4 ms·
> Juicero declined to comment. A person close to the company said Juicero is aware the packs can be squeezed by hand but that most people would prefer to use th
by wyldfire 10y ago
> Juicero declined to comment. A person close to the company said Juicero is aware the packs can be squeezed by hand but that most people would prefer to use the machine because the process is more consistent and less messy.
"We kinda didn't think about this much because the real money is in the packets anyways. This stuff is way better than ink cartridges."
- shimon 10y agoTrue, but the proprietary tech in the machine was supposed to be a form of defensible advantage for this business. If the product value comes entirely from chopping and delivering vegetables in a bag, it wouldn't be hard for others to replicate.
- wyldfire 10y agoHello, darkness my old friend. The analogies to Keurig won't stop here -- next up, DRM juice packs.
- proaralyst 10y agoSounds like they already have that: the machine reads QR codes and compares them to an online service for expiry/recall. Not many steps to validity.
- nommm-nommm 10y agoAlready done. >The device also reads a QR code printed on the back of each produce pack and checks the source against an online database to ensure the contents haven’t expired or been recalled, the person said.
- Pigo 10y agoI really hate what those machines have done to coffee. It's difficult to explain to people at work, family, and friends how they paid a premium to be overcharged and produce extra waste without coming off like a jerk. I miss getting up from my machine and filling my mug with a regular coffee pot.
- protomyth 10y agoThey do have one nice advantage over the office or home coffee pot, forgetful people and no warming surface. It does prevent some fires because you have people who forget the basic things.
- Pigo 10y agoThat is something to be concerned about, but even rudimentary coffee pots have automatic shutoffs and most have other safety measures. Plus even with the long running heating element, they draw much less power than Keurigs. They bother me, but I usually keep my opinion to myself because people get emotionally invested in strong purchases (which coffee has become thanks Keurig).
- ghaff 10y agoIn an office setting (especially outside of the morning rush), it can also make sense to have an easy and mess-free way for people to make individual servings. I suppose there are scenarios at home too but they make mediocre coffee and are expensive and wasteful. Maybe in a non-coffee drinking house where guests occasionally want one cup.
- Pigo 10y agoI think it's the mounds of used single cups I see in our trash every day that bothers me, not to mention how much the company spends for them.
- ghaff 10y agoI was very amused one day in one of Sun's offices to see a big eco friendly poster of some sort--this was during their green computing kick--right above one of these pod/packet machines. It's tough in a big office though unless someone's keeping the coffee made and fresh as is the case in a meeting setting. People take the last cup and don't make fresh coffee or they just don't want to wait. We have both a coffeemaker with thermoses and a pod coffeemaker which seems a reasonable compromise.
- kevin_thibedeau 10y agoSo no-juice-for-you when the internet goes down. Brilliant.
- deleted 10y ago[deleted]
- dragonwriter 10y ago> The analogies to Keurig won't stop here The elevator pitch to investors for this is probably "Keurig for organic juice".
- jordache 10y agoproprietary? You mean marry a CRUD app with a mechanical device that presses a bit?
- kesselvon 10y agoWhy not just sell the packets. $5-8 dollars for a juice pack is already bonkers
- Pigo 10y agoAs a daily veggie shake juicer, I'd be interested in packs that could cut down on the time I spend each morning cutting stuff up, if cost effective. But I get no satisfaction from status symbols, anymore than I care that my household appliance barely found a reason to connect to my wifi.
- nommm-nommm 10y agoMy supermarket sells precut fruits and veggies already.
- paulcole 10y ago> As a daily veggie shake juicer Does not really compute with > I get no satisfaction from status symbols
- magic_beans 10y agoAgreed. I'd 100% buy one of those packets. No need for the silly machine.
- dragonwriter 10y agoPerceptual lock-in. Customers feel like once they've spent the money on the machine, it makes sense to keep buying the packs. It's a form of the sunk cost fallacy that's frequently exploited in marketing.
- mikeash 10y agoYeah, I don't get the big deal. If the packs are profitable, who cares if they use your machine? If they're not, you're doomed anyway.