The other day, in Ireland, in our innovation center there, one of our team members showed me a forever mouse with the comparison to a watch. This is a nice watch, not a super expensive watch, but 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.
What made the mouse a forever mouse?
It was a little heavier, it had great software and services that you’d constantly update, and it was beautiful. So I don’t think we’re necessarily super far away from that.
I’m still stuck on, “You’re going to sell me a mouse once and it’s going to have ongoing software updates forever.”
Imagine it’s like your Rolex. You’re going to really love that.
I’m going to ask this very directly. Can you envision a subscription mouse?
Possibly.
And that would be the forever mouse?
Yeah.
So you pay a subscription for software updates to your mouse.
Yeah, and you never have to worry about it again, which is not unlike our video conferencing services today.
But it’s a mouse.
But it’s a mouse, yeah.
I think consumers might perceive those to be very different.
[Laughs] Yes, but it’s gorgeous. Think about it like a diamond-encrusted mouse.
The forever mouse, and the forever mouse could be the mouse that you keep and we just send you software updates, but it could also be the mouse that you turn in at Best Buy and we get it back or Best Buy takes it back and refurbs and resells it, which is another business model. We’re starting to do that but not yet at the scale that we need to.
Forever mouse
Oh nice, a mouse I pay for once and will keep using forever?
I pay once?
Why the hell does a mouse need software updates? It points and it clicks. That's it. No need to make it any more complex.
Macros/reprogramability/DPI changes. In theory they could improve the macros. But like macros should be a pretty solved problem at this point.
Doesn't the universal HID standard cover all that? It removed the need for frickin drivers, but I guess we're going back with all the rgb spyware
Macros and DPI settings? No.
The mouse will still work, but you're stuck with the default settings. The mouse still uses the generic driver, it's just the software reprograms the mouse to do your macros, or run at a non insane DPI.
Depends on the mouse I guess, which of course they'll try to make as complicated as possible to seem like they're doing something hard. There's really no difference between a mouse and a keyboard from a HID perspective. The DPI setting generally only change how the mouse movements are interpreted inside the mouse, rather than fundamentally change how it's reported over the wire.
I have seen some mice which have dpi switch hardware buttons. I guess it's not gonna be as granular as a slider, but still. As for macros, I think it would be okay if it was controlled by the host OS.
I do see your point, though. But I'd rather it become a part of the standard than having to install crappy software
Their software doesn't even work correctly with some games and who knows when they'll fix it, for example I have a g502 and in order to use a mouse click in a macro I have to run their software in admin mode. This was a fix I only found on reddit 3 years ago and still no change.
Imagine it's like your Rolex, the CEO says to the journalist who probably makes like 70k/year if they're lucky
Probably. They don't even do digital displays, do they?
Sounds just like a Rolex, really expensive and not worth the money.
Weren't old rolexes somewhat affordable and really durable? Like during the 40's weren't they cheap?
It depends but yeah, Rolex weren't a super luxury brand until they featured heavily in the Bond movies and when swiss watches were worn by pilots and got some prestige. That's also one of the cheaper ones to buy nowadays (2000~USD) since a ton of pilots would buy them so they are the 'mass-produced rolexes'
I'm sure the early watches were cheaper, but idk much about watches. I've used my phone as a watch for 20+ years at this point
Rent seeking shit. Capitalists are the fucking worst.
Moving away from planned obsolescence by making everything a subscription model instead is so comically capitalism-brained.
So you pay a subscription for software updates to your mouse.
Yeah, and you never have to worry about it again
fundamentally not now subscriptions work. in fact, exactly the opposite.
I worry about the monthly charges every month when I check my credit card bill. I would never stop worrying about my mouse.
Wait. So now I have to pay a subscription for my mouse?! So it's a forever mouse I forever have to make payments to?
This is the dumbest shit I've ever heard of.
fucking vampires. are they also gonna bill you for each click?
Think about it like a diamond-encrusted mouse.
but it's not going to be diamond-encrusted, is it? it's going to be another thing with which to spy on you. i don't know if anyone's falling for the subscription = premium bs anymore, no matter how fancy it might look like. besides, you get a mouse for its functionality. there's stuff like programmable lights & ofc the brand name itself adds to the cost. but like, you can just get a cheap, basic mouse if that's all you need.
i hope i'm making sense here. shit like this makes me irrationally angry.
are they also gonna bill you for each click?
god don't give them any ideas
subscription
never have to worry about it again
I don't think it works like that
Imagine it’s like your Rolex
The rage when I read this, gonna go
So it's not even a mouse designed to last forever, but a mouse leasing program with free replacements.
Or, when your old mouse breaks, order a replacement, put the broken one in the box and return it. Free replacements for as long as they keep making that mouse
"Forever mouse"
"Supported by paid subscription service"
