[aliasEli]

Hardware changes slower than software. Some very influential software companies (e.g. Microsoft, Adobe) switched to a subscription model some time ago.

From a marketing perspective it seems to make sense. If your customers pay a lot of money to buy your product and don't hesitate to connect it to the internet, they are probably wealthy but not very intelligent. Ideal marks for a subscription service.

[darkcha0s]

What kind of weird ass psychoanalysis is this? People who pay money for products and connect them to the internet are stupid and have money?

[sellyme]

> People who pay money for products and connect them to the internet are stupid and have money?

If you can buy a $3k treadmill, you have money (although about $3k less of it, in fairness).

If you think your treadmill needs to be connected to the internet, you are not particularly intelligent.

Neither of these are controversial takes. We've had enough experience with IoT devices being absolutely god-awful to know this.

[anonfornoreason]

the whole point of the product is to connect it to the internet and participate in a remote class, along with other gamification features that encourage using the product and staying fit. people buy it for this reason, generally speaking.

[sellyme]

> the whole point of the product is to connect it to the internet

Correct, this is one of the reasons why it is not a very good product. Its entire selling point is detrimental.

[tnzm]

Yes.

[anm89]

It's funny, this is the basis of many Nigerian scams. Make the scam as dumb as possible so you are guaranteed that the people who respond are self selecting as the most oblivious people in society.

Pelton has managed to identify the exact set of people who are rich, oblivious, and like fitness.