The mere fact that we can ask this question, knowing that it is indeed a possibility, is as good a reason as any to assume they're doing exactly that.

They're famous for it.

But, they'll claim they're "disabling" certain elements to make it work more efficiently with today's other products and infrastructure, just like they do with older iPhones and claim that it's to reduce the load on aging batteries.

TL;DR: "It's not a bug; It's a feature! And we thing you're going to love it!"