David,
I think you are making an grossly unfair comparison. First, though, I do
agree that if you don't have full control over a product you buy, you
don't fully own it. I'll jump back to that in a moment.
Where I disagree is your comparison of tesla and apple. What apple did
is terribly disingenuous. And they got nailed for it. But it's very
different from tesla stating that, if you want "self driving," you need
to pay $10k for it to be enabled. They didn't try to misconstrue
anything, they aren't being deceptive.
In fact, I'd go further to say that's about the only choice they have.
There probably isn't any extra hardware needed for self driving over
autopilot. So, all they can do is offer different software. I suppose
you could argue that they should actually have to download the software
rather than enable it, but that's getting terribly nuanced.
I'll go even further: by having the software installed but not enabled
allows them to build "experience." The software is probably mostly based
on "machine learning" where situations (or, really, combinations of
fragments of situations) are weighted for probably outcomes. The more
people providing situational data, the more the software learns. So,
they want the software in all vehicles, whether the customer pays or
not, in order to improve self driving mode.
I think tesla would go to court and loose if they disabled features in
the car that they originally claimed you paid for. I'm not concerned
about that, though I will admit they might have some wiggle room to
argue that such-and-such feature is in package X, not Y.
As for owning a product, if that product is software, it's long been
held that you only hold the right to use the software. It's somewhat
like a copyright: you can buy a book and you own the book but you don't
own the text. If you're comfortable with that, then consider software
that way and try to be comfortable with not owning a copy of software.
Hope that makes sense.
Peri
<< Annoyed by leaf blowers ? https://quietcleanseattle.org/ >>
------ Original Message ------
From: "EVDL Administrator via EV" <[email protected]>
To: "Electric Vehicle Discussion List" <[email protected]>
Cc: "EVDL Administrator" <[email protected]>
Sent: 16-Mar-21 11:28:21 AM
Subject: Re: [EVDL] Tesla Y vs Escape PHEV
Mark, have you looked into obtaining service manuals and the challenges of
working on your own Tesla? I get the impression (correct me if I'm wrong)
that Tesla discourages owners from doing anything but driving their cars.
And by "their," I mean Tesla, not you. From what I can tell, you don't ever
fully own a Tesla.
Many or most "options" seem to actually already exist in the cars' hardware.
They're just artificially disabled in its software until you pay for the
right to use them. This might be OK with you if you grew up with
crippleware commercial software and think it's just fine, but it really
grates on me.
Tesla effectively remains in control of the car you buy (or should I say
"acquire the rights to"?).
There are all kinds of nefarious things they could do with this capability,
and you're counting on them to be nice.
Like Apple did with Iphones, if they want you to buy a new car, they could
deliberately and gradually degrade your Tesla's range or performance.
If someday they decide they want more money from you, they could decree that
formerly free functions were "in testing mode" or something, but now you
have to pay a monthly fee to keep them.
If someday they shut down the computers that the cars phone home to, will
Teslas turn into 2-ton bricks? Or will they be like the 1950s Studebakers
and Packards that you can still restore and drive today?
It seems to me that if you don't fully control where and how you use a
product that you've bought, you don't really own that product. If you're
considering writing that big of a check, I think that you owe it to yourself
to look closely at what you're really buying.
\ / (R) Registered Rabbitmark
\/
['']
*/ \*
{ }
\ /@
^^
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
The phrase "May you live in interesting times" is the lowest
in a trilogy of Chinese curses that continues "May you come
to the attention of those in authority," and finishes with
"May the gods give you everything you ask for." I have no
idea about its authenticity.
-- Terry Pratchett
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
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