DEC used to do this with their hardware, they would cripple an otherwise perfectly functional machine to a cheaper model in order to segment the market.
Of course DEC field engineers did not feel like waiting for the diagnostics to complete so they usually temporarily upgraded the machine to full spec to run their tools, then revert the changes before they left.
This was a funny little dance because some of their customers had clued in to the trick and would do the same thing after the engineers have left, upgrading the machine, only to downgrade it just before a field engineer would arrive.
On the plus side, if this is a software thing I fully expect it to be hacked.
Of course DEC field engineers did not feel like waiting for the diagnostics to complete so they usually temporarily upgraded the machine to full spec to run their tools, then revert the changes before they left.
This was a funny little dance because some of their customers had clued in to the trick and would do the same thing after the engineers have left, upgrading the machine, only to downgrade it just before a field engineer would arrive.
On the plus side, if this is a software thing I fully expect it to be hacked.