Logitech U-Turns on OnlyMouse Subscription Idea

Summary

In this episode of Restless Gecko, the host discusses the controversial idea of a Logitech 'forever mouse' with a subscription model for updates and new features, which has now been dropped. The host speculates on the reasons behind this concept, critiquing its impracticality for the diverse and ever-changing preferences of gamers. They also explore the potential impact on Logitech's market position, suggesting that the company may be shifting focus away from innovation in the gaming peripherals space.

Takeaways

• 🤔 Logitech considered a 'forever mouse' with a subscription model for updates and new features but has now abandoned the idea.
• 💡 The idea was possibly floated by the CEO to gauge public reaction or due to a misunderstanding within the company.
• 🎮 The concept of a subscription for gaming mice was criticized as it doesn't align with the diverse and changing preferences of gamers.
• 🔄 Gamers often change mice frequently, making a subscription model impractical for a product that should be fully functional out of the box.
• 🛠️ Logitech's lack of innovation in recent product releases might indicate a shift in focus or a potential move towards new business models.
• 📉 The potential subscription model could have been a way to gauge interest in a new direction for the company, but the response was negative.
• 📈 Logitech's CEO, Hanukah Faber, comes from a background in industries that commonly use subscription models, which might have influenced the idea.
• 🏆 Logitech's competitors, like Razer, are innovating and expanding their product lines, while Logitech seems to be standing still.
• 🛑 The idea of a subscription service for a mouse was considered a bad move that could have killed the business if pursued.
• 🔧 There is speculation that Logitech might be working on something big, but for now, they appear to be complacent and not catering to enthusiast demands.
• 🔄 The company's focus seems to be more on the productivity and business market rather than taking risks in the gaming peripherals space.

Q & A

What was the main topic discussed in the Restless Gecko video?

The main topic discussed was the Logitech subscription idea for a 'forever mouse' and the subsequent public reaction and company's decision not to pursue the idea.

Why did Logitech consider a subscription model for their mouse?

Logitech considered a subscription model to provide updates and new features for a more expensive version of their mouse, although the exact reasons behind this idea are speculative in the script.

What was the public's reaction to the idea of a subscription-based mouse from Logitech?

The public reaction was largely negative, with people finding the idea impractical and unnecessary for gaming mice.

What are some reasons why a subscription model might not work for gaming mice?

A subscription model for gaming mice might not work because users often change their mice frequently, and the idea of being locked into a single mouse with a financial commitment for updates is not appealing.

What is the 'forever mouse' mentioned in the script?

The 'forever mouse' refers to a more expensive version of a Logitech mouse that was proposed to come with a subscription service for updates and new features.

Why did Logitech ultimately decide not to pursue the subscription idea?

Logitech decided not to pursue the subscription idea likely due to the negative public reaction and the impracticality of the concept for gaming mice.

What does the script suggest about the CEO's background and its potential impact on the company's direction?

The script suggests that the CEO, Hanukah Faber, has a background in industries that commonly use subscription models, which may have influenced her to propose such a model for Logitech. However, her lack of experience in the tech industry might have contributed to the idea's lack of feasibility.

What is the potential risk of adopting a subscription model for a product like a gaming mouse?

The potential risk is that it could lead to customer dissatisfaction and loss of brand loyalty, especially if the product does not meet expectations right out of the box or if the subscription does not provide significant added value.

How does the script describe the current state of Logitech's product innovation?

The script describes Logitech's product innovation as stagnant, with no significant new products or technologies being introduced, and suggests that the company may be shifting its focus away from the enthusiast market.

What alternatives to Logitech products does the script mention?

The script mentions Razer's Viper V3 Pro as an alternative that has invaded the ambidextrous mouse market, with no reply from Logitech, indicating a lack of competition or innovation from their side.

What is the script's final recommendation for consumers regarding Logitech's subscription idea?

The script suggests that consumers should be smart and consider dropping Logitech as a brand if they were to go to a subscription route, as it would likely not be successful and there are many great alternatives available.

Outlines

00:00

🎥 Logitech's Subscription Mouse Drama

In this segment, the host introduces the topic of Logitech's controversial subscription mouse idea. They describe how despite the lack of new mouse releases, the drama around Logitech's floated idea of a forever mouse with a subscription service for updates and features has caused a stir. The CEO's comments on the idea, the public's predictable negative reaction, and the impracticality of locking users into a long-term financial commitment for a single mouse are discussed. The host also encourages viewers to like, dislike, and comment on the video to share their opinions.

05:02

🤔 CEO's Disconnect and Corporate Subscription Models

This paragraph delves into the disconnect between CEOs and the realities of their product markets. The host criticizes Logitech's CEO, Hanukah Faber, for her out-of-touch suggestion of a subscription model for a mouse, influenced by her background in industries that successfully use such models. The host highlights the impracticality of applying a subscription model to gaming mice, pointing out the degradation of mouse quality over time and the potential for an overwhelming number of claims if such a model were implemented. The host speculates that internal feedback likely prevented the idea from moving forward.

Keywords

💡Logitech

Logitech is a Swiss-based company known for its computer peripherals, including mice, keyboards, and webcams. In the context of the video, Logitech is the subject of discussion due to its proposed 'forever Mouse' subscription idea, which was later confirmed as not being pursued. The video script mentions Logitech's potential misstep in gauging public reaction and the company's recent product releases.

💡Subscription Service

A subscription service is a business model where customers pay a recurring fee to access a product or service. In the video, Logitech's idea of a subscription for a 'forever Mouse' is critiqued as being impractical and not in line with consumer expectations for gaming peripherals. The script suggests that such a model could be a 'commercial suicide' for Logitech.

💡Peripherals

Peripherals are input/output devices that are used in conjunction with a computer. In the video, the term is used to describe gaming mice and keyboards, which are the focus of the discussion. The script emphasizes the variety and personal preferences in peripherals, which makes a subscription model less appealing.

💡Gaming Mice

Gaming mice are specialized computer mice designed for video gaming, often with features like customizable buttons and high sensitivity. The video script discusses the impracticality of a subscription model for gaming mice, given the rapid changes in consumer preferences and the need for immediate performance out of the box.

💡DPI

DPI stands for 'dots per inch' and is a measure of a mouse's sensitivity. In the script, it is mentioned in the context of Logitech's sensitivity finder, a feature that adjusts the DPI between two different mice. The video argues that such a feature may not justify a subscription model.

💡Hall Effect

The Hall effect is a technology used in some gaming mice for precise tracking. The video script mentions it in the context of discussing the lack of innovation in Logitech's recent products, noting that competitors like SteelSeries have experimented with hall effect sensors in their mice.

💡Productivity

Productivity refers to the efficiency of an individual or system in producing desired outcomes. The video script suggests that Logitech may be shifting its focus towards productivity and business products rather than catering to the enthusiast gaming market, which could be a strategic decision based on revenue potential.

💡Innovation

Innovation is the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value. The video script criticizes Logitech for its lack of innovation in recent product releases, suggesting that the company has become complacent and is not pushing the boundaries of technology in gaming peripherals.

💡Consumer Preferences

Consumer preferences refer to the tastes and priorities that guide a consumer's choices in purchasing goods or services. The video script discusses how diverse consumer preferences for gaming mice make a subscription model impractical, as users seek different features and experiences.

💡Razer

Razer is a company known for its gaming hardware, including mice, keyboards, and headsets. In the script, Razer is mentioned as a competitor to Logitech that has introduced new products, like the Viper V3 Pro, which has entered the ambidextrous mouse market without a response from Logitech.

💡Complacent

Complacent refers to a state of self-satisfaction, often without awareness of one's faults or the need for improvement. The video script uses this term to describe Logitech's perceived lack of progress and innovation in their product offerings, suggesting that they are resting on their laurels while competitors advance.

Highlights

Logitech floated the idea of a 'forever mouse' with a subscription service for updates and new features.

The subscription model for a mouse was confirmed to be scrapped by Logitech.

Speculation that the CEO of Logitech either spoke out of turn or was testing public reaction to the subscription model.

The beauty of the gaming peripherals hobby lies in its variety, making a subscription model impractical.

People frequently change their mice, sometimes even on a match-to-match basis, making long-term subscription commitments unappealing.

Subscription models for gaming mice don't make sense as there are no ongoing actions or updates needed for the hardware.

The idea of charging for sensor or click updates would be commercial suicide for Logitech.

A potential Apple Care-like system for gaming mice would be a disaster due to the high rate of product degradation.

Hanukah Faber, CEO of Logitech, has a background in subscription models from her experience in other industries.

The gaming community's negative reaction to the subscription idea was predictable.

Recent Logitech product releases, such as the Superlight 1.5, have been minor updates rather than significant innovations.

Logitech's current product lineup, including a low-profile TKL keyboard, is not keeping up with industry trends.

There is speculation that Logitech might be shifting focus away from gaming peripherals.

Razer's Viper V3 Pro has entered the market with no competitive response from Logitech.

The gaming community fears that Logitech has become complacent, allowing competitors to take the lead.

Transcripts

hello and welcome to Restless gecko

reviews today I wanted to talk about the

Logitech drama so even though

everything's been a little bit stale in

terms of mouse releases there's been

plenty of drama to keep us going what

with the wooting and razor keyboard and

now the Logitech subscription idea so a

lot of people have reported on the

subscription idea but no one's actually

followed on from that to talk about the

follow-up so originally Logitech floated

the idea of a forever Mouse so this is

like a more expensive version of a

Logitech mouse so probably more

expensive than even these bad boys were

new um that would then come with a

subscription service for updates and new

features it's now been confirmed that

they're not going to pursue the idea but

it's just interesting they tried to

float this in the public domain so from

my perspective either the CEO thought

she was giving the interview was

something interesting and original uh

she was either talking out of turn um

and didn't really know what she was

talking about because apparently she

talked to someone from one of their

development offices who came up with

this really good idea and she thought it

was great and wanted to talk about

it um or generally it was a plan to

gauge the public reaction although

anyone with half a brain at Logitech

could have predicted the outcome with

pretty much 100% certainty so uh before

I keep going um if you'd like to

subscribe to the channel it really helps

me uh give give the video a like if you

like it or dislike it if you don't like

it and leave your comments in the

comment section below I always love

hearing from you so yeah anyway we'll

crack on so why I don't think it makes

sense so the beauty of this hobby is

that there are so many different nuances

to the way people like to play the

search for the Improvement in their own

game um through through the peripherals

themselves so how you grip the mouse

what you like about it the shapes the

buttons the clicks the grip tape you can

get the skates you can get absolutely

everything and then you got your parings

with your mouse pad like it's so varied

there are so many different ways that

you can take part in The Hobby all

different budgets as well like it

doesn't make sense to be locked into a

single Mouse for the long term with some

Financial commitment to get updates for

it just it's just beyond belief that

they would even float such an idea it's

bit stupid really but yeah people change

their mice yearly monthly even hourly if

you like me and you like to change from

match to match so Logitech would be

cutting themselves off at the knee like

it wouldn't make sense for gaming mice

to have a subscription either because

like what are you what are you

subscribing to here that there's no

actions that it needs to perform outside

of what it already does um I mean they

give you the uh sensitivity finder for

the DPI so it matches the DPI between

two different mice when you move them

along together like I I don't even use

that I don't really need it approximate

is good enough for me but yeah unless

you've got a mobile mouse or like loads

of buttons on it that you need it to do

different things or this some hall

effect version of the mouse which I

believe steel series did with the with

some of their mice didn't really go very

far with that either but still um I

don't see why you would need um an

update for your sensor or anything like

that um I mean to build people for an

update for the sensor and clicks would

be commercial suicide for them because

when you purchase a product you expect

it to be decent out the box and if it

isn't decent out the box you expect them

to update it very very sharpish so again

still wouldn't make sense um unless they

were looking at it like an Apple Care

System where it's some sort of like

extended warranty where they prioritize

your support and they give you

Replacements if anything goes wrong like

if the shell creaks they just send you

out one next day anything like that but

again that would be a commercial

disaster for them like most gaming M are

going to degrade over time whether it's

a year even a year 15 months 18 months

whatever it is eventually they will

degrade the quick click quality will

start to go soft and things things will

start to Creek things will start to fall

apart and the Shelf the shell itself

like the claims would be insane

especially for like first bch mice

they'd be swapping them out in and out

like nobody's business even for like the

slightest thing cuz I imagine they'd

have to open up that that bracket in

which you can

claim so the person that decided to push

the line of thought into the public

sphere is called Hanukah Faber the CEO

of Logitech um and I had a quick look

through uh LinkedIn as that's what it's

good for um she's worked at Proctor and

Gamble and and unil L both of which

produce beauty products other

consumables like food cleaning products

stuff like that the industries that she

has experience with are adopting

subscription models so like you get your

meals delivered to your door or whatever

like that um even on Amazon if you run

out of something it can automatically

reorder every month for you so that

you've got you're always topped up it

seems to be the way that a lot of

Industries are going and the reason they

do it is because it keeps them locked

into the brand especially when the

customers are flighty they're looking

for different options and things like

that it just keeps them out of that

search for Alternatives and cheaper

substitutes and also I've worked in some

quite heavily bureaucratic corporate

environments and i' I've have experience

with these types of people CEOs and

managing directors have their fingers so

far from the pulse that they can give

themselves a colonoscopy with very

little effort the people at the top of

the corporate ladder especially those

with like a marketing background like

this Hanukah they tend to be very good

at thinking in abstractions so they can

they can think about very much outside

the box and they can create these

different scenarios and different

products and things like that but they

don't tend to have much experience in

reality or on the shop floor essentially

they have very little understanding of

how those things were applied in real

life uh whether they're going to be

successful or whether they'll dissolve

on contact with sunlight like this

Subscription Service would have done if

they'd have pursued it but I I hope that

someone internally after she's gone on

this podcast is like an account or

someone like that I just walked up and

said look you you you're trying to kill

the business here if you do this I mean

yeah whoever it was is very brave or

maybe they were just Fielding it out

there just to see what the response was

but it hasn't been

positive um but I did think that this

might end up being reality for a couple

of reasons so if you look at the

products they've been bringing out

recently so you got the super light 1.5

it's a slight refresh some new switches

an updated sensor but other than that

there's nothing new about it like it's

whether you have the old one or the new

one UAB test them like you can feel the

difference but it's it's nothing major

like it's in my personal opinion if

you've already got the gpx1 there's no

point in upgrading to the two really

unless you really love it and you want

those mechanical switches but then they

brought out this boring low profile tkl

that has no hall effect or anything like

that so they're not keeping up with the

trends at all um but the Lull in the new

products and Technology be a sign that

they've shifted Focus somewhat maybe

they're moving in a new direction or

they're pulling

something maybe they already pulled

attention to something like a

subscription model and this was just

feeling fe uh like feeling it out for

public sentiment um but they're they're

really not taking any more risks like

they did with the g303 sh Edition I mean

that's a mouse that's so specific that

only like a tiny percentage of players

will actually use it because in no way

have they been catering to Enthusiast

space with their offerings like there's

nothing there's no lighter or even

updated g703 there's been no update to

the

g305 um it does feel like they've given

up in a lot of ways or they're more

willing to just cater to the

productivity and business crowd at this

point maybe that's where they're seeing

most of the revenue from and we're just

like a small blip on the radar that

makes a lot of

Demands um I mean it's entirely possible

that they're working on something huge

that's going to like change PC gaming

maybe or maybe they're just happy to COA

on the super light sales and push out

that Legacy messaging about their their

Pro Series the the awful

headsets and subpar keyboards like I can

I can say for certain that if they were

to go to the subscription rout the

success they have with the super light

will never ever come back they'll never

see it again and I think a lot of people

will be smart enough to just drop

Logitech as a brand and stock up on

their own models I mean look at it this

way Razer has now invaded the Ambi

Sports

scene with their Viper V3 Pro there's no

reply from Logitech at all there's

nothing new nothing leaked no no sign of

anything interesting coming out they've

just sort of sat still so they're either

really confident the super light can

hold its own or they're just not

interested in this market anymore which

is it's sad times for fans of Logitech

but it's it's not like we don't have

thousands of great Alternatives now I

mean even for their own models we're

seeing better Tech clones of their mice

coming out and I think Logitech just

have really got complacent and now

everyone else is reaping the rewards

which is which is a shame because I

would hope that they would be at the

Forefront pushing for new technology new

ways of doing things new shapes but no

nothing it's the same old stuff and

awful new stuff as well when they do

bring out something that's new um but

yeah that's it for this video um if you

want a subscription that is completely

free and will enhance your performance

please feel free to subscribe to the

channel leave a like if you want to like

and leave your feedback in the comments

and I will see you in the next video

thank you very much