The parallels of the printer industry and the smart TV industry are striking to me. The cost of a consumer smart TV has moved towards being subsidized by selli

The parallels of the printer industry and the smart TV industry are striking to me. The cost of a consumer smart TV has moved towards being subsidized by selling ads and watch history to media companies. Most consumers expect their flat screen high resolution 80" TV to cost less than $1000; there's even some choices in the $400-500 range now. Samsung (et al) need the recurring ad revenue (they say) to keep the lights on and provide continued products. They rightfully believe the market won't exist for the sustainable cost of the TV set, maybe in the multiple thousand price range, without the ad/viewership revenue. I think HP is facing this same problem. People won't buy a multiple thousands dollar printer. The market has driven the price down, such that HP needs to capture recurring revenue from its consumers. Without it, the retail price of printers would end up being much higher, likely out of reach for common consumers. I think the blame for this lies more with consumers than with manufacturers. I'm not stump speeching for HP; if anything, they have been my bane from previous days of being a local system administrator maintaining a fleet of printers for an engineering firm. And yes, corporate greed, perceived shareholder needs, and CxO salaries have led to these conditions too. Ultimately I just wish there were some good market choices here for normal consumers. I don't want to buy the "business" version of a printer anymore than I want to buy the business version of a smart TV display. But I wish there was a model where we didn't have to shell out for expensive HP toner just to have a decent printer on a subscription model. Like it or not, I think the subscription model is only in the beginning phases. You're not going to own anything in the future.