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The subscription mode is likely primarily there for syncing their bank account with bank accounts of VCs who price everything in multiples of monthly recurring
by meltedcapacitor 5y ago
The subscription mode is likely primarily there for syncing their bank account with bank accounts of VCs who price everything in multiples of monthly recurring revenue. Probably not gonna end well.
- sofixa 5y agoWithout a subscription they have no incentive to update the software of already sold or older model ( which they already do). Considering the price and the niche market, they probably can't rely on future sales only to improve the software.
- michaelt 5y agoA subscription doesn't give someone an incentive to update software. If anything, it does the opposite: if I'll get paid whether I add a feature or not, why spend the money to add the feature when I could just pocket the money? That's why companies love the subscription model so much: Instead of having to find compelling new features and updates to sell new versions or attract new customers, they can just sit back, put their feet up and the money keeps flowing in.
- ksec 5y agoI think your parents meant subscription gives recurring revenue to sustain a ongoing cost which is software development. It is not an incentive, but a criteria. I often wished Remarkable would be brought up by big companies with more resources to work on it. But most companies these days aren't interested in making better products. Not to mention the possibilities of ruining it.
- jdgoesmarching 5y agoYou’re making a lot of faulty assumptions about how customers engage with subscription models. When I pay for software every month, I’m evaluating the value of it every month. That includes things like the update frequency, how often I use it, etc. I know subscription pricing isn’t popular around here, but these wild speculations about how things work are getting a little silly. Especially coming from people who, I’m guessing, don’t use that many subscription apps.
- fragmede 5y agoMaybe it's just me, but evaluating my subscriptions every month sounds like discussing OS upgrades with friends - normal people just don't do that. I sign up, and then leave it on autopay until they do something I find abhorrent enough to cancel my subscription (I'm looking at you, NYtimes). Which is why subscriptions are so lucrative - people don't regularly check their subscriptions on a monthly basis. (Not saying this is the most fiscally responsible position to take, just a far more 'normal' one.)
- skinnymuch 5y agoIs any thing you said backed by anything? Even anecdotal evidence?
- sofixa 5y agoNo, companies love the subscription model because it makes for a predictable cashflow they can plan around, and which they can use to support software long-term.
- meltedcapacitor 5y agoAs a relatively fragile portable device with a limited-life sealed battery, which is essential to people who adopt it, there is a nice replacement market. Being nice to your users by providing relative low-cost maintenance software updates should more than pay for itself. No need to include new features, they can be sold for a one-off optional fee to old device users. Subscription is worse here: it provides weaker feedback from users to the developers, who have a harder time knowing if the new features are useless or damaging to the user experience. Products don't always benefit from constant gratuitous updates.
- outworlder 5y ago> The subscription mode is likely primarily there for syncing their bank account with bank accounts of VCs who price everything in multiples of monthly recurring revenue. Probably not gonna end well. Since subscription has been Wall Street's fetish for a few years now, it's safe to say they have aspirations of going public sometime in US exchanges.