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I don't see how this characterization is wrong as a shorthand. Until HP comes up with an update, these printers don't print. If they never do, then it is literally true. There was a home router manufacturer that issued a firmware update that permanently disabled their product, users had to physically exchange them.

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It's a technical distinction.

HP broke the printers. It didn't brick them.

If something is bricked, it's permanent for a consumer at home. It can't be fixed with another software update, because the bricking prevents updates.

This can be fixed with a future update. Therefore it's not bricked. That's the definition of bricked.

They're currently broken (a temporary state). They're not bricked (a permanent state). The two words aren't synonyms.

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