Tech Subscriptions Are Out of Control

Summary

The video script discusses the privacy concerns surrounding Amazon's Alexa, suggesting it could be invasive due to its surveillance capabilities. It criticizes the trend of tech companies like Amazon and Logitech moving from one-time product purchases to monthly subscription models, which some view as exploitative. The script also touches on Anova's decision to charge a subscription for their smart sous vide cookers, despite the functionality being potentially unnecessary for cloud services. It ends with a call for consumers to resist such subscription models and opt for products that don't restrict basic usage.

Takeaways

• 🤔 Privacy Concerns: The script raises concerns about the privacy implications of devices like Amazon's Alexa, which can be invasive if misused.
• 🎥 Alexa as a Wiretap: It compares Alexa to a wiretap, suggesting that people are willingly placing surveillance devices in their homes.
• 👁️‍🗨️ Niche Utility: Alexa is acknowledged as beneficial for those with visual impairments, enhancing their quality of life through voice-activated assistance.
• 📈 Subscription Model Shift: The script discusses the shift from one-time purchases to subscription-based models for tech products, like Alexa's new $10/month service.
• 📅 Upcoming AI-Enhanced Alexa: Amazon is set to release an AI-enhanced version of Alexa in October, which has been in development for some time.
• 📰 AI-Generated News: The new Alexa is rumored to include a feature that creates AI-generated summaries of news articles based on user preferences.
• 🚫 Logitech's 'Forever Mouse': The script mentions Logitech's controversial idea of a subscription-based mouse that requires ongoing payments for software updates.
• 🍳 Anova's Sous Vide Cooker Subscription: Anova, a smart sous vide cooker company, plans to charge a subscription fee for using their app with the devices.
• 📱 Subscription Fatigue: The script highlights the growing trend of companies converting products into subscription services, leading to customer backlash.
• 🏡 Ownership to Renting: It critiques the change from owning products outright to a renting model where consumers pay monthly for usage.

Q & A

What privacy concerns are raised about Amazon's Alexa devices?

The privacy concerns raised about Amazon's Alexa devices are that they may be invasive, with capabilities similar to surveillance bugs used by law enforcement or rival gangs in movies, yet people willingly place them in central locations within their homes.

For what specific user group does the script suggest Alexa might be beneficial?

The script suggests that Alexa might be beneficial for people with visual impairments or other impairments that necessitate a voice-activated digital assistant for quality of life purposes.

What is the new business model that Amazon is implementing for Alexa after 10 years of offering it for free?

After 10 years of offering Alexa for free, Amazon is now implementing a subscription-based business model, charging a $10 a month fee for an AI-enhanced version of Alexa.

What additional feature is rumored to be included in the new version of Alexa?

The new version of Alexa is rumored to include a feature called 'smart briefing', which creates AI-generated summaries of news articles selected based on a customer's preferences.

How does the script describe the potential impact of Alexa's 'smart briefing' feature on the dissemination of news?

The script expresses concern that Alexa's 'smart briefing' feature could be used to broadcast potentially misleading or 'fake news' directly to users, especially in sensitive times like a month before a presidential election.

What is the 'forever mouse' concept mentioned in the script, and why did it receive negative press?

The 'forever mouse' is a concept by Logitech that would require users to pay for software updates on a continuous basis to use the mouse, despite its basic functionality being plug-and-play. It received negative press because it was seen as an unnecessary paywall for a simple device.

What is Anova's subscription model for their smart sous vide cookers, and how has it been received by customers?

Anova announced a $2 per month subscription fee for using their app with their smart sous vide cookers. This model has been met with significant customer backlash, with many expressing dissatisfaction in comments on their blog post.

What is sous vide cooking, and how does it relate to the smart cookers mentioned in the script?

Sous vide cooking is a method that involves sealing food in a vacuum bag and cooking it in a temperature-controlled water bath. The smart cookers mentioned in the script are devices that heat the water for this cooking method.

How does the script suggest that companies are changing the ownership model of their products?

The script suggests that companies are changing the ownership model of their products from one-time purchases to continuous monthly subscriptions, which not only tracks usage habits but also requires ongoing payments for basic functionality.

What is the script's stance on the trend of companies implementing subscription fees for products that were once outright purchases?

The script is critical of the trend, suggesting it leads to a dystopian-like scenario where basic household items require monthly payments and that consumers should resist such 'greedy' subscription services.

Outlines

00:00

🤖 Privacy Concerns and Subscription Models for Smart Devices

The paragraph discusses privacy concerns surrounding Amazon's Alexa, suggesting it may be invasive due to its surveillance-like capabilities. It contrasts people's reactions to fictional surveillance in movies with their acceptance of real-life devices like Alexa. The speaker acknowledges the potential benefits for individuals with disabilities but criticizes the majority of users for willingly installing a 'corporate wiretap' in their homes. It also touches on Amazon's decision to charge a monthly fee for an enhanced version of Alexa, rumored to include an AI-generated news summary feature. This move is seen as a step towards a dystopian future where tech companies transition from one-time purchases to subscription models, as exemplified by other products like Logitech's 'forever mouse' and Anova's sous vide cookers, which also introduced subscription fees.

05:01

💸 The Shift to Subscription-Based Services in Consumer Electronics

This paragraph delves into the growing trend of companies imposing subscription fees for products that were traditionally purchased outright. It uses Anova's sous vide cookers as a case study, where the company announced a monthly subscription for app usage, despite the app's basic functionality being accessible offline. The speaker questions the necessity of cloud services for such devices and criticizes the additional costs for features that could be locally managed. Anova's attempt to justify the fees by claiming the connected cookers incur costs is met with skepticism. The paragraph also mentions the backlash from customers, including those who were told they would be exempt but still faced charges. It concludes with a broader commentary on the absurdity of monthly bills for devices that were once a one-time investment, advocating for consumer resistance against such business practices.

Keywords

💡Privacy

Privacy refers to the ability of an individual to keep their personal information, space, and communications free from intrusion or public exposure. In the context of the video, privacy is a central concern as it discusses how devices like Amazon's Alexa could potentially invade personal privacy by recording and transmitting data. The video script highlights the irony of people being wary of surveillance in movies but willingly placing devices with similar capabilities in their homes.

💡Amazon Alexa

Amazon Alexa is a virtual assistant developed by Amazon that can be used to perform various tasks through voice commands. The video script uses Alexa as an example of a device that could be invasive from a privacy standpoint, suggesting that while it offers convenience, it may also pose risks by potentially recording and analyzing user data.

💡Surveillance

Surveillance is the act of monitoring individuals or groups, often secretly, to gather information. The video script compares the actions of characters in crime or spy movies who go to great lengths to destroy surveillance bugs with people willingly installing devices like Alexa that have similar monitoring capabilities.

💡Wiretap

A wiretap is a device or method used to secretly listen to or record conversations, typically by intercepting electronic communications. In the script, the term 'corporate wiretap' is used metaphorically to describe devices like Alexa that could be constantly listening and potentially recording user conversations, raising concerns about privacy invasion.

💡AI-generated summaries

AI-generated summaries are brief overviews of content created by artificial intelligence algorithms. The video mentions that the new version of Alexa may include a feature that creates AI-generated summaries of news articles. This raises concerns about the potential for misinformation or bias in news content selected and summarized by AI.

💡Subscription model

The subscription model refers to a business strategy where customers pay a recurring fee to access a product or service. The video script critiques this model as it is applied to devices like Alexa and other tech products, suggesting that it represents a shift from owning products outright to paying continuous fees for access, which can be seen as exploitative.

💡Logitech's forever mouse

Logitech's forever mouse is a hypothetical product mentioned in the video as an example of a company attempting to implement a subscription model for a physical product. The mouse would require continuous payments for software updates, which the video argues is an unnecessary and exploitative practice for a device that should function without ongoing fees.

💡Sous Vide

Sous Vide is a cooking method that involves vacuum-sealing food in a bag and cooking it to a precise temperature in a water bath. The video discusses how companies like Anova are now charging subscription fees for app features that control sous vide devices, which the video suggests is an example of companies monetizing what should be basic functionality.

💡Cloud services

Cloud services refer to the provision of computing resources over the internet, rather than locally on a user's device. The video script suggests that companies like Anova are using cloud services as a justification for subscription fees, even though many of the services they provide could be handled locally without the need for ongoing payments.

💡Grandfathering

Grandfathering is a practice where existing customers are allowed to keep their current terms and conditions, even when a company changes its policies. The video mentions that Anova will grandfather in users who created accounts before a certain date, exempting them from subscription fees, while new subscribers will be subject to the new charges.

💡Smart appliances

Smart appliances are devices that connect to the internet and can be controlled or monitored remotely. The video discusses the trend of smart appliances, like sous vide cookers, requiring subscription fees for full functionality, which the video argues is a move away from the traditional model of owning appliances outright.

Highlights

Privacy concerns with Amazon Alexa being compared to invasive surveillance devices.

Irony of people using Alexa despite its potential for surveillance, similar to devices used in crime and spy movies.

Niche utility of Alexa for individuals with visual impairments or other disabilities.

The majority of Alexa users are able-bodied, yet they have a 'corporate wiretap' in their homes.

Amazon's decision to charge a $10 monthly fee for an AI-enhanced version of Alexa after a decade of free service.

Rumors of the new Alexa featuring smart briefing, generating AI summaries of news based on user preferences.

Criticism of Amazon potentially broadcasting misleading news through Alexa's smart briefing feature.

Comparison to the 'forever mouse' by Logitech, which required a subscription for software updates.

Logitech's backpedaling on the forever mouse idea due to negative press.

Anova's announcement to charge a $2 monthly subscription for using their smart sous vide cookers with an app.

Critique of Anova's claim that connected cooking devices cost them money, suggesting local functionality is possible.

Anova's offer of expert-created sous vide guides and recipe features as part of their subscription service.

Grandfathering of existing Anova customers before August 2nd, exempting them from the new subscription fee.

Public backlash and negative comments on Anova's blog post regarding the subscription fee.

The absurdity of having to pay monthly subscriptions for appliances that were once outright purchases.

Call to action for consumers to reject subscription-based services and choose products without paywalls.

Transcripts

from a privacy standpoint the Amazon

Alexa may be one of the most invasive

devices ever created it baffles me how

people can watch crime or spy movies and

see the extent that the characters in

those films will go through to find and

destroy surveillance bugs that are

placed in their home by law enforcement

or rival gang members to spy on them

while having a device with the very same

capabilities placed in a central

location within their living room

bedrooms and kitchen now I can see a

certain Niche usage of Alexa for people

with visual impairments or other

impairments that would necessitate a

digital assistant that's voice activated

like Alexa for quality of life purposes

but the vast majority of Alexa users

don't fall into this category they're

able-bodied people who have a corporate

wire tap in their home just so that they

can ask it for pan cake recipes or to

play some songs for them occasionally

but after 10 years of Amazon's Alexa

being Freez and beer the company has

decided that now is the time with all of

the AI hype to start charging a $10 a

month fee for the privilege of you using

Alexa or at least for the privilege of

you using an AI turbocharged version of

Alexa this is a project project that

Amazon has been working on for a while

now since the AI fever started and after

numerous delays Amazon claims its

overhauled Alexa service will be

available in October the new Alexa is

also rumored to come with smart briefing

a feature that creates AI generated

summaries of news articles that are

selected based on a customer's

preferences so Amazon is putting themsel

in crime position to broadcast some of

the craziest fake news that you'll ever

hear right into the ears of those who

not only use the wir but pay a $10 a

month subscription for it one month

before a presidential election you

better get used to cyberpunk dystopias

because you're living in one now this

$10 a month AI Alexa service is not the

only recent example of tech companies

changing their products from things that

you actually own after a single purchase

into monthly subscriptions that you

never really get to own you probably

heard about the forever mouse that

Logitech came up with a couple of months

ago that would have required users to

continuously pay for software updates

for a mouse so that they could use it

forever which was also rumored to have

an upfront cost of around $200

computer mice these days are pretty much

all plug-and playay even the ones that

have several buttons DPI switches and

extra scroll Wheels they just work with

your OS drivers as soon as you plug them

in but Logitech thought that it might be

a good idea for them to put one of the

easiest things in Computing behind a pay

wall that also comes with an expensive

upfront cost they were also claiming

that the software for the forever Mouse

would offer macro support in a lot of

other fancy features but this can all be

achieved with free software for the

power users who want it without any

extra monthly cost and the software

works with any Mouse not just the fancy

$200 ones for that much money you can

already get a very well-built mouse that

will pretty much last you forever as

long as you don't bash it around even

sheet mice these days are rated for over

50 million clicks or so

and maybe if you play a lot of

fast-paced games you'll eventually wear

out the left or rightclick buttons on

your mouse but you may still be able to

repair the mice and continue using them

but for normal usage a well treated

Mouse will probably last you as long as

the adapters that you use to plug it in

are around now Logitech has since

backpedal on the forever Mouse idea

because of how much negative press it's

gotten but that hasn't stopped stopped

other companies from coming up with

ridiculous subscription fees for their

products that you once used to be able

to own

outright Anova a company that sells

smart Su cookers announced last month

that they were going to start charging

people who use their app with the

devices $2 per month for that privilege

now in case you aren't familiar with

suid it's a process for cooking food

that involves sealing it in a vacuum bag

and then placing it in water that's

heated by one of these devices and this

lets you cook food to a perfect internal

temperature without trying it out

because all of the moisture is sealed

within the bag and you can also cook

several different things that are sealed

in different bags at once if you have a

large enough water basin and Sous is

also one of the most hands-off cooking

methods in existence

which is why like air fryers it's

showing up in a lot of Home kitchens and

in restaurant kitchens now an NOA

explains in their blog post about this

subscription fee update that connected

Cooks actually cost them money and by

connected Cooks I assume that they're

talking about when you use the app to

set the cooker and track how long it's

cooking and things like that instead of

just manually setting that on the device

itself

but I have a really hard time believing

this claim about connected Cooks

actually costing Anova any money unless

they just

purposefully design their app to run

everything in the cloud instead of

locally on the customer network from

what I could tell the primary function

of the app is basically a two-way smart

thermometer you connect to the Sid

machine over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth

depending on the model and from there

you can see the temperature of your food

in real time you can adjust it you can

see how long it has to cook and adjust

that too and all of that functionality

can be done locally without any Cloud

and requiring an internet

connection for the app to function is

basically a disservice to people because

then you're not going to be able to use

the app in remote places where you don't

have internet an NOA also mentions that

you'll get sued guides that are created

by experts which are basically these

pre-programmed cooking recipes that you

can use and they have a recipe search

function and a recipe bookmarking

feature but again all of this could

technically be done locally in the app

without extra Cloud shed other than

maybe hosting a recipe website which

also isn't terribly expensive to do now

on on the bright side they have also

said that the people who created free

Anova accounts before August 2 first are

going to be grandfathered in and not

have to pay but all the new subscribers

will but despite that there's hundreds

of negative comments below the blog post

and some are from people that even say

that they signed up for an account

before the period where it was going to

start costing them money and there're

still being told that they have to pay

from the computer mouse to household

cooking appliances products that people

use to actually own are now not only

tracking your usage habits but sending

you a bill every month for their

continuous usage imagine living in a

world where you look over your monthly

expenses making sure that you paid the

mortgage the cell phone bill light bill

and oh don't forget about paying the air

fryer bill this month too because last

time you forgot and you couldn't make

late night chicken nug without calling

the Indian call center that's open when

it's 2 a.m. at your house so that you

can get your smart air fryer working

again hopefully people stick to their

online reactions towards these greedy

subscription services and pick gadgets

that don't withhold basic functionality

behind a $10 a month pay wall