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One of Silicon Valley's most infamous recent startups is shutting down:
Juicero, the company that made its name by creating a proprietary juice-squeezing machine, is shutting down. The announcement comes from Juicero's website. In its post, the company writes that it is suspending the sale of both its juice packets and its Juicero Press device. The last juice packet delivery will occur next week. All customers have up to 90 days to request a refund for their purchase of the Juicero Press, regardless of when they bought it. Fortune reports that employees are being given 60 days notice.
Previously: Juicero Squeezed by Press and Internet
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(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 01 2017, @10:59PM (7 children)
That shit was ridiculous.
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday September 02 2017, @12:17AM (5 children)
So yeah, for what it was, it was way too fucking expensive. Distribution, my ass. If Joe Shit the lone used book seller can partner with Amazon, so could they.
Makes me wonder if the idea would have succeeded had their offices been closer to Fresno, where there is an abundance of fresh produce -- but nooooooooo, they have to be Silicon valley hipsters and have their $20 lattes and sit around and talk about how their all-White staff (except for the Hispanic janitor who pays $1000/mo rent to live in a walk-in closet) are soooo diverse and tolerant and good for the environment (like the packets that contain their juice are).
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @12:43AM
They were in Davenport, on the coast near Santa Cruz . The only crop there is Brussels sprouts
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @02:42AM (1 child)
Fuck, do you idiots spend every waking moment of your life comparing everything to race all the time? No wonder you're such insufferable assholes.
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday September 02 2017, @03:32AM
You ask me. I'm not the one living in Silicon Valley.
(Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @10:23AM
+1 fucking spot on.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 03 2017, @08:27AM
The factory that makes the packets is in Los Angeles. [truthdig.com]
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @04:36AM
Yeah gud jerb foggits.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Virindi on Friday September 01 2017, @11:34PM (14 children)
Okay! We were all waiting for this moment! Everyone be on the lookout for free juicers out on the curb, so we can salvage them for parts :D
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Friday September 01 2017, @11:39PM (10 children)
Since they're unexpectedly claiming they will refund (isn't that a dirty word?) the presses, not too many should end up on the curb.
(Score: 2) by Virindi on Saturday September 02 2017, @12:33AM (9 children)
But do you have to actually send it back to get the refund?
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Saturday September 02 2017, @12:41AM (8 children)
They arguably have all the info they need, since you had to keep buying the stupid one-time bags from them.
But asking people to take action is a great way to reduce the number of refunds paid.
(Score: 2) by Virindi on Saturday September 02 2017, @12:58AM
That's true, especially if you have to pay return shipping on a heavy juicer. But I was doubting that the company's backers would be interested in paying return shipping on refunded juicers.
(Score: 2) by Virindi on Saturday September 02 2017, @01:01AM (6 children)
Oops, forgot to mention that that also goes back to my original point. If you have to send it back for a refund and it is annoying to do so (as you imply they might be counting on) then they are likely to appear in the trash in that case too :)
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Saturday September 02 2017, @01:04AM (5 children)
Given the price, one would hope a few unreturned ones will have a meeting with bandsaws, table saws, chainsaws, baseball bats... I'll keep an eye on Youtube.
(Score: 2) by tonyPick on Saturday September 02 2017, @07:35AM (4 children)
There's a teardown on YT from back in May...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cp-BGQfpHQ [youtube.com]
as he points out, the hardware in this thing is massively, comically, over-engineered: "If you're gonna fail, fail hard, and with style", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cp-BGQfpHQ&t=14m24s [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by lx on Saturday September 02 2017, @01:56PM (3 children)
Don't twist his words.
AvEs verdict was massively overbuilt, so underengineered. (Throwing the most expensive parts at the problem instead of using clever design to do the same or better with less)
(Score: 2) by tonyPick on Saturday September 02 2017, @02:51PM (1 child)
Yeah - I get what he's saying on that, but I think there's a language usage thing going on there.
I'm used to using "overengineered" in the same sense as wikipedia [wikipedia.org] (and the dictionary) which has "more robust or complicated than is necessary for its application" or "unnecessarily complex" - which can be good (if it's safety critical) or bad (if it's a pointless waste of money, like this case).
AvE is taking the view that because this is obviously a mistake it's so massively overbuilt that it's under-engineered and doesn't like using the over-engineered term. Meh. I see why he says that, it's just not how I'm used to seeing the everyday usage of that word.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @04:23PM
Eh, I'm still partial to what my buddy, a civil engineer, uses. Too complex == "over-engineered" as in it is unnecessarily over the required specifications in some regard. Good design == "well-engineered" as in the product is engineered to hit the necessary specifications. Failing design == "under-engineered" as it doesn't meet necessary specifications. In that regard, it isn't the engineering effort that is over, under or just right, but rather the specification that is over, under or just right. This also aligns with colloquial use, making outside communication easier.
(Score: 2) by richtopia on Sunday September 03 2017, @04:38AM
I remember watching that video and disagreeing with the underengineered concept. He pointed out the pcb was very recent, so the device was probably rushed to market. Yes, you could save a lot in manufacturing costs with some smart decisions, but if you need to get something out the door fast with the volume in tens of thousands(? how many did they expect to sell?) CNC machined and error on the side of caution makes sense.
(Score: 2) by VLM on Saturday September 02 2017, @01:30AM (2 children)
I've been thinking about what to do with one since it became obvious they'd fail. I haven't figured out a serious realistic use yet.
They aren't good for juicing, I have a conventional juicer thats very easy and fast to use and clean. Juice being crazy carb numbers, means I only drink as a treat not daily which seems to be the point of the delivery service...
There's dumb things I could do with frosting and aquarium tubing leading to my 3-d printer, but... eh.
If it did a zillion tons I could press gears off shafts instead of using the big hydraulic press, but its too wimpy.
My guess is soon theres going to be some dumb gadget articles in Make magazine using arduinos and squeezing toothpaste in the bathroom.
It kinda says it all that they couldn't COTS the project because its so weird from a mech-eng perspective.
(Score: 2) by Virindi on Saturday September 02 2017, @01:49AM (1 child)
Pppppffffffffffffffffffffffffffhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhttt.
Obviously they will be "art objects" where the cover is removed and an arduino is attached to a couple RGB LEDs around the case. All pointless projects involve LEDs.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @02:46AM
> squeezing toothpaste in the bathroom.
Maybe the press can be made to close quickly -- this would allow toothpaste to be launched/squirted out of the tube at high speed! Think potato cannon, but with goo...
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Saturday September 02 2017, @12:17AM (1 child)
So let me get this straight, they plop a bunch of vegetable crap in to a packet at a factory, mail it to people, then they are supposed to crush this stuff with their fancy "juicer" that isn't really a juicer, just a crusher, so they can get a bit of juice out of that crap?
Why not just juice the stuff at the factory and sell it at Walmart like everyone else?
That's stupid enough as is, chipping the things so it won't let you freeze and use packets later? Was there anything else it "helpfully" prevented people from doing?
I'm guessing the real money maker was probably in the wi-fi and data mining.
> The last juice delivery will occur next week
I'd ask who is stupid enough to even still be using this, but I'm honestly surprised that the mindless consumertards weren't bashing down their doors trying to get one. Because wi-fi and teh cloud and new kool and stuff. It probably has blue LEDs too.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Saturday September 02 2017, @01:12AM
The "mindless consumertards" aren't quite as dumb as people think. The big thing to understand about them is that they're cheap. So sell them some ultra-cheap chintzy crap and they'll buy it, even if it means tossing it out soon. Or sell them some overpriced thing that actually works pretty well, but the per-use cost doesn't seem very high (it's only overpriced when you look at the total cost of ownership compared to other methods) and they'll go gaga (e.g., the Keurig). But try to sell them a seriously overpriced piece of crap that really doesn't work that great, and it'll bomb.
People are cheap, and they want convenience and simplicity. They're also easily swayed by brand cachet. But try to sell them junk for a high price, and especially without a recognized brand, and you won't get too far.
(Score: 5, Funny) by realDonaldTrump on Saturday September 02 2017, @12:32AM (1 child)
I hope this is #FakeNews. If it isn't, it will break Ivanka's heart. More than anything, she loves making cold-pressed juice at home. Huge fan of the Juicero! 🇺🇸
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @12:38AM
Seriously, you could raise him 5 percentage points with commentary like this on twitter/dealing with the press :)
(Score: 2) by sjames on Saturday September 02 2017, @02:41AM (9 children)
A $500 device that can only squish very special packets of plain old fruit at $7/pack, what could possibly go wrong!
We see the overplayed stereotype of the investor/businessman so lost in his own little world where the cost of things doesn't matter that he can no longer do anything practical all the time, but the Juicero proves that there is a truth behind it.
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Saturday September 02 2017, @02:55AM (2 children)
They might have had success just selling the bags advertised as something you can squeeze yourself with your hands.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Saturday September 02 2017, @03:15AM
It would have had a better chance that way, but they would have needed to come down in price a bit to expand outside of the valley.
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @04:39AM
I'll take, "What is a penis? For $200, Alex".
(Score: 2) by Aiwendil on Saturday September 02 2017, @11:41AM (5 children)
I agree, and are still dumbfounded that the coffe capsule* (Tassimo et al) took off and seems viable (especially since a "will grind beans and only requires a change of water once a day" automatic coffemaker starts at below $200).
To my mind this basically was the capsule-machine for juice.
(* = ok, it makes sense for stuff with milk)
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Saturday September 02 2017, @02:23PM (4 children)
...if there are models that don't require the filter to be cleaned after every use and the grinder to be cleaned daily, do tell. Sure, those are well and truly first-world problems, but I use a coffee capsule machine because it can dispense a single mug - of something far better than instant - every morning with no measuring and no maintenance bar a quick swill out of the drip tray every couple of days, with coffee grounds never entering your life. Its not a huge advantage over a filter machine with paper filters but I've found it difficult to make less than a couple of mugfulls at a time with those. Plus, there are other advantages - e.g. the capsules are individually sealed and have a long shelf-life, so you can have a range of coffees on the go.
What I don't understand is the people who get coffee capsule machines and then use refillable capsules that negate all of the advantages of having a capsule machine in the first place (and, going by the online reviews, produce inconsistent results)... Perhaps they just get off on the feeling that they're sticking it to The Man?
The problem with Juicero is that it doesn't seem to have any advantage whatsoever over having a fridge full of individual cartons of premium not-from-concentrate juice. The capsules have a short shelf-life, the fruit is pre-shredded so the degradation process has been started and they take up more space than the pressed juice would... They clearly thought they were copying the coffee pod model, but didn't think through the detail.
Now, if they'd (say) come up with a system that could instantly thaw and extract frozen pouches, or a new way of re-constituting dried/concentrated fruit that tasted better than economy from-concentrate juice, they may have had a hope.
(Score: 2) by Aiwendil on Saturday September 02 2017, @04:58PM (2 children)
(Sorry for being disjointed, been spending all days reading lists and can't break the mindset)
There are models where the filter are cleaned daily rather than after every cup (usually they max out at about 6-12 cups before cleaning anyway). But I agree that is still more hassle than most people want (and if you only drink one or two cups a day it is the same anyway).
The shelflife is the reason I consider the capsule to make sense for milk-based stuff.
For refillable - well, if they refill in batches they still have the convenience of just getting a "hook it up, start it, and drink it" with minimum daily hassle.
The juicero has one advantage of the cartons and that is regular automated shipping, but that is available for fresh fruit in many cities (and quite frankly, freshly squeezing is faster than the juicero if you have proper equipment [like a knife and a mesh]).
Personally I'd just like to see a tweakable system that allows to dispense a decent cup of hot chocolate milk (and costing less than about 2k usd, at the 2k-10k pricepoints there are a couple of dozen models)
The one (excepting cost) drawback I see with capsule machines are their lack of options for tweaking (what is considered "perfect" in most brews are very far from my personal preference)
Btw, tried a coffee-press? or of those those hour-glass-shaped thingies (can't recall the name right now). Those come in single-cup varieties.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @11:47PM
https://ineedcoffee.com/press-pot-tutorial/ [ineedcoffee.com]
Costs about $5-10. I use it to make some Cafe Bustelo (~$3 vacuum sealed brick).
(Score: 2) by theluggage on Sunday September 03 2017, @11:32AM
Sure, but you still end up cleaning coffee grounds out of the filter after every use, and they're still not particularly brilliant for single cups. I'm not saying that capsule machines aren't an expensive, lazy and wasteful option - but they do tick the box of providing better-than-instant coffee with no mess and are particularly handy when you only want one or two cups a day. I'm just comparing it with the idiotic Juicero which is self-evidently less convenient than just getting a carton out of the fridge: its not as if we haven't had online grocery stores for the last couple of decades...
(Score: 2) by urza9814 on Tuesday September 05 2017, @09:40PM
No maintenance? My girlfriend has one of those machines and it's a goddamn nightmare. Or rather she has had MANY of them, because they never seem to survive more than a couple months before the whole thing breaks down and she's gotta make them send her a new one. Even the Kuerig support guys know they break constantly, they don't even question it, you just say "the light's blinking and it won't brew" and they send you a new one. You don't even have to send the thing back to them! She just got a new one about a month ago and it's already broken again. Sometimes she can tear the whole machine apart and get it to work for another day or two, but it's absurdly high maintenance compared to any other coffee maker. The only reason she still uses it is because she wants a french press and can't afford it right now (her parents send her pods sometimes, so that's "free".) And the coffee it makes is weak as hell too, there's entire websites devoted to "hacks" to make it spit out decent strength coffee.
Just get a funnel and some coffee filters. No maintenance, no cleaning. Throw the filter in the trash and rinse the funnel. Just as easy as the pods, and you get a better tasting cup of coffee, and there's nothing to break down.
Those machines *kinda* make sense in waiting rooms, since you can offer multiple flavors and ensure sanitation since they're all sealed. Or maybe if you've got some kind of condition that makes your hands shake I guess, 'cause pouring coffee grounds could get messy in that case. But otherwise I can't see any legitimate benefit...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @02:59AM
I approve the post title.
(Score: 4, Funny) by hemocyanin on Saturday September 02 2017, @04:53AM (2 children)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Cp-BGQfpHQ [youtube.com]
Just started -- hilarious -- too bad he couldn't get the chainsaw started for the unboxing.
"Download? Like FUUUHCK!! If watching Mike Judge moving picture shows has taught me anything, on t'other end of that is a bunch mealy mouth non-tie wearing assholes ... "
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday September 02 2017, @03:37PM (1 child)
You forgot the hacking part, Jizzero MK.II.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlVmppyflS0 [youtube.com]
(Score: 2) by hemocyanin on Sunday September 03 2017, @03:07AM
I've watched more than a few of his videos since yesterday. He manages to be outrageous, hilarious, and informative. I'm loving this find.