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True, 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 chop
by shimon 9y ago
True, 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 9y agoHello, darkness my old friend. The analogies to Keurig won't stop here -- next up, DRM juice packs.
- proaralyst 9y 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 9y 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 9y 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 9y 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 9y 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 9y 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 9y 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 9y 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.
- nommm-nommm 9y agoKeurig can't be described as "mess free." We have one and work and the machine spews coffee all over itself and, of course, the place you put the pods and the spout gets all gunked up and nobody cleans it. It's pretty gross. Same thing happened with the old one so it's not just one model. >Maybe in a non-coffee drinking house where guests occasionally want one cup. I have a $20 drip pot that makes 1-2 cups and takes up a quarter of the counter space. French press is even cheaper and I have one that makes only a single cup. Then there's aeropress...
- ianferrel 9y agoI know that I'm paying a premium and that the coffee isn't as good as what else I could make. I'm paying for time. I can just press a button and have coffee in ~1 minute. No need to grind beans or clean the coffeemaker after. Worth it for me.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- jotjotzzz 9y agoUsing K-cup reusable filters enable people to grind their own coffee. I wish that they would have started with this model instead of the singular disposable cups that produced lots of garbage. But then there's no money in saving mother nature I guess. :|
- kevin_thibedeau 9y agoSo no-juice-for-you when the internet goes down. Brilliant.
- deleted 9y ago[deleted]
- dragonwriter 9y ago> The analogies to Keurig won't stop here The elevator pitch to investors for this is probably "Keurig for organic juice".
- jordache 9y agoproprietary? You mean marry a CRUD app with a mechanical device that presses a bit?