Re: Somewhat curious...
"But shutting it down is a one-off cost and probably a tax-deductible "loss". Keeping servers running is an ongoing cost. Because (I believe) there was no subscription, just an outright purchase, keeping those servers running relies on a sort of pyramid scheme where new purchases pay for the upkeep of existing devices. Eventually it must all come crashing down."
I wonder just how many servers BestBuy are running and how many people they have herding them? When does looking after just one or two more become onerous enough that they are prepared to shut them down at short notice, attracted lots of bad press and paying out compo to users become economically sensible?
I suspect there is more to this than meets the eye. Are they getting out quickly because they are looking at some future liability? Some data leak, or maybe just running scared or a potential $something?