I’m not joking. OK, a little bit.
A Logitech mouse – just like mine!
I’m really not sure what to make of this. I’m keeping an eye on a seemingly preposterous story centred on Logitech. These are the people who make mice & keyboards (amongst other stuff generically known as ‘peripherals’). We like their mice & keyboards a lot – we use practically nothing else.
The story kicks off with the Logitech CEO being interviewed by a tech YouTuber. During which the idea of a “forever mouse” came up. After a bit of digging it transpired that the concept was that you’d never need to replace your mouse because it would be kept up-to-date with constant software updates. After a LOT more digging the CEO finally admitted to the idea being based on a subscription model – yes, that’s right! A monthly charge to use your mouse.
The mind boggles. Gamers might disagree, but a mouse is a mouse. I have never, ever, thought “oh, I wonder if there is a software update for my mouse?”. If I replace my mouse it’s because a button has broken, or the thing is so filthy I can’t stand it any longer. Not, ever, because it’s software is out-of-date! Even the improvements sought by gamers are likely to be mechanical (sensors & stuff) which isn’t remediated by a software update.
Oh great! More stuff to update – just want to send a quick email? Oh no, the mouse is updating. And we now have to pay for this inconvenience!
But now comes the frantic back-pedalling. Logitech now say that the ‘Forever Mouse’ was never a thing. Which is nice. So, what gives? No idea. Maybe we look no further than the old saw ‘all publicity is good publicity’.