Smartboard: Are they really going to charge an annual subscription fee?

I was hoping that this was a rumor I had heard on Google Plus, but it is in fact true.  Smarttech starting in April of 2014 will begin charging a subscription fee to their Notebook products.  It is called the "Notebook Advantage."  Smarttech I have to admit that I am a little disappointed.  I love your software and got my entire school district to purchase a Smartboard for every classroom, and now you are saying that I am going to have to pay a fee to get the product updates.  Not cool.  Unfortunately we are already invested in using the SMART products, and will probably buy, but I promise that as newer technologies come out we will now keep our eyes open for something else.

Sorry to my readers for my rant, but here is the link to the FAQ on SMART Notebook Advantage.