HP has a new proposition at a time when (companies like this have made sure) you don't have much control over your computer anyway: why not let HP rent you one? The company launched a subscription service today, as did CEO Enrique Lores. he said he would last month – called HP's all-inclusive plan. It's essentially an extension of HP's Instant Ink, and like that plan, you'll be sent ink when it runs out, but unlike it, your monthly fee also covers the printer.
The printer you get depends on the plan you choose. They start at $6.99 per month for 20-page prints and whatever the current HP Envy model is, and go up to $35.99 per month which gets you an OfficeJet Pro and 700 pages. If you exceed your page allotment, HP will add more for one dollar per block of 10 to 15 pages.
But each plan is a two-year rental, not a lease with an option to own. So if you decide the HP All-In isn't for you after all, you'll have to return the printer and go back to hobnobbing with everyone else at FedEx every time the need to print arises. And if you cancel after an initial 30-day trial or before two years, you'll pay a fee of up to $270, depending on the plan and when you cancel.
The subscription, like HP's. recent advertising campaign By promoting its printers as “made to be hated less,” it capitalizes on the idea that printers are frustrating commodities. From the company configurator page mentions bonuses like “continuous printer coverage” and “next business day printer replacement,” for example. That way, if a firmware update bricks your printer, you at least have some recourse that doesn't involve driving to a store to buy a whole new one.
There are people who will undoubtedly find this plan attractive. Not everyone cares so much about feeling like they own their printer. And getting ink before it runs out is great if you're, like me, the kind of person who ignores the “low ink” warning until I'm completely out of ink and I'm printing something critical, rather than coloring pages for you. boy, for once.
But that's mainly due to the fact that I don't really print that often and rarely encounter the hassles of owning a printer. For those who do, companies can take two paths. One is HP's plan, which appeals to the frustration of hostile user experiences, such as scanners that don't work because you bought third-party ink and printers that become unusable without serious effort because you moved abroad. The other approach is to make printers that mostly just do what you want.