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

[RJSV]

   But don't forget, the subscription model will get hold of your personal data, along with the sign up...which is considered more valuable than I can understand, fully.

   At the very least, the lease arrangement is going to get your name and location, but they probably also get data on your system (brands and models), and maybe even have you submit to. 'Friendly Survey' !

[floobydust]

Razer mouse died, inside it was low grade china build and I was surprised given the high price that it was so junky. It's all about the marketing to gamers that they spend the money on. Not bug fixes either.

Next, I got clones of the Razer from china and I'd swear it was some 8-bit MCU sweating bullets. Any ESD it crashed, and if you are moving your cursor while clicking at the same time, it completely misses that click. Actually many mice bungle that it seems. Even new switches did not help with the debounce.

Next, I went with a SteelSeries Sensei mouse, not for gaming but it was on sale and fits my hand. It has cornball RGB LED's that light up the room.
Well, to shut that shit off, the driver install download is 367MB and has cloud settings storage and some other gaming crap. Just overboard, silly gamer hype features that are quite outrageous. WTF such a huge fatware driver is needed for a mouse. They seem to correlate cursor position with your webbrowser, in their privacy policy.
I haven't taken it apart to kill the LED's yet, it's on my list. But it does crash sometimes, sensitivity goes nutty.

[IanB]

The image below shows what is for me the most annoying problem with Logitech mice (apart from their Logitech windows app).

I have been using some Logitech travel mice for some time (M325 and M185) and they have been quite reliable. My hands have got used to the small size and now I find them fine to use. They don't seem to have any of that fancy rubberized coating that wears away or goes sticky.

[tszaboo]

A weird thing with those Master mice (at least the 2) is if you clean the wheels with the IPA the rubber disintegrates. I've never seen that happen anywhere else. You can't get a new rubber tyre for the wheel, even from sources like AliExpress. Another problem is the button in the left hand rubbery skirt. A lot of people seem to have that jam, and the mouse won't work at all. Its a pretty useless button to me, so having it be a source of trouble is pretty annoying.

Some rubber is like that. I had that with HP 54600 series oscilloscope that I unfortunately damaged while cleaning the 30 year old dirty knobs with IPA.

Okay, any good alternative to Logitech?

I'm guessing A4 Tech will have some nice mice, since they have been making them for 30 years now.
But probably someone like HP or Lenovo who also has a gaming mice, they 100% have the capability to make something good.

[AVGresponding]

A weird thing with those Master mice (at least the 2) is if you clean the wheels with the IPA the rubber disintegrates. I've never seen that happen anywhere else. You can't get a new rubber tyre for the wheel, even from sources like AliExpress. Another problem is the button in the left hand rubbery skirt. A lot of people seem to have that jam, and the mouse won't work at all. Its a pretty useless button to me, so having it be a source of trouble is pretty annoying.

Some rubber is like that. I had that with HP 54600 series oscilloscope that I unfortunately damaged while cleaning the 30 year old dirty knobs with IPA.

Okay, any good alternative to Logitech?

I'm guessing A4 Tech will have some nice mice, since they have been making them for 30 years now.
But probably someone like HP or Lenovo who also has a gaming mice, they 100% have the capability to make something good.

Which will be fine until they decide to adopt the same business model...

[MK14]

Which will be fine until they decide to adopt the same business model...

Yes, but in the same way, there were various workarounds, with the very over priced printer cartridge system.
With much cheaper clone replacement cartridges, alternative ink-refilling methods, replacement clone-chips (to the silly counter chips inside some cartridges, to try and prevent them from being refilled), and other solutions.

So, buying used older mice (possibly brand new, unused/unopened in sealed original box), before the possible introduction of subscription-mice.  Repairing/maintaining the existing (non-subscription) mice, to keep them going.
Typically (in some cases), it can just need a button (new/renovated switch/contact), to renew it.

Open-hardware/source or cheaper, basic mice, without any need for subscriptions.

Then there could be hacking (where legal/ok) or repurposing the subscription mouse's hardware, with your own MCU/electronics.

You might (I don't know, if this will apply) even (like with YouTube subscriptions), be able to use a VPN, and pretend/subscribe from the cheapest possible country, to get the subscription costs, down to peanuts.

Also, the EU (and perhaps other jurisdictions), could be persuaded, to outlaw** such activities.
**But if they do, NOT like they have with the internet cookies, otherwise, every time you move the mouse a pop-up will say, do you want a subscription or not, and you have to constantly close those annoying pop-ups, like with the current internet situation. (I know there are possible solutions/work-arounds, with things that fix it, but I've not been happy enough with any solutions so far, to use them).

[tszaboo]

Which will be fine until they decide to adopt the same business model...

I find it unlikely. First not everyone has been dropped on their head when they were two years old, like this CEO.
Second, computer mouse is a dying peripheral, since everyone is buying laptops, and children cannot even type on a keyboard (that's not on a screen) anymore.
There always be a company that would rather make money now and take away market share from these companies.

[Zucca]

I did a quick search in amazon and aliexpress.
Plenty of alternatives, bye bye Logitech!

[xrunner]

Oh-oh - lots of backlash now they are running away from the idea  -

The Verge - Aug 6, 2024

Now Logitech says the ‘forever mouse’ was just an idea

“There are no plans for a subscription mouse,” said Logitech communications head Nicole Kenyon in a statement provided to The Verge and other publications.

The statement came in response to immediate backlash over a concept described by Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber, who shared her company’s early concept of a “forever mouse” with Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel on the Decoder podcast. Faber described the potential mouse as a high-quality, software-enabled mouse that lasts as long as a good wristwatch.

“The forever mouse, I think, is one of the things that we’d like to get to,” said Faber at the time. The ensuing outcry around the idea that Logitech might be planning to make you pay monthly for a common computer peripheral was fierce.

Now, Kenyon writes in response to inaccurate reports about the interview, Logitech’s stance is that “the mouse mentioned is not an actual or planned product but a peek into provocative internal thinking on future possibilities for more sustainable consumer electronics.”

(This was actually Logitech’s second statement to try and mitigate confusion from Faber’s comments. The first was to assure customers of its smart home cameras that it wasn’t discontinuing them, as Faber’s comments on the podcast implied.)

https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/6/24214857/logitech-subscription-mouse-decoder-podcast-hanneke-faber

[ebastler]

The Verge - Aug 6, 2024
“[...] the mouse mentioned is not an actual or planned product but a peek into provocative internal thinking on future possibilities for more sustainable consumer electronics.”

And by that we mean "economically sustainable". Also known as "more profitable".

[Nominal Animal]

I got the feeling something is happening wrt. Logitech leadership (CEO and chairman of the board), so dug a bit.  Found this, indicating that for a year now co-founder Daniel Borel has been calling on shareholders to change the chairman of the board; and two days ago sent a letter to shareholders along the same lines.

Rather interesting times ahead for that company, I'd say.

[globoy]

Looks like that particular trial balloon got popped.  No subscription mouse :-)

https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/6/24214857/logitech-subscription-mouse-decoder-podcast-hanneke-faber

[xrunner]

Looks like that particular trial balloon got popped.  No subscription mouse :-)

https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/6/24214857/logitech-subscription-mouse-decoder-podcast-hanneke-faber

Uh I just posted that article a few posts up there ^^^ 

[MK14]

Uh I just posted that article a few posts up there ^^^ 

They couldn't afford their monitors subscription this month, so it only shows things at barely minimal brightness, so they missed your post.