That's probably what GP is implying, because that's how it works. More and more devices require Internet connectivity for no real reason except ensuring vendor's business.

See e.g. a laser cutter featured once on HN, that offloaded its basic computations to my butt, turning it into $2000-worth big paperweight if you lost your Internet connection.

I mean, I understand that people need to make money, but some of the business models today are so user-hostile that it's no longer funny.