Heck, some scopes cripple their memory capacity which can be unlocked with a software upgrade.
Curiously, Rigol, a test equipment company, recently updated their dirt cheap line (DS1052E to DS1054Z). The DS1052E had a notoriously weak software option unlock encryption, so hobbyists bought the 400 dollar scope, punched some code into it generated with some Javascript on some webpage, and bam, you got a 1500 dollar scope.
Funny thing is the DS1054Z has the same exact issue. The crypto on the 1054Z is also crap (http://gotroot.ca/rigol/riglol/ yay!) -- some have even speculated that they do this intentionally because they know corporate people won't hack their scopes, but hobbyists will, furthering their brand in a market filled with American competitors (Keysight formerly Agilent, Tektronics, etc)
Funny thing is the DS1054Z has the same exact issue. The crypto on the 1054Z is also crap (http://gotroot.ca/rigol/riglol/ yay!) -- some have even speculated that they do this intentionally because they know corporate people won't hack their scopes, but hobbyists will, furthering their brand in a market filled with American competitors (Keysight formerly Agilent, Tektronics, etc)