HP,
the king of the printing industry by market share, has launched a new subscription service that allows you to lease a printer with a monthly quota of printed pages determined by the chosen plan. The subscription plan also includes ink supply for the allotted pages and an upgrade to a new printer after two years. The caveat? You’ll have to hook up your printer to the Internet — this will enable HP to track usage and gather your personal data. You get a 30-day free trial period, and unless you cancel before it ends, you are obligated to keep the subscription and pay for the rental for a minimum duration of 24 months. And once they are in place, it won’t be easy to break these bonds. If you do, you will have to pay a hefty early termination charge: from $120 to $270 plus tax. For comparison, the cheapest printer model available for the subscription
sells for $79.99.
But wait, hold on for a minute. Printing as a subscription service? Since when has it become a thing?
The concept of printing as a subscription service might seem novel indeed, but in fact it’s part of a broader trend where traditional ownership is giving way to subscription models. From
home gym equipment to
built-in car features activated over-the-air, to now printers, physical products are increasingly becoming a subscription.
