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Crippleware has been defined in realms of both software and hardware. In software crippleware "vital features of the program such as printing or the ability to save files are disabled until the user purchases a registration key. While crippleware allows consumers to see the software before they buy, they are unable to test its complete functionality because of the disabled functions." Hardware crippleware "is a hardware device that has not been designed to its full capability. The functionality of the hardware device is limited to encourage consumers to pay for a more expensive upgraded version. Usually the hardware device considered to be crippleware can be upgraded to better or its full potential by way of a trivial change, such as removing a jumper. The manufacturer would most likely release the crippleware as a low-end or economy version of their product."[1]

In hackers' jargon, an antifeature "is functionality that a technology developer will charge users to not include", for example copy-protection, and "Like blackmail, users can sometimes pay technology providers to not include an antifeature in their technology."[2]

Computer software[edit]

Deliberately limited programs are usually freeware versions of computer programs that lack the most advanced (or even crucial) features of the original program. Limited versions are made available in order to increase the popularity of the full program without giving it away free. An example is a word processor that cannot save or print. However, crippleware programs can also differentiate between tiers of paying software customers.

The term "crippleware" is sometimes used to describe software products whose functions have been limited (or "crippled") with the sole purpose of encouraging or requiring the user to pay for those functions (either by paying a one-time fee or an on-going subscription fee).[3][4][5]

The less derogatory term, from a shareware software producer's perspective, is feature-limited. Feature-limited is merely one mechanism for marketing shareware as a damaged good; others are time-limited, usage-limited, capacity-limited, nagware and output-limited.[6] From the producer's standpoint, feature-limited allows customers to try software with no commitment instead of relying on questionable reviews and possibly staged reviews. Try-before-you-buy applications are very prevalent for mobile devices, with the additional damaged good of ad-displays as well as all of the other forms of damaged-good applications.[7]



Computer hardware[edit]

This product differentiation strategy has also been used in hardware products:

  • AMD disables defective cores on their quad-core Phenom and Phenom II X4 processor dies to make cheaper triple-core Phenom and Phenom II X3 and dual-core X2 models without the expense of designing new chips. Quad-core dies with one or two faulty cores can be used as triple- or dual-core processors rather than being discarded, increasing yield.[9] Some users have managed to "unlock" these crippled cores, when not faulty.[10]
  • Casio fx-82es scientific calculator has the same ROM as fx-991es, but some functions are disabled.[11][unreliable source?]
  • Apple announcing it would charge $4.99 in order to enable 802.11n functionality on some devices in 2007[12][13][14] (fee later reduced to $1.99)[15] and blaming it on GAAP compliance, even though their interpretation of the accounting rules as mandating a fee was contradicted by a former chief accountant of the SEC and by a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board.[16]
  • the more recent Intel Upgrade Service (2010-2011), which allowed select types of processors to be upgraded via a software activation code, has also been criticized in such terms.[17][18]

Digital rights management[edit]

Digital rights management is another example of this product differentiation strategy.[19] Digital files are inherently capable of being copied perfectly in unlimited quantities; digital rights management aims to remove the (from the producer's viewpoint) excess utility to the user from this capability by using hardware or cryptographic techniques to limit copying or playback.

See also[edit]


  1. ^
  2. ^
  3. ^ a b "Crippleware — a definition from The New Hacker's Dictionary". [dead link]
  4. ^ "Crippleware — a definition from". 
  5. ^ "Crippleware — a word definition from Webopedia". 
  9. ^
  10. ^
  13. ^
  14. ^ Want 802.11n in your Mac to work? For you: only $4.99
  15. ^
  17. ^ "Facepalm of the Day: Intel charges customers $50 to unlock CPU features". "this arbitrary software lock is odd in that Intel is offering to remove it for a fee. Basically it seems processors have become so powerful and so cheap, and the failure rates so low, that the only way that Intel can supply the low end demand is through artificially downgrading chips." 
  19. ^ Andrew M. Odlyzko (July 27, 2003). "Privacy, Economics, and Price Discrimination on the Internet". Retrieved 2010-02-15. 

External links[edit]