Naming and shaming all "recurring spending models" where a one-time fee (or none at all) would be appropriate and logical.
Expect use of strong language.
Follow the basic rules of lemmy.world and common sense, and try to have fun if possible.
No flamewars or attacking other users, unless they're spineless corporate shills.
Note that not all subscriptions are awful. Supporting your favorite ~~camgirl~~ creator or Lemmy server on Patreon is fine. An airbag with subscription is irl Idiocracy-level dystopian bullshit.
New community rule: Shilling for cunty corporations, their subscriptions and other anti-customer practices may result in a 1-day ban. It's so you can think about what it's like when someone can randomly decide what you can and can't use, based on some arbitrary rules. Oh what, you didn't read this fine print? You should read what you're agreeing to.
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Some other groovy communities for those who wish to own their products, their data and their life:
Some other useful links:
Louis Rossman's YouTube channel
Look at content hosted at Big Tech without most of the nonsense:
(Ok I don't know if this is actually subscription, but it's definitely the same shit.)
There's no microtransaction required, that's just the phrasing used. The car never had that function because they didn't buy one with that package.
Why is the option selectable then... At best it's just shitty UI, at worse it's a software feature that needs to just be activated. (Which is what people don't tend to like.)
The cruise control lever comes equipped with the additional buttons that would make use of this feature, which is done to streamline production at the factory, as opposed to needing to install two different types of levers depending on the build. Some have the upgraded software to use the adaptive cruise assist installed, some don't. Your friend purchased a car that did not have that feature, so nothing is removed or missing, and therefore no microtransaction is required. That's like saying they bought a car with 19" wheels but a microtransaction is needed to get the 20" option. It was never there to begin with, it was simply a feature they did not opt for.
I get it, but the normal thing that's always been done is for the lever to be missing the printing, and the movement to that position either be blocked mechanically or just ignored. At least that was smarter so the user wouldn't be bothered by something they didn't want, and it they changed their mind, it was still simple to install.
There definitely is a new trend for a product you bought to keep screaming at you to buy new shit. Does your car remind you to buy more expensive rims? Even if technologically it's almost the same as it's been done for ages, nobody is subtle about it anymore, and that indeed is similar to today's micro transaction model where everything has to have a built-in store, often as the top feature even more prominent than the main functionality.