Re: Zone Alarm Pro demanding more money.

From: *Vanguard* (reply-to-newsgroup_at_to-email.use-Reply.obey-signature.invalid)
Date: 06/01/04 

Date: Tue, 1 Jun 2004 00:41:10 -0500

Mike said in news:jTGuc.80608$tb4.3145963@news20.bellglobal.com:
<snip>
> Why is the printer ink issue a rip off?.. modern printers are way
> more ink efficient than ever they used to be.. one would have to
> assume that you do not have a barbeque because it would require a
> continual supply of gas.. what kind of rip off is that?

Actually the phrase "ink delivery system" (meaning the money is the
consumables and the printers were sold at near delivered cost or for
marginal markup) was something I heard from HP tech buddies. The money
wasn't in the printer. It was in the consumables. Obviously how much
you print affects how much you spend on consumables (but with ink jet
printers the cartridges will dry out and plug after long non-use so you
end up buying more, anyway). While $250 to $400 sounds like a lot for
laser printer, the money is in selling you the $100 toner cartridges.
With the much smaller capacity of ink jet cartridges, and costing $30
apiece, it doesn't take long to swamp the cost of the low-end printer.

Yes, we consumers aren't dumb and many (but not all) realize the revenue
is mainly garnered from the consumables (and a smart consumer checks
those costs before buying). But apparently consumers aren't always so
savvy in applying the same common sense regarding software
subscriptions - mostly because subscriptions are not seen as a
"consumable" but rather later recognized as an arbitrary expiration
based loosely on support costs and, in many cases, to subsidize
development costs although those should be covered by the sales of the
product itself.

Relevant Pages

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