https://gizmodo.com/logitech-will-be-intentionally-bricking-…
Logitech initially announced they are bricking all hub link products and will be giving out replacements for those in warranty and a discount for those out of warranty. Looks like they have changed there mind after a back lash and will be giving everyone a replacement.
If you have a harmony hub link you will need to look into getting the free replacement before March.
It's pretty simple, don't buy it.
Probably trolling but I will bite anyway: how are you supposed to anticipate which device makers are going to abandon their devices or introduce additional charges/remove features after purchase?
I think he means don't buy any product that depends on a company's internet service. I don't think that's realistic though.
@fredblogs:
Better not get a pixel, Google have confirmed 2 x OS updates so they give it a “lifespan” of 2-2.5 years. Bit rubbish for a $1000+ phone.
Don't have one of these, but it's just ridiculous, I would be outraged if I had one. How can they just stop a device which I paid for from working whenever they like. Not going to buy logitech after this for sure.
Yeah it makes me a bit nervous about buying any more. I really like my (non-link) hub but I think its heavily cloud based so Im a bit concerned now that I know they can shut it down whenever they want.
Something I love about my Deck brand keyboard - the keys are all programmed using the keyboard and stored on the keyboard. I can pick it up and take it anywhere and it works exactly the same. I also have a Razer keyboard and to program the keys on that you have to install a driver which communicates with a webservice; I've never bothered setting that up.
Thanks OP, have one and it just became redundant due to other firmware upgrades on other devices in last couple of weeks, they all just started playing nice with the one remote, oddly enough.
Would have preferred a full refund, i was just about to try selling it, this notice certainly devalues that plan.
ok picture threw me they have the wrong pic in the article so the Hubs are fine if you have the IR, BT, Wifi Model.
the link is IR only from 2011
Shit :/
I wonder if the answer is open sourcing the software with a no-support policy.
Ideally? Yes. But we almost always see the trend going in the other direction, because "Open Source Software + No-Support = requires higher tech literacy". Which is worse for general population uptake.
Consider Apple's VERY closed and proprietary ecosystem vs Android. The only reason Android is competitive is because it's available on much cheaper devices than Apple offers. Other than that, everyone I've talked who's NOT tech-literate prefers using Apple's devices, despite the drawbacks of its much stricter control and closed ecosystem.
Consider also early-days personal home media (TV/movie/music) servers which were all homebrew, customizable and required no subscription, vs today's proliferation of Netflix, Hulu, Spotify, etc which, if they ever shut down, would completely kill the relevant functionality.
Consider even GPS navigation - before we had standalone GPS units, that maybe connected online every few months to update maps and work offline 99% of the time. What do people use now? Waze, which other than being owned by Google, would immediately stop functioning the moment its servers go offline.
And it's unavoidable. Open source software = less control = more permutations = harder to support.
This does not affect anyone with a harmony hub
Update: We Will Replace Your Logitech Harmony Links
http://blog.logitech.com/2017/11/09/update-will-replace-logi…
But only because of the bad publicity…
We were just discussing this possibility on a Logitech Harmony thread: https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/337661#comment-5211044
I wonder what the ACCC thinks about this kind of bricking. https://www.accc.gov.au/consumers/consumer-rights-guarantees…
'For a major problem with a service, you can choose to receive compensation for the drop in value below the price paid, or a refund.'
'Your rights under the consumer guarantees do not have a specific expiry date and can apply even after any warranties you’ve got from a business have expired.'
So what actually happened with this? I'm still running a hub with no issues…..accidently stumbled upon this thread and wondering what notification the general public would have had?
Edit - just realised I'm running a harmony hub - not the link
Sorry, was reading up on the situation.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2017/11/after-online-outrage…
Good write-up (I like Ars for a lot of their tech coverage).
But this is going to be an ongoing issue with Internet-of-Things ecosystem that we're entering. We've already run into the issue with software: You never "buy" it, you're only licencing it for use and the terms of the licence can be changed/revoked at basically any time. With software, online games become useless when official servers are killed off, and the game itself makes it "illegal" to use on unofficial servers because of copyright infringement.
We saw it with ebooks when Amazon went and deleted ebooks off of paying customers' Kindle ereaders (ironically a George Orwell book), and when (the opposite) Apple force-downloaded U2's album onto people's iphones.
We already had a similar thing to this happen with Google Nest devices (https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/apr/05/revolv-de…) when, after buying the company, Google basically cannablized its staff and expertise and killed Nest's own devices.
We're no doubt going to see more of these incidents in the future as increasingly what used to be just plain dumb "whitegoods" are connected to the internet, managed via the internet, and (even worse) linked to and/or depend on some kind of subscription to run.
Welcome to the future I guess?