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Is (was?) there something more to this product that I missed, or is it really a $700 smart lock?
by mikeash 9y ago
Is (was?) there something more to this product that I missed, or is it really a $700 smart lock?
- twblalock 9y agoIt doesn't even have a proximity sensor -- you have to touch it to make it work. Might as well stick a key in at the same time. If I paid that kind of money I would expect my door to unlock for me when I approached it. It also has no manual override with a key like some smart locks -- it just has some backup batteries that last an unspecified amount of time. Because it has no key, it can't be re-keyed, so good luck convincing a landlord to let you install it in an apartment or rental home. And the company says it needs to be professionally installed. I bet the owners of these things would spend more time thinking about and solving problems with them than most people spend operating their normal deadbolts with a key.
- mikeash 9y agoMy $200 August is smart enough to unlock when I approach. For $700 I’d at least expect it to massage my backside as I walk through or something.
- SAI_Peregrinus 9y agoOr open the door, not just unlock.
- mikestew 9y agoIf I paid that kind of money I would expect my door to unlock for me when I approached it. For $700, it better open the door for me. I can get locks to merely unlock it for me for half that.
- bdcravens 9y agoHaving just bought a "non-luxury" car that locks and unlocks by proximity (plus things like OSX that does the same with Apple Watch) this seems like a no-brainer.
- nkkollaw 9y agoIt's so awesome when people create problems to fix non-problems. I never once thought my life would be better if I didn't need to put up with those nasty keys...
- greenleafjacob 9y agoNever locked yourself out?
- nkkollaw 9y agoSure, but what if the thing breaks or the batteries run out and similar?
- mikeash 9y agoA typical smart lock still supports a physical key, so you have a backup method of access. It looks like this particular one does not, though.
- nkkollaw 9y agoNope.
- ams6110 9y agoSo you still need to carry keys around. Or at least hide the backup key somewhere.
- mikeash 9y agoDepends on your risk tolerance. I always carry keys and use the smart features as a convenience and backup. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to ditch the keys if you were fairly confident your phone would still work when you arrive home and you’re willing to take the small risk that it doesn’t.
- mikeash 9y ago
- andrepd 9y agoWell apparently this one has "a new, exciting and addictive (?) user experience".
- mikeash 9y agoWow, they really said “addictive.” Maybe this acquisition fell through because the acquirer finally came to their senses.
- Stratoscope 9y agoAnd this: "Not to be outdone, the software team challenged themselves to complete the full user experience so that our customers would fall in love with the way they engaged the product and actually experience joy as they used it."
- taberiand 9y agoSeems like that's the goal of all companies today - turn everything into a skinner box aimed at directly stimulating the pleasure senses while stimulating a stream of money from your bank account. Maybe it failed because the lock was sold as a one off payment instead of a subscription model, and didn't sync (yet) with a dopamine-dosing brain implant.
- TeMPOraL 9y agoIndeed. That's why I'm skeptical when they say they care about the customer. Most of the times, they don't give a flying fuck about the product itself and whether or not it actually does anything useful for customers - the whole point is to get into someone's wallet; the product is just a proxy (and often customers themselves are a proxy too, to get more money from the investors). Getting paid for building something valuable seems to be a dead concept in the startup economy.
- coldtea 9y agoIn the same sense of "is there anything to this SUV that I missed, or is it really a $70K car?". Quality and reliability matter, and not all locks are made the same. If a run-of-the-mill smart lock goes for $200, and if you can even buy lightbulb systems that go for the same or more, it's not really difficult to imagine a $700 smart lock if it's advanced enough. Especially since most of those $200 smart locks are usually utter crap. Heck, people pay way $500 (and way more) for plain old secure doors. Why does everyone assume such a project should target average Joes at first?
- mikeash 9y agoThat’s why I asked a question instead of just saying the price was dumb. Did I, in fact, miss some aspect of this thing that makes it worth $700? If so I’d like to know specifics, not guesses. I’m not assuming anything, I’m wondering what makes it so much more expensive than other products in this space, since the article (and the “Introdicing Otto” article I also found) don’t explain it at all.
- solarkraft 9y agoExpensive cars aren't usually worth their prices either. Maybe they tried to pull a similar thing.
- mikeash 9y agoThe manufacturer will at least attempt to justify the price based on what’s better about the car.
- ryanbrunner 9y agoExpensive cars are "worth" their prices as a status symbol though (as silly as you may find that, I think it's undeniable that's most of what's supporting high sticker prices on cars). A door lock doesn't have that advantage, save maybe a quick "let me show off my cool gizmo" thing at a party or something.
- henrikschroder 9y agoI tried watching the promo videos on the site, I have no idea what the thing does, but apparently when it's extremely freeing for people to not be limited by keys, or something. (Except now they're limited by their smartphone, internet connectivity, and some cloud servers, but you know...)