I'm as paranoid (or wise) as anyone about retaining control. I doubt that I would buy into a service that didn't provide the option to purchase and download unencumbered copies of content as we do today. Having the option to use or 'rent' a copy for online use would have to be just that, another option. I'm pretty sure that most mid to high level 3D will remain tied to the desktop for a long time. OTOH, mobile computing is obviously the future. I don't see the utility of rendering on the console screen of your Ford Escape, but I can imagine there are scenarios for every thing from the military to architechts to who knows might benefit from some kind of service based solution though. As for DRM etc., I'm less worried about the companies who have to meet customer demands doing it on their own. I'm more worried about them paying their stooges in DC to mandate it.

"Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H. L. Mencken