[NickHoff]

I hope that Brother doesn't succumb to the same forces that drove HP (and everyone else) to these decisions. In the short term it makes sense for HP because

1. At first the printer works well. This causes reviewers, who only use the printer a few times when it's new, to write a good review.

2. It lets them keep the up-front price of their printers low. Most people only consider up-front cost and not total cost of ownership. It also helps with getting a good review.

3. They get some recurring revenue from customers who don't want to deal non-name-brand ink. They just want their printer to work and they're willing to pay.

Brother, on the other hand, is slightly more expensive but is better built and works with off-brand ink. We have a brother laser printer and it's great. The ink doesn't dry out like an inkjet, we can buy ink from wherever, and it doesn't break down every few months.

I just hope that brother understands that going HP-mode would probably give a short-term bump but hurt their name in the long run.

[josephcsible]

> I hope that Brother doesn't succumb to the same forces that drove HP (and everyone else) to these decisions.

I have bad news for you: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31860131