The result is that, with depressing regularity, companies decide to “switch off” online services for products they used to sell. The result often turns a device you integrated into your life into a brick. Alternatively, the vendor offering the service that was “included” in the purchase prices starts charging.
A few years ago, I was suddenly hit with a $90 annual fee to keep my smart door locks running. I suppose that’s better than obsoleting them, but I was so incensed I went out and bought new locks and installed them as replacements. It probably cost me about eight years of service to replace the locks, but my decision was driven by spite, not rational analysis.
