TechTakes

What would a mouse subscription even provide?

It infuriates me to see companies now co-opting the "forever X" language from the right-to-repair movement so that instead of "a well-constructed object you care for, repair, and use for multiple generations" it means "a thing you can pay a subscription on forever."

Logitech used to make such good hardware too. I have a pair of wired earbuds they made 15 years ago and they still work great, even after being accidentally machine washed. If any of their modern hardware was half that good they'd be all I buy.

"Logitech is seeking growth by appealing to the many people who don't own both a mouse and keyboard and by selling more expensive devices."

Lol. Magic thinking make line go up, forever. Shareholder expect 3% this quarter.

... I’m not planning to throw that watch away ever. So why would I be throwing my mouse or my keyboard away if it’s a fantastic-quality, well-designed, software-enabled mouse? The forever mouse is one of the things that we’d like to get to.

The watch you also don't need a subscription for? Great example, really.

Thing that sucks about this, despite how stupid a “forever” mouse concept is (that isn’t a project with titanium and replaceable parts) is that this is normal in the software realm. But the grift is so easily observable and absurd when it’s applied to hardware. It’s normal operations for SaaS. It’s what SaaS is.

As someone who has recently been spending a lot of time rolling my own USB devices, this would require logitech to form a gang and throw out the current USB standards and completely vertically integrate for this idea to not be an abject failure. I guess it could happen! But yeah in terms of who gets to rule over our inevitable cyberpunk dystopia, I just don’t think it’ll be Logitech. Unless they pivot to bionics.

*edit: am now thinking Logitech will definitely pivot to bionic limbs and you’ll have to configure them with logitech options, ugh

even hp already fucked off from this idea for less-used consumables, imagine being the product manager thinking you could make this fly for a decades-old computing peripheral people use literally daily

landlord brain truly is something remarkable

A mouse that lasts forever... until y'know, it breaks, because it's a piece of hardware that actively gets worn out.

In my experience, mice don't really break since optical tracking replaced rollerballs.

What does happen is that the exterior gets grody and the glidepads wear out.

A true "forever mouse" would be one where the stuff that gets worn out is easy to clean or replace. Ideally the tracking unit itself can be replaced, although that might be excessive.

For Logitech to produce a mouse like this, however, would require them to make a multi-decade commitment to supply parts and specs, which is basically just a cost sink in today's world.

ROFL They could keep that mouse in that case! Trying to normalize enshittification is a real cute look, makes me want to buy other than Logitech next time I make a keyboard and mouse purchase. I'll support System 76 or a slightly saner corporation with a mouse and keyboard purchase.

Logitech be jealous of HP inkjet printers.