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There was one startup that I met a few years ago that focused on enabling IoT on 'dumb' devices. Their first product some sort of plug for ceiling fans that all

There was one startup that I met a few years ago that focused on enabling IoT on 'dumb' devices. Their first product some sort of plug for ceiling fans that allowed people to turn on & off / control the ceiling fan with their smartphone. The product also required a $5/month subscription service. I remember asking the CEO why would someone pay $5/month just to control their fan and he basically responded that the idea seems ludicrous and this point in time, but eventually people will catch on, and then he made an allusion to Microsoft Office and how that it's becoming a subscription product despite initially being one-off purchase 15 years ago.

wutbrodo 5y ago
I think you're overestimating the degree to which useless subscriptions are sustainable. I just moved and am about to purchase something identical to what you're describing[1], and it's a one-time purchase, as expected. [1] https://sensibo.com/?device=m&campaignID=12697870451 https://sensibo.com/?device=m&campaignID=12697870451
- yccs27 5y ago
  Are you sure it will stay a one-time purchase? Given the post topic, your confidence seems ironic. In a few years' time, you might start seeing ads in the associated app...
  - wutbrodo 5y ago
    I think you've misunderstood both my comment and the one I was responding to. Neither of us mentioned ads? I was pointing out that even the parent comment's very example of a slow slide towards universal subscriptions that add no value didn't hold. It was framed as "I have inside knowledge of this nascent product category and its capture by useless subscriptions", while in reality this is already a market category that exists without any such issues. This bizarre wild-eyed fearmongering about insane, lose-lose, somehow-inescapable business models is HN's version of QAnon.
- charleslmunger 5y ago
  If it has a cloud dependency, you can be confident that the system it controls will probably outlive the service's free lifetime. If you're willing to do some technical work, there is fantastic open source tooling in this space. Then you'll have a setup that isn't affected by the business desires or financial problems of others. As a bonus, you get better latency over lan. https://tasmota.github.io/docs/Tasmota-IR/#sending-irhvac-commands https://tasmota.github.io/docs/Tasmota-IR/#sending-irhvac-co...
  - wutbrodo 5y ago
    Oh agreed, I haven't yet purchased the unit because it's on my todo list to look into options that don't have external deps. Historically, I have a strong preference for removing unnecessary servers in favor of using dynamic DNS with a device on my home network. My only point was that even this server-based system is already selling without a subscription, and as you point out, the off-ramp to a system with no cloud dependency is pretty clear for those who want to avoid subscriptions (or dependencies in general). Thanks for the pointer!

wutbrodo 5y ago

I think you're overestimating the degree to which useless subscriptions are sustainable. I just moved and am about to purchase something identical to what you're describing[1], and it's a one-time purchase, as expected. [1] https://sensibo.com/?device=m&campaignID=12697870451 https://sensibo.com/?device=m&campaignID=12697870451

yccs27 5y ago
Are you sure it will stay a one-time purchase? Given the post topic, your confidence seems ironic. In a few years' time, you might start seeing ads in the associated app...
- wutbrodo 5y ago
  I think you've misunderstood both my comment and the one I was responding to. Neither of us mentioned ads? I was pointing out that even the parent comment's very example of a slow slide towards universal subscriptions that add no value didn't hold. It was framed as "I have inside knowledge of this nascent product category and its capture by useless subscriptions", while in reality this is already a market category that exists without any such issues. This bizarre wild-eyed fearmongering about insane, lose-lose, somehow-inescapable business models is HN's version of QAnon.
charleslmunger 5y ago
If it has a cloud dependency, you can be confident that the system it controls will probably outlive the service's free lifetime. If you're willing to do some technical work, there is fantastic open source tooling in this space. Then you'll have a setup that isn't affected by the business desires or financial problems of others. As a bonus, you get better latency over lan. https://tasmota.github.io/docs/Tasmota-IR/#sending-irhvac-commands https://tasmota.github.io/docs/Tasmota-IR/#sending-irhvac-co...
- wutbrodo 5y ago
  Oh agreed, I haven't yet purchased the unit because it's on my todo list to look into options that don't have external deps. Historically, I have a strong preference for removing unnecessary servers in favor of using dynamic DNS with a device on my home network. My only point was that even this server-based system is already selling without a subscription, and as you point out, the off-ramp to a system with no cloud dependency is pretty clear for those who want to avoid subscriptions (or dependencies in general). Thanks for the pointer!