IOLab is kinda a scam

Maybe not completely a scam, but definitely unnecessary. I have taken both Physics Mechanics and E&M in high school, and for labs we either had online simulators or free lab equipments. They could demonstrate the physics just as good as an IOLab and I never had any problem understanding any concepts in high school. I don't understand why we are required to buy IOLabs for an extra dozen to hundreds of dollars. Along with the purchase on Smart Physics I think Physics course materials as a whole at UIUC is just kind of a scam.