this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2025
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A Boring Dystopia

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cross-posted from: https://fedia.io/m/right2repair@discuss.tchncs.de/t/2476878

Update also blocks compatibility with popular third-party apps.

Well, this is definitely the wrong direction.

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[–] Zachariah@lemmy.world 75 points 1 month ago (1 children)

All devices should be required by law to provide a path for customer-installed firmware.

[–] LongLive@lemmy.world 8 points 4 weeks ago

Toaster set to random heat settings every other day prank gone wild busted watch now

[–] cyborganism@piefed.ca 46 points 1 month ago (1 children)

When will people learn to never buy smart devices.

[–] mEEGal@lemmy.world 12 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

manufacturers don't make the fully dumb ones anymore !

your comment is 10 years late

[–] cyborganism@piefed.ca 8 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Right???

That's why I buy a lot of used stuff now or repair the ones I got.

Repair shops will be like "a new one'll cost less" and I'm like "don't care, fix it."

I really hope my early 2000's Sony Bravia 720p tiny ass TV never dies on me. It's a dumb TV but has all the connections for retro gaming consoles.

[–] estranho@lemmy.ca 5 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Conference room monitors are still (mostly) dumb.

[–] mEEGal@lemmy.world 2 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

yeah, and advertising ones may also be. but they're often bad for gaming / movies...

[–] wavebeam@lemmy.world 6 points 4 weeks ago

i work for a big OEM that makes touch screens usually put in places like hospitals, airports, POS systems, etc. commercial devices not consumer. As part of my (remote) job, i have to validate solutions on all of our products. I get a lot of DHL deliveries of stuff directly from our factories. This includes what the industry called "IDS" monitors: "Interactive Digital Signage"

Anyway, I've got a 55" 4K IDS hanging in my bedroom and use it with an Apple TV 4K and sometimes my Steam Deck for gaming. It's definitely not good but it's not that bad either. The response rate isn't great, and the picture can't stand up to an OLED, but it's better than some of the cheaper TVs in the same category for size and resolution. Our newest models have more even backlighting and a better contrast ratio, but those aren't even mentioned in our spec sheet. That said, It's also VERY expensive compared to consumer devices. It's so dumb, which is great! It also was designed to last a decade always-on without failing, also great! But even if you could buy one as a consumer (you can't) you almost certainly wouldn't consider the value proposition worth it. $5k for a touchscreen TV with relatively bad picture and response rate? You'd get one of the highest tier consumer TVs for that money... with the tradeoff being that it's absolutely jacked full of ads and user-tracking malware.

There really isn't a "good" solution here. I only use this because I have to have it for my job, but also it was free and works good enough for me relaxing in bed. I play games on a gaming monitor that also isn't very smart, so it works out for me. If TV OEMs offered an amazon-kindle-style ad-free version for ~20% more i probably would do, but i think they find the tracking and ads more valuable than a one-time purchase with no strings.

[–] Fredselfish@lemmy.world 34 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Stop buying shit that requires online access to use. Or if no choice first thing disable the feature. The owners should be able to sue the fuck out of this company.

[–] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 15 points 4 weeks ago

An effective way to boycott this terrible activity is to take to the second-hand market wherever possible. Thrift stores, FB marketplace (yuck), craigslist, and old-fashioned yard sales. Old exercise equipment is everywhere. Engage with makers and support networks to repair and maintain that stuff.

Keep the flow of money out of the hands of these corporations that just want to lease you things.

[–] psx_crab@lemmy.zip 8 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

I think the issue now is there's less and less device that doesn't have IOT build in, and then some that doesn't require internet to function might suddenly get roped into a requirement, and then they can time your product obsolescence this way. Their next step is to put out product that can only work via an app so you're required to connect it.

Honestly i don't mind having some device like a robot vacuum to have internet requirement, because it expand the usefulness with it, but gym equipment? Cookware? TV? AC? Heck no.

[–] 4am@lemmy.zip 5 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Set up a raspberry pi with HomeAssistant (or buy their premade one) and then nothing should need to connect to the internet (as long as you buy stuff that doesn’t require it).

Smart devices don’t need “the cloud” to be smart - all of that shit is a scam.

[–] whats_a_lemmy@midwest.social 1 points 4 weeks ago

I'm contemplating this given the upcoming EOL for Nest thermostats. Would you have any advice on how to get started?

[–] DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com 16 points 1 month ago

This has GOT to be illegal in the EU

[–] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 15 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 8 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

$400 A YEAR to use a product you ALREADY BOUGHT AND OWN???? WTF????

[–] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 3 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

These animals are betting on shifting baselines with this crap. They seek to train a whole generation of consumers that owning anything is pointless fiction.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 4 points 4 weeks ago

Which is hilarious as it can take one guy to wreck their market by just coming out and saying "Yeah lol once you buy our stuff you own it". There's a reason why there isn't really a large market for applications that can play media formats. VLC has everyone covered for free.

[–] Mist101@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago) (4 children)

Yeah, bought a wifi-enabled olympic bar and it's permanently set to 0lbs until I connect it. Supposedly, the app has a cupon for free weights, but idk, I think I'm gonna install a VPN on it.

ETA: Unfortunately (or fortunately for society) this is a joke.

[–] FenrirIII@lemmy.world 8 points 4 weeks ago

All of this makes me mad.

[–] dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 7 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Please tell me that's all satire. The current state of affairs makes it impossible to tell.

[–] dellish@lemmy.world 4 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

The fuck is a wifi enabled olympic bar and why would you buy one? It's just a fancy 20kg rod ffs

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 3 points 4 weeks ago

wifi-enabled olympic bar

The what? A bar for olympic athletes with Wi-Fi?

[–] Washedupcynic@lemmy.ca 6 points 4 weeks ago

And this is why I will always own a normal outdoor pedal bike. Pay for it one time, and I have the tools on hand to modify and repair it. Get one of these babies and pop your bike in it and book instant indoor spinning.

[–] Krudler@lemmy.world 4 points 4 weeks ago* (last edited 4 weeks ago)

Seems like a vulnerability a competitor could use to bankrupt them with a shady DDOS

I'm guessing the board didn't do much of a SWOT analysis

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 2 points 4 weeks ago

I feel like the spirit of the antichrist is behind the whole "you must connect to the internet in order to use this product"