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Logitech has an idea for a “forever mouse” that requires a subscription (arstechnica.com)

submitted 3 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (3 children)

This is so absurd. The only updates peripherals need are firmware bug fixes. And it's a standard that these updates are free. Having subscriptions for hardware is kinda dystopic tbh

From the podcast:

Some only have a mouse or only a keyboard, but many of them have both. But the thing that shocked me was that the average spend on that globally is $26, which is really so low. This is stuff you use every day, that sits on your desk every day, that you look at every day. That’s like the price of four coffees at Starbucks or less than a Nike running shirt. There is so much room to create more value in that space as we make people more productive — to extend human potential.

You know why on average people spend so little? Because a mouse is just a mouse. It doesn't need to do anything besides controlling the cursor. It doesn't need a "dedicated AI button that launches Logi AI Prompt Builder" (which is just a ChatGPT wrapper btw)

I don't want to be that one person that just complains about capitalism under every post, but things like this make it hard. We have already perfected the design of a mouse. But every year publicly traded companies need to make more money than in the previous year, so let's add subscriptions to everything. And also AI, because investors love it

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Having subscriptions for hardware

actually how i understand that model, the subscription would not be for the "hardware" (which you would still have to 'buy' and pay for all of its repairs by yourself) but only for the software which would actually block you from using your own hardware if you stop paying the then-later-by-them-to-be-definded-price for the 'licence' to use that software, rendering the hardware a useless piece of junkscrap whenever and as long as they whish or their cloud runs on MShitsoft or is maybe ClownStricken, MacAfff'ed, CEO'ed, CTO'ed, Shareholder'ed or such).

That f*up-idea is afaik explicitly NOT a renting model for hardware where they'ld had to make sure that it actually works before you have to pay the rent, but only a licensing software for that only software that is vendor-locked-in on that vendor-poisoned hardware.

As i know myself, i guess i'll discontinue to buy or suggest any of their stuff for a few decades from now, for that "idea" only.

Have a nice(r) day without logitech!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 3 months ago (2 children)

Yeah, apparently the subscription for the mouse would be on top of the upfront cost. I'm honestly baffled that Logitech's CEO thinks anyone would buy it, this feels like an april fools joke

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago (1 children)

Wait so the subscription literally doesn't cover anything it's just the money I pay to Logitech for no reason?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

I just skimmed through the podcast so I might be wrong, but it looks like the subscription would only cover updates to their AI "features":

'[...] is there a vision beyond “the software will do more for you” than just drive your mouse around?'

[...] Should the mouse do more than just move the cursor? Absolutely. And it does that today, and I think similarly about being more productive with shortcuts to the large language models and all kinds of other things. The guy that I met at a barbecue over the weekend who has programmed 120 shortcuts on his mouse, that’s the kind of stuff that can extend human potential in ways that are healthier.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 3 months ago

i believe such happens only bcs society lets people into such positions without checking them to be fit in any way for anything except them having a bank account for receiving millions and a lawyer to check contracts and tell them what they should not say in public and receive parts of these millions in return for changing their customers "pampers".

or maybe that brainfart was just part of a trip on randomly mind altering illegal substances? or maybe a brain tumor? or maybe a brain parasite? or maybe a parasite brain? or maybe just normal capitalism? or maybe a tumor that grows in society?

i guess we will never know for sure.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

What can I say? I see "Capitalism bad" and I upvote.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 3 months ago

I agree. We collectively overconsume, where are the manufacturers with pride in building quality devices that just work?

I'm a hardware engineer, I'd be embarrassed to release some of the shit I've seen onto the market for public consumption.

The rules are simple: solid state where you can, robust enclosures that can withstand common cleaners & IV exposure, geometry that makes it difficult for those cleaning fluids to get into the electronics. That's it, you've got most people covered with a reliable device to interact with daily. Pinch pennies on the RGB LEDs, not the housing!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 3 months ago

But the thing that shocked me was that the average spend on that globally is $26, which is really so low.

Yeah because it's a mouse. What extra features is it going to have if I paid $100.