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Someone mentioned Circus City and Divx. I was going to reply, but I thought I'd write a journal entry instead.
Ah Divx. Cloudy. Broken business models.
Remember Circuit City's Netpliance iOpener ?
This was about the year 2000. The iOpener was a Linux computer with monitor and dial up modem, for $99. (A steal of a price, at that time, except . . .) it was tied to a dial up internet service subscription. The idea was that you would buy the iOpener at an insanely cheap price, and they would make their profits on the required service subscription to get online. The "i" in iOpener probably meant intarwebs.
Of course, what happened was hilarious. Evil hackers intent on destroying the very fabric of society published online information about how one could:
1. buy an iOpener at Circut City for $99, without signing anything, and walk out of the store
2. hack, modify or reflash (sorry don't remember which) Linux on the device
3. have a useful computer that was worth at least four times what you paid for it
4. without paying Netpliance a single cent more
5. Profit!
Netpliance was upset. Circus City was upset. Something must be done! Some law must have been broken! It is a violation of the agreement!
Runner up: Radio Shack's Cue Cat free bar code scanner with serial port connector. The R/S sales droids would run up to you shoving these free Cue Cat scanner packages in your face! It's FREE!!! The package had the scanner and a disk of software. The scanner would be used to scan bar codes on ads or something to get grate fantastical dealz! Of course, to most of us here it was a free barcode scanner worth about $35 at the time, IIRC.
Any other great broken business models you can think of?
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Wednesday April 29 2020, @04:13PM (3 children)
What was it good for? I remember playing with one for an afternoon. Thought it was kinda cool, but - WTF? What am I going to DO with it? Shall I walk through stores, and scan everything in sight? And then what?
I must have missed something with that. Or, the people giving them away missed something, like, a purpose.
Abortion is the number one killed of children in the United States.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday April 29 2020, @04:33PM
Like any hardware, it was only good if you had a use for it.
There was a time in the early-mid 90s when I briefly worked on an inventory control system. (Not a store, but equipment owned, example, office chairs, desks bookshelves, books, projectors, etc) This was the Windows 3.1 and Classic Mac daze. So remember how expensive everything was, yet how primitive.
One way to do actual inventory is to print a special report that is a checklist, walk around with a clipboard and check things off.
Another way is to put bar codes on things, and go around with a bar code scanner and a laptop. Or at that time, newly emerging but expensive self-contained scanners with internal storage. (one such expensive handheld scanner with lots of keys ran MS-DOS 5, which I found impressive -- at that time, in a bulky hand held device)
Now I wouldn't tell a customer to get a Cue Cat scanner. But as a software guy I saw a "perceived value" in having a free bar code scanner at home to play with.
All that said, I would call the business model broken if R/S is going to complain that lots of people were taking the free scanners, and using them for other purposes! And they did complain!
Put bar codes on your pets!
If a minstrel has musical instruments attached to his bicycle, can it be called a minstrel cycle?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @10:03PM
The intended Radio Shack marketing ploy for the CueCat was that you'd be given a CueCat, and then RS when they sent you their monthly sale/product catalog [1] that they would have barcodes printed next to the products in the catalog, and you'd use the CueCat to scan the barcode in order to be taken to a web page where you'd get more product info, likely some advertising, and possibly the ability to purchase the product off the 'inter-webs'. You know, because having to type in a URL was just so painful.....
So the "what was it good for" that the RS marketing dept. fell for was "drive interest and sales to your online product listings".
Of course, when people started using the device for purposes other than what maker intended, the maker went ape-shit over having just given away, for free, these devices and yet now folks were not using them as intended [2].
Further reading here: :CueCat
[1] yes, this was during that time, now long forgotten, when companies would print and mail you a paper catalog of their products from which you could browse and if so inclined order said items via mail-order;
[2] Yes, the same logic that is also applied to say "ad blocking is theft".
(Score: 3, Interesting) by sjames on Thursday April 30 2020, @09:19PM
For some reason, the marketing people thought people would install the device and sit in front of their PC with a paper catalog so if they were interested in an item, they would scan the non-standard barcode to pull the item up in their browser or something. Similarly, they tried to bamboozle ad publishers into thinking people would read magazines and newspapers in front of their PC and scan their not-quite barcodes to pull up product pages in their browser.
Since I had several that were shoved into my bag for free, I went ahead and hacked one to be a general purpose barcode reader just because I was bored one day. I think I still have it somewhere, but no idea where since I don't really have much need to read barcodes and if I ever do, it's easier to use a smartphone now unless you need to read a lot of barcodes quickly.
It wasn't entirely useless. It did get me thinking about how incredibly inflated prices are over the marginal cost of production. Suddenly they could afford to give away a "$35" item to anyone who would accept one (even going so far as to sneak them into bags without asking) in support of a completely brain dead marketing scheme.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Wednesday April 29 2020, @04:39PM (19 children)
The network just wasn't ready then. Now you can run a particle accelerator from your iPad
Timing is everything.
The DivX thing was definitely nuts. Glad to see that one die
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:47PM (13 children)
You're missing the point. The business model of "sell hardware at a loss, and make it up on a subscription customers may or may not purchase" is broken, not because the public didn't see the value in the hardware+subscription package at that time, but because you end up losing money by selling a bunch of hardware at a loss to people who never buy subscriptions.
(Score: 2, Touché) by fustakrakich on Wednesday April 29 2020, @07:28PM (12 children)
Well, I guess that business model only works with inkjet printers
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday April 29 2020, @08:20PM (7 children)
Razors with replaceable blades.
Cars that only can burn your brand of fuel.
Anything from Apple.
If a minstrel has musical instruments attached to his bicycle, can it be called a minstrel cycle?
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Wednesday April 29 2020, @08:59PM (6 children)
Hmm, I have not heard of this sort of thing, and Google produced nothing useful, care to elaborate?
The closest I could find were a few articles criticizing auto makers for 'requiring' premium fuel in a vehicle that should not need it.
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday April 30 2020, @03:06PM (5 children)
The way the world SHOULD work vs the way it currently works.
Ford cars should only burn Ford brand fuel.
Chevy cars should only burn Chevy brand fuel.
Doze furrin' cars should burn . . . well, dey shore should burn somethun'
If a minstrel has musical instruments attached to his bicycle, can it be called a minstrel cycle?
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Thursday April 30 2020, @06:58PM (4 children)
Hehehe, yeah, I kinda caught the snark after I posted. Locked up at home rule number one: don't start drinking before nine a.m.
But dammit man, don't give them ideas! I can just see the price tag for "Corvette brand ultra super premium Torch Red" being the most expensive and "Corvette brand ultra super premium Midnight Black" being the cheapest and mine telling me that it will not run on the black fuel....as I should of known a red car requires much more expensive fuel.
(Torch red: also known as "give me a speeding ticket while I'm parked red)
Those damned Furrin cars should all run on Furry Fuel.....aaaaannnnnddd....I've no idea where to go from there......and I'm pretty sure I don't want to......
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 1) by DECbot on Thursday April 30 2020, @08:21PM (3 children)
Furry Fuel is distilled from 100% pure, undiluted, organically grown, free range furries [google.com].
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Thursday April 30 2020, @08:32PM (2 children)
We need a +1 horrifying mod.....
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 1) by DECbot on Thursday April 30 2020, @08:50PM (1 child)
Soylent Green and Soylent News is fine, but give it to the Furry and it's "Nooo!!!!11!!!1eleven! It's soooo wrong!
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
(Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday May 07 2020, @12:09AM
Cheap fuel, but with hair filters that only last 1,000 miles.
"I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday April 30 2020, @09:46PM (3 children)
Only because the market itself is broken. Same applies to the razor and blades market. The razor is over-priced junk and the blades are astronomically over-priced. Personally, I use a safety razor made in the '60s with quality but inexpensive blades. A whole pack of those blades costs less than one crappy "window blind" blade.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 01 2020, @08:59AM (1 child)
Just don't shove the old blades in the wall. We remodeled a bathroom and found a one-foot high pile of them in the wall covered in mold, rust, and stuff even God wishes he didn't know about. According to one of our subs, they used to purposely put slots or holes in the wall for them. Great example of turning a "today problem" into a "tomorrow problem."
(Score: 2) by sjames on Saturday May 02 2020, @03:34AM
I've heard a number of cases like that. Most blade dispensers these days have a slot on the bottom for old blades. I use that instead so they get disposed of more properly.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday May 04 2020, @12:06PM
Represent, yo. That's my edged tool of choice when I'm not going with the Billy Gibbons look. A few bucks at most for a half dozen blades that can last you weeks each if you clean and dry them (1m or less worth of time) after each use. Plus it gives you an excuse to have a bowl of shaving soap and a badger-hair shaving brush.
My only complaint is that I have pretty damned large hands for my size and they cramp up trying to hold a thin, stubby handle precisely. So I fattened the handle up by drilling a properly sized hole in a superball.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday April 30 2020, @09:42PM (4 children)
A net appliance locked to a particular provider and depending on a subscription to that over-priced and under-performing provider to make the device profitable is a broken business model.
(Score: 1) by fustakrakich on Thursday April 30 2020, @09:50PM (1 child)
like cell phones?
La politica e i criminali sono la stessa cosa..
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday April 30 2020, @10:16PM
Profitable for a while just means the market itself is broken. But yes, the locked down cellphones are a broken business model. Just watch how they squeal and squirm when someone unlocks a phone.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Thursday April 30 2020, @09:51PM (1 child)
I would agree. But then . . .
Apple.
TiVo.
RoKu.
Kindle.
And these devices are seriously more locked down than the iOpener ever was.
If a minstrel has musical instruments attached to his bicycle, can it be called a minstrel cycle?
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday April 30 2020, @10:20PM
See my comments on a broken market.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:06PM
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @05:40PM
Lots of SaaS businesses. Not all.
Forcing people into recurring subscription services for software that could just as easily run on the user's machine just doesn't seem like it will have long term holding power. I could be wrong, people do often pay more than they need to for convenience.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:20PM (3 children)
(Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:53PM (2 children)
1. Big Pharma and fear-peddling news shilling the latest disease-du-jour and scaring people into social isolation and using their vaccines.
2. People get pissed and don't trust vaccines, social isolation, the news, and (((those))) behind it all. As an added bonus, they also become anti-immigration and anti-Democrat and finally start understanding the importance of the rights granted by the constitution.
3. Profit! (For people like me who can now find a programming job because all the stinky Indians got kicked out)
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday April 30 2020, @12:29AM (1 child)
You'll be fired as soon as they figure out what an arsehole you are though.
I didn't think there was any upside to at-will employment. Turns out there might be after all.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @02:37AM
He is obviously still looking for his stapler, and they won't figure out how bad he is until he burns the fucking place down.
(Score: 4, Funny) by The Mighty Buzzard on Wednesday April 29 2020, @06:53PM (7 children)
Only one I can think of offhand is the Ponzi scheme we call Social Security. Then again it is time for a nap.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @07:55PM (6 children)
https://thehill.com/opinion/op-ed/147153-defending-social-security [thehill.com]
So a program that we tax payers pay into is being raided by the usual suspects, mostly Rs and some Ds. Know they enemy Buzzy my boy. Although, knowing you I bet you support the assholes trying to raid the fund and turn it into another revenue source for some corrupt corporation because "private businesses are more efficient and go under if they perform badly". I would be happy if my prediction about you is wrong.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday April 30 2020, @01:41AM (2 children)
In other words, they'll burn through the imaginary bonds they have with the US government, and then reset the program so that tax revenue matches payouts while ignoring the trillions of extra debt Social Security has generated for the general fund.
Or they could just cut back to three quarters now and skip the drama. And of course, the author is Bernie Sanders telling us we have plenty of unicorns and pixie dust left in the program.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @02:40AM (1 child)
"In other words, they'll burn through the imaginary bonds they have with the US government"
So you're truly nuts.
"Or they could just cut back to three quarters now and skip the drama. And of course, the author is Bernie Sanders telling us we have plenty of unicorns and pixie dust left in the program."
Nevermind, you're just evil. Nuts is too good for someone as fucked in the head as you. I see why you always defend bird brain here.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday April 30 2020, @03:25AM
Needless to say, Social Security is a pay-as-you-go program with 1930s era propaganda about those bonds and such to give the illusion that money you put in decades ago is somehow connected to money you receive today.
I guess we forgot here that the people currently getting Social Security payouts have been voting for the present dysfunction situation for their entire lives. It's only fair that they share the pain.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday April 30 2020, @03:22AM (2 children)
You're arguing about who's embezzling from a Ponzi scheme? Really? Fuck me but your mind is complete and utter shit.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday April 30 2020, @05:13PM (1 child)
You've sunk so low you can't even get some common sense stuff right.
*sprinkles brawndo on you* The power of propaganda compels you! The power of propaganda compels you!
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Monday May 04 2020, @12:10PM
Common sense should tell you that anything modeled exactly on a specific kind of grift should not be a government program at all, ever. And expecting something modeled exactly on a Ponzi scheme to not be leeched from by the administrator(s) of said scheme is doubly ludicrous since that is what happens every single time with Ponzi schemes.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 29 2020, @07:04PM
I bought an iOpener and then forgot to cancel service for a while, so they maybe didn't lose that much on me. It came with a QNX image on the build-in SSD, that I overwrote with a FreeBSD image. I wish I had the ability to keep the fresh QNX image to play with, but I needed to overwrite the image to compile support for a USB ethernet adapter into the kernel.
I still have the thing lying in parts in a box. I'm still planning to turn it and another small machine into convenience terminals around the house.