They might have gotten away with this 30 years ago when HP inkjets were a premium machine that sold for $400-600. But they've spent 25 years giving them away for less than manufacturing cost and selling the cartridges at a markup. They've trained the public to believe inkjets are worth $36 to buy and own, not $36/month.

This is going to boomerang on them—hard.

arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/0

1
Share
Share on Mastodon
Share on Twitter
Share on Facebook
Share on Linkedin
Clive Thompson

@cstross

Oh man yeah this is gonna bite them

Plus there’s the fact that one’s personal demand for printing can be quite bursty …

…. Ie very little monthly use, until: a sudden tax audit; a sudden legal dispute; your kid suddenly has to reprint, multiple times, a long essay or research paper …

… which means a lot of people will start with a “small“ plan then suddenly bonk up against the expensive limits to it

1
9mo
Replies