Reply to BMW starts selling heated seat subscriptions

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The rest...

[quote]It’s no surprise that BMW isn’t trumpeting the news, though. Since [b]the company announced in 2020 that its cars’ operating system would allow for microtransactions on features like automatic high beams and adaptive cruise control, customers have decried the move as greedy and exploitative.[/b]

Carmakers have always charged customers more money for high-end features, of course, but the dynamic is very different when software, rather than hardware, is the limiting factor.

[b]In the case of heated seats, for example, BMW owners already have all the necessary components, but BMW has simply placed a software block on their functionality that buyers then have to pay to remove.[/b] For some software features that might lead to ongoing expenses for the carmaker (like automated traffic camera alerts, for example), charging a subscription seems more reasonable. But that’s not an issue for heated seats.

Other features that [b]BMW is locking behind subscriptions (as per the company’s digital UK store) include heated steering wheels,[/b] 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.[/quote]

I really wonder how this will go over the US is they expand it. Will people be able to hack their cars to circumvent the BMW programming and make their features work? Will that be a nice hacker gig? [/quote]

In a few years, it will be the norm.  [b]Tesla already does it re the extended range[/b]; BMW was just ahead of its time.  The younger generation is becoming accustomed to microtransactions. [/quote]

Huh? if you want the extended range, you pay for it when ordering the car b/c it's a different battery or an extra one, which costs more.  But you don't pay for a subscription to be able to utilize it.[/quote]

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