And I don’t give a •. It’s the ultimate evolution of scumbag capitalism that • you buy, you don’t even own. It was bad enough when it was just software, but now it’s creeping into media and even hardware via required paid updates and so on. Coupled with intentionally making things difficult/impossible to repair, accelerating cycles of planned obsolescence, consolidation in every industry, etc, it’s like these corporations are trying to model every • thing about capitalism to the nth degree.
Admittedly, I'm not motivated enough to do some real research, but I can't think of a subscription model that has completely replaced my ability to own a specific product that existed before a subscription model....it's just another way to buy/consume. As for hardware, service/upgrade contracts have
always been a thing at the commercial level - there's nothing new there. I mean, even the engines on the airplane you fly are sourced as power-by-the-hour; the airline doesn't own them, they lease/rent them. Most airlines do, to my understanding.
I will concede that Tesla is really blurring the lines in some places with subscription features for the car, but if we can get right to repair sorted out (see further commentary on that) then I won't necessarily have to buy their feature if I can get an aftermarket option, post-warranty.
Right to repair is a different issue, and I'm 100% with you on it; if I own something, I ought to be able to repair and modify it as I please. But if I don't own it - or if I own it but expect warranty coverage, then the issue is more nuanced.
The reason you're seeing so much proliferation of pay-as-you-go/consume/subscription models is because
people are willing to pay for it. You may find the notion morally objectionable or, at best, simply irritating, but there is a market out there which does so, happily. And, frequently, it really does make better financial sense for the user in many cases.
