Originally Posted by
downhillmaster
I don’t recall too many items needing a specific ‘hardware activation’ as you put it.
Most (all?) DJI products have it - their drones, gimbals, action cameras. The drones I understand, there are laws requiring a drone be registered to the owner, when and where they can be flown, etc but the others, activation doesn't make sense. If you buy their Osmo Action camera from a store, you can't just insert a fresh battery and memory card and start using it. It will not function unless you activate it online using a smartphone.
The Favero Assioma power meter pedals - likewise, you can't use them without first activating them using a smartphone.
That's what I can remember at the top of my head, and hopefully this list remains this way - small!
Is that the same or similar to a software update?
Not software update, but software activation - a form of DRM where you can't use the software (or it remains locked in a limited/crippled trial mode) unless you activate it via the Internet.