2024-08-07 13:27:00
At the end of July last year, Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber was interviewed by the American media outlet The Verge. She notably stated that the Swiss manufacturer was exploring a solution to sustainably finance its future products. This solution, which involves charging a recurring subscription fee to buyers in order to take advantage of a durable product for life through software updates, generated such a strong reaction in the tech community that today Logitech had to send out a press release to clarify the situation.
The Eternal Mouse: Just an Idea… for Now
Through the voice of Nicole Kenyon, head of the company’s communication, Logitech states: “The mentioned mouse is not a real or planned product but a glimpse into a provocative internal discussion about the future possibilities of more sustainable consumer electronics.“
However, given what Hanneke Faber previously stated, namely: “The eternal mouse is one of the things we would like to achieve“, it’s hard not to imagine Logitech pursuing this venture in the future, once the model is developed and consumers are more inclined to pay a new subscription. The CEO then compared this mouse tested in the firm’s R&D labs to a luxury watch.
A Solution Still to Find
Nonetheless, such a solution, if it respects buyers’ wallets at the time of purchase and over time, could indeed be a good way to make the tech industry a bit more environmentally friendly. By reducing manufacturing volume and particularly emphasizing repair over complete replacement in case of failure, for instance.
On the other hand, if Logitech were to limit itself to charging for software updates that are currently free, there’s no doubt that many would have objections. Especially in a sector, like mice, where scalability over time through updates is quite limited.