When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I think I'm starting to understand how when I was growing up, the old guys used to wax poetic about carburetors and poo-poo on 'all that modern fuel injection and computer junk'
Not that I'm at all into changing jet sizes or anything, I'm just not looking forward to the future of cars as much anymore. Even in my 2006 Jag, the radio has a bunch of car controls built in, which keeps me from modifying the car as I like. Subscriptions for **** I bought with the car would make me furious. (I hated seeing the satellite radio buttons on some cars, knowing I wouldn't pay for that service and seeing the button every day.)
Tesla's been doing that crap for awhile, but it's not as infuriating as I think it's just for wireless connectivity and supercharging, both of which have real-life ongoing costs. I'm not really sure if things have changed, since when we bought our 2012 S last year, those things were grandfathered in for the life of the car.
Heated seats don't have an ongoing cost, so I don't understand that business model.
Heated seats don't have an ongoing cost, so I don't understand that business model.
The "(x) as a service" has been around for a while, and growing.
Remember the days when you bought a piece of software, and you then owned a license to use that software and all of its features, in perpetuity? Those days have been behind us for quite a while in the enterprise market. We pay an annual subscription fee to use AutoCAD, MS Office, Outlook, Adobe Premiere, and a bunch of other tools.
Likewise, the subscription model as a whole has become thoroughly normalized in everyday life. People subscribe to boxes of uncooked food, cat litter, razor blades, fruit juice, perfume, etc. Now, in this case there is an ongoing cost to provide the service, I'm merely illustrating that we now think of subscribing to dog food as normal, whereas a decade ago that concept would have seemed odd.
Anyway, this is the random (noun)s thread. So here's a bunch of ducks in a Citroen 2CV:
The "(x) as a service" has been around for a while, and growing.
Remember the days when you bought a piece of software, and you then owned a license to use that software and all of its features, in perpetuity? Those days have been behind us for quite a while in the enterprise market. We pay an annual subscription fee to use AutoCAD, MS Office, Outlook, Adobe Premiere, and a bunch of other tools.
Likewise, the subscription model as a whole has become thoroughly normalized in everyday life. People subscribe to boxes of uncooked food, cat litter, razor blades, fruit juice, perfume, etc. Now, in this case there is an ongoing cost to provide the service, I'm merely illustrating that we now think of subscribing to dog food as normal, whereas a decade ago that concept would have seemed odd.
Anyway, this is the random (noun)s thread. So here's a bunch of ducks in a Citroen 2CV:
I also remember that the software was as it was. Security holes, buy a new version. Want support past the included support window, buy a new version. Want the new features, buy a new version. The difference between every example you gave and heated seats is that the consumer does get some additional new value (whether it's worth it or not is always debatable). Whereas, you aren't getting better heated seats, or suddenly an update for cooled seats. It's literally just the **** you already paid for.
A lot of things we do now seem odd to 20-years-ago-me, like using the internet to find a stranger so we can get into their car. But paying for a subscription for a stagnant asset doesn't make sense unless you are renting it. So, BMW can go **** themselves. But, it's not like they build the Ultimate Driving Machine anymore anyway.
But paying for a subscription for a stagnant asset doesn't make sense unless you are renting it. So, BMW can go **** themselves.
I'm not disagreeing with you.
Just pointing out that the subscription model is a hot business trend right now, and consumers seem to be increasingly accepting of it.
In a few years, the sort of people who purchase BMWs / Porsches / Mercs / Teslas / Audæ / etc will find it no more unusual to pay a monthly fee in order to use features which their vehicle already physically possesses than not having your vehicle filled with starving, terrified weasels every time you drop it off at the dealership for the complimentary oil change.
1
