Logitech new business model - own nothing & be happy with subscription

[jonovid]

Hanneke Faber, the CEO of computer and tech company Logitech, announced a new business model that would charge customers a subscription fee to lease the use of their computer mouse.

https://winepressnews.com/2024/08/03/logitech-ceo-says-youre-going-to-really-love-not-owning-a-computer-mouse-and-paying-for-a-subscription-to-use-it/

original article -
https://www.theverge.com/24206847/logitech-ceo-hanneke-faber-mouse-keyboard-gaming-decoder-podcast-interview

quote-
Of course, we talked about whether anyone wants their mouse to be anything more than a mouse — Logitech is adding AI features and even AI buttons to some of its products,

[ataradov]

It is fine, it is not like there is lack of decent mice. Although my current mouse is Logitech and I love it, there is zero chance I'm paying for a subscription.

And really, the only reason my mouse is Logitech is that I have not bothered to look for mice with similar features from other vendors. I can't see how this is a good idea to force your customers do market research.

[xrunner]

Uh uh. Yea. Well I won't be buying subscribing to a f*cking mouse. I guess there are idiots out there that will though. 

[SiliconWizard]

Yes. The idea is indecent, and yes, there *are* millions of idiots out there.

[fzabkar]

When your subscription runs out, does your mouse stop mousing? How would Logitech enforce that?

[H.O]

WTTFF, a mouse on subscription - is this a joke or when is this madness going to stop!?
Sure, there are other manufacturers but just look at the software industry, more and more is subscription only (with terms that the supplier can change at will). If Logitech gets away with this crap others will follow in short order.

[ataradov]

How would Logitech enforce that?

If it ever happens (I predict not), it will likely be stuff that does not matter, like RGB lightning and other "gamer" stuff. They already run some crapware to control that, so it will probably check your license.
I don't expect this to ever apply to basic mice.

Although the whole concept is stupid on the surface and will never work.

[ataradov]

If Logitech gets away with this crap others will follow in short order.

And this is where random Chinese vendors from AliExpress will come into play. And Logitech will bitch and moan about that.

Just like label printer makers turned their product into such crap that random printers from Ali are much better and more functional.

[SiliconWizard]

Yes, this is a suicidal move for companies, but they are doing it anyway and CEOs will get millions for implementing that move.

[MT]

What to expect from some woke WEF gangster chick coming from:
Logitech brought on Hanneke, a longtime executive with an extensive background in consumer goods at conglomerates like ""Unilever and Procter & Gamble"".
https://www.weforum.org/people/hanneke-faber/

[MK14]

If the AI features, makes the mouse a very powerful, ChatGPT like assistant.  That you can physically speak to (built in microphones), to speed up and automatically perform various PC tasks.

The software gets very regularly updated, in a way that is both good and useful for the user.

Simple and straight forward, rarely changing terms and conditions.

A subscription of perhaps, $0.25 per year, if paid annually, $0.99 for free life membership, perhaps freely included with their higher range mice.
Plus extended guarantee (free mouse repair/loan/replacement), during subscription period.

It would not be too bad. (In practice, I suspect the subscription costs, would be way, way more, amounting to huge amounts of money, over a number of years).

[ataradov]

Why would I want to speak to a mouse when it is inherently tied to a PC that can already do all that?

There is nothing they can do to make this attractive. At most they would be able to sell cosmetic features to people that care about this kind of stuff.

[DimitriP]

For one thing this belongs to "Dodgy Technology" since we don't have a "Dodgy Ideas" or a "How to make your mark as the new CEO without sounding like an idiot-and fail" section.     

[SiliconWizard]

Intel is also probably considering going for that model. I think we heard of it before. But with their recent "strategic" move, my guess it's that it's finally coming.

[ataradov]

Announcing a CPU subscription model right now would be a hilarious way to drop the stock price another 30%.

[coppercone2]

Haha, I actually fixed my logitech mouse. The thought of spending $20 on another one gave me a stomach ache.


Right now the easiest way to save money is to avoid subscriptions as much as possible.

I think they have a pool of victims, i.e. people that did not get hit by heavy incidental costs in their life yet and have a unrealistic assumption that income and expenses is actually steady (its likely not to be).

I.e. utilities increase, tax increase, rent increase....


What did you notice about rich businesses? They hate headcount. Because its a god damn subscription cost. Some have more because of future planning (smart) but its still ALWAYS frugal in the grand scheme of things.


The WEF "money on time" mentality is extremely god damn fragile. And telling people that everything is smooth and nothing will go wrong is the easiest job there is.... don't believe it

[H.O]

I'm afraid people in general aren't that bothered and will just go with the flow and comply whithout giving it much thought - which is the dangereous thing. Look, my new mouse has AI, got to have AI, don't I..., oh for f...

And the further we get into this everything-on-subscription thing the more norm it gets. Soon people will know nothing else and we won't be able to get into our house without a subscription on our door lock forced upon us - which the manufacturer can change/cancel/revoke as they see fit.

I'm typing this on a Logitech MX Keys (which I do like very much) but now I want to throw the thing out the window. Logitech playing the environmental card, give me a break.

[coppercone2]

usually people like that won't be more successful then a few years. As soon there is a glitch they go poof. If you are lucky, its your moms basement, not a 4 room mate rental.


I think we see it more now because trends spread extremely quick and much more people are heard online. So bubbles grow quicker, get bigger. I noticed talking about finances to people feels like talking to fanatics when they are on the next thing.


I think older people saw more like soap bubbles, young people are seeing boiling... it makes me think of a new phenomena in economics, bumping. Like a vacuum distillation. So many successful bubbles form that it breaches the container and shorts out the hot plate.

[rsjsouza]

Mouse is one of those gadgets that reached a plateau of functionality.

So, this is nothing really new. That is the "B.S. Bingo" game played at C-level meetings: be pitched a "breakthrough innovative idea" that will "break the paradigms" and open the company to a "promising revenue stream" by "adapting the sales model" of their mainstream product with their Mouse-as-a-service (MaaS) business model. Sprinkle "AI" and "blockchain" here and there on the .PPT and you have not only a new job but a five-year budget plan to put it in march and reach an unattainable 40% adoption rate.

Give or take, the M.O. is very similar to a Solar Roadways... Not thinking about the impracticalities of the new model face the existing simpler solutions. 

[ataradov]

There is still place for improvements. I currently use Logitech MX Anywhere 3S and it has awesome scroll wheel. It can change between clicky and smooth scrolling on the fly. It has different modes and I have it set where it is clicky for small scroll movements and it goes to smooth for long scrolls. It is great and I would not think twice paying another $70 if I had to replace this mouse.

They can make small incremental improvements like this and have a decent business. But  the issue here is that market demands infinite growth, which is impossible in reality. So, CEOs are stuck coming up with stupid ideas how to trick their investors to not pull out the money for a bit longer.

[schmitt trigger]

Woe on the CEO who has promised the market to meet certain financial indicators, and realizes can’t meet them. There is a special place in Wall Street hell for those souls.

Therefore a total and absolute panic grips the board room, and after struggling for days without an answer, and the quarter’s end rapidly approaching, someone says: “what if we start a toilet-paper subscription program”, and everyone screams: “Yay, fantastic idea! Everyone shits and requires to clean their butt afterwards! Thanks, Pete.”

That is how I believe these corporate ideas flourish.

Has anyone heard about Wendy’s surge pricing idea? Fortunately it appears that they have backed off.

[xrunner]

Logitech had a nice line of programmable remotes named Harmony that people liked. I had a couple. But I'd repaired the keyboards so many times and the lettering was worn so bad I finally needed new ones. But I found out they discontinued the production of the Harmony remotes a few years ago. So they just threw away that part of their business and now they want to make more money from a simple thing dating back to the prehistoric PC era. Douglas Engelbart must be turning over in his grave - a subscription to this thing?

Maybe they just need to invent something new that people want to buy - or have all the inventions for desktop PCs been achieved? 

[ejeffrey]

When your subscription runs out, does your mouse stop mousing? How would Logitech enforce that?

The best part is that the "software" is what will stop working.  Normally I would pay extra to avoid their "software" so I think this is a great idea.

[amyk]

I have at least a dozen mouses, many of which I got for free, and a big bag of replacement switches I bought for <$0.01 each. There's very little that can go wrong, and they don't need much maintenance, so I can see why companies are trying to squeeze as much $$$ from the users as they can.

[xrunner]

You know I read that woman's interview again. That just makes me ... well angry.    I don't know how else to describe it. Grrrrr. I need a drink I guess to calm down. Where have all the inventors gone?