their software.

To me (old man shakes fist at sky) this is all part of the bigger culture of normalizing dependence on outside entities. I pay monthly for things like utilities, phone and internet - which are services - but I don't want to pay monthly for a product. Please don't turn my products into services.

Sirius radio may have been the camel's nose in the tent.

It's cable tv ... for your car. And rarely have I met a more aggressive sales group. It took me forever to get Sirius off my back. They don't seem to understand "no means no".

Thanks! I'll check these out.

It came to light a few years ago that Tesla manufactured their cars with full capacity batteries and a software switch determined how much you bought. This became known just before an impending hurricane in Florida when Telsa gave all Tesla full range so that people could evacuate.

https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/09/12/550445863/tesla-remotely-expanded-car-batteries-near-irmas-path-and-questions-linger

Miguel

Is it me but isn't it amazing that now the manufacturers have control over the level of performance in your battery they immediately use it as a marketing tool or gimmick depending on how you view it.

They havn't been able to do that up till now.

I use Digikam which is available on all platforms
https://www.digikam.org/download/
My favorite Operating System Manjaro KDE

The subscription model is going to have implications, once the actuaries come to an obvious conclusion
More powerful cars, are more likely to crash
Your car is going to inform, your insurance company what features are enabled, maybe not today, but it's inevitable

My insurance company offers a discount if I let them track my phone gps data
Every car with an event recorder can be used against you after an accident
I suppose that, I could could tie the policy to my wife's phone, since I don't drive with quite the same wild abandon, on the few occasions she is with me...
Would the "up to 30%" discount justify the expense of a burner phone?

Amazon sold a lot of movies for streaming and then took them back.

From their T&C...

Viewing Period: Indefinite — you may watch and re-watch your purchased videos as often as you want and as long as you want (subject to the limitations described in the Amazon Instant Video Terms of Use).

So you then have to go that page and scour through more than 2,000 words to find:

Purchased Digital Content will generally continue to be available to you for download or streaming from the Service, as applicable, but may become unavailable due to potential content provider licensing restrictions and for other reasons, and Amazon will not be liable to you if Purchased Digital Content becomes unavailable for further download or streaming. You may download and store your own copy of Purchased Digital Content on a Compatible Device authorized for such download so that you can view that Purchased Digital Content if it becomes unavailable for further download or streaming from the Service.

More than likely as these become more the norm, some enterprising person will come up with a box that you plug in somewhere to bypass the restrictions. It's probably not a good idea to download a hack for your BMW's ECU off of The Pirate Bay, because it just might kill you.

I thought it was common knowledge that you paid more for the GT version of a car even though it was the same engine not detuned. Sure, they throw some trim and badges in, but engines have been performance hindered at the manufacturer for decades. A lot of it is just remapping.

Agreed, but this is more about them selling you something not at full power but the capability to access that power if you want to pay extra for it.

It's a bit like selling you a beer that's only 7/8th full. You want a full bottle ? Cough up and I'll brim it.

If they could have done a re-map on an Internal Combustion Engine via Wi Fi do you think they would have done it before ?

I think it's brilliant marketing that the aspirational will fall for. Do you really want to drive the Diet Coke version or the Full Fat ?

All good points, but I think it's a newer iteration of what they've been doing all along. They will sell you what you are willing to pay for. The only difference is the current way doesn't cost the manufacturer any more and it's pure profit. Same assembly line, same product. Oh, and if you pay more to go faster or further we'll flip this switch as it goes out the door.

I didn't say it wasn't insidious, just that they have found new ways to make a profit.

I think it is insidious. It's Marketing at its most cynical.

But once you bought the GT version it was yours. With this new racket, if you want to keep driving the GT version, you need to pay protection money every month so they don't detune it, sort of like paying mobsters to make sure nobody burns your business to the ground. And once they get away with that, it's just a matter of time before they shake you down for a little more. That's a nice bike you got there, be a shame if something happened to slow it down.

I think that ICE vehicles will be banned from sale in the UK in 2030 and in the US in 2035.

I predict an increase in sales of "Analogue" vehicles in 2029 and 2034 respectively.

If the manufacturers have the ability to increase the power of the battery do you think that they could disable it completely if you didn't keep up on your payments ?

A (insert nearest nationality regarded as cheap)sman sits down at a bar and orders a pint of lager.

"Hey bartender, do you think you could squeeze a dram of whisky on top of this beer?"

"I'm sure I could"

"Then fill it up with beer"

Actually, here's a random thought. With previous models you'd wear your model and specification with the aid of a badge. It tells everyone what it is, how much money you have and how high its performance is rated.

As Electric models are still being made in low numbers variables in spec are rare that so many of them are exactly the same car.

The variables in performance are being created post production ( by the manufacturer ) and delivery, not at the point of sale.

Now you don't know what you're dealing with because it's level of performance is effectively hidden from everyone but the owner.

This Tuning via an email feels very strange.

In a time when we all need to cut down a bit on buying useless stuff to save nature, it feels completely and utterly stupid to produce stuff in cars, regardless of if the buyer wants it or not.

"If they don't want it, we'll still produce it and use resources, we'll just not let them use it."

Disgusting.

It was pointed out to me in Germany a lot of cars didn't flout their model/spec.

Here's another random thought. There will no longer be conversations about what highlift cams, air filters or intercooler you've recently fitted to give you an extra .5 of a second.

What did you do Geoff ? I made a phonecall.........

That's one pub conversation killed off right there.

Wow!

This post has just activated another reason not to buy a BMW in my hard-drive!

Well done Jess

Car loan lenders already have this ability with ICE vehicles. They'll fit the vehicle with a GPS locator and an ignition kill switch when they sell the vehicle. If you're late with your payment, they immobilize the vehicle. If you don't pay promptly after that, they come get it. Usually it's shady used car dealers that also provide the financing that do it, but I've heard of new car dealerships doing it, too.

Article from May 2017.
Article from November 2018, refers to it happening in 2013.

I've complained in other places about Zero selling you access to heated grips (already installed on the bike). Sold and activated remotely through their online store.

Tesla was in the news a while ago for deactivating optional features when the car became second hand.

Personally I will not for the foreseeable future purchase vehicles with already installed parts that you have to pay to activate. I actively avoid manufacturers that try to play this game.

It is true. I remember Mercedes charged you extra to not stick their 230 E badge on an W123 Benz.

My analog bicycles are looking better and better as time goes on
🫁 ♥️ 💴 🌎

I used to see similar situations when I wrote tests for various electronic devices. Sometimes the only difference between two and four channels, for example, was the firmware. Systems could be upgraded in the field simply by downloading new software.