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Author Topic: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"  (Read 16580 times)

rcjordan

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Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« on: December 16, 2021, 06:54:18 PM »
Toyota owners have to pay $8/mo to keep using their key fob for remote start | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/12/toyota-owners-have-to-pay-8-mo-to-keep-using-their-key-fob-for-remote-start/
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Travoli

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #1 on: December 16, 2021, 08:44:57 PM »
Shareholders love those sweet automatic monthly debits.
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ergophobe

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #2 on: December 16, 2021, 09:58:50 PM »
What would you pay for autonomous driving? Volkswagen hopes $8.50 per hour
https://arstechnica.com/cars/2021/06/volkswagen-plans-to-offer-subscriptions-for-autonomous-driving-extra-ev-range/

Quote
The German automaker is considering charging an hourly fee for access to autonomous driving features once those features are ready. The company is also exploring a range of subscription features for its electric vehicles, including “range or performance” increases... Tesla once offered Model S cars with a 75 kWh battery that was software-restricted to output only 60 or 70 kWh, depending on when the car was purchased. In the case of the 70 kWh models, customers could pay $3,250 to unlock the last 9.33 percent.

Charging for a feature that is already built in and requires no intervention from the automaker (like remote start or using the full battery capacity) feels less like a service charge and more like ransom.
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rcjordan

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2021, 07:48:44 PM »
New Cars Will Nickel-and-Dime You – It’s Automotive As A Service | Hackaday
https://hackaday.com/2021/12/30/new-cars-will-nickle-and-dime-you-its-automotive-as-a-service/
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rcjordan

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2022, 03:35:48 PM »
Taco Bell is selling a $10 monthly taco subscription
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/06/business/taco-bell-subscription/index.html
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Travoli

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2022, 06:22:04 PM »
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rcjordan

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2022, 10:16:31 PM »
We’ve Upgraded Your Toilet to a Subscription-Based Model - McSweeney’s
https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/weve-upgraded-your-toilet-to-a-subscription-based-model
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ergophobe

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #7 on: April 09, 2022, 10:01:27 PM »
>>toilet

Nicely done :-)

Do you think as we see more and more of that, we will see companies backing off from subscriptions in ridiculous and egregious cases or is the profit incentive just way too high? That is, is this a "moment" or a new normal?
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rcjordan

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #8 on: April 09, 2022, 10:25:37 PM »
> is the profit incentive just way too high?

On the whole, 'everything subscription by everyone' seems ludicrous. But Debbie thinks that businesses will go for the profit ---particularly since subscriptions tend to bind the customer to the brand.  AND millennials & genX didn't want to own, so this is what we get. In spades. 
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Travoli

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #9 on: April 09, 2022, 10:56:47 PM »
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Travoli

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2022, 07:05:12 PM »
BMW starts selling heated seat subscriptions for $18 a month. BMW owners already have all the necessary components, but BMW has simply placed a software block on their functionality that buyers then have to pay to remove.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/12/23204950/bmw-subscriptions-microtransactions-heated-seats-feature
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ergophobe

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #11 on: July 12, 2022, 09:07:15 PM »
A car friend and former BMW owner told me they floated this before and there was so much pushback they had to backtrack. I guess they're trying again.

To be fair, they have an "unlimited plan" (what we used to call "heated seats") for $415. So if you keep the car for two years, you come out ahead an then it's yours for life (but what about the next owner?)

So this feels less like a forced subscription than a hidden payment plan to reduce sticker shock.

I see that sort of like the airlines. Everyone complains about how they pack you in like sardines, but very few of those people bump up to first class where you get a lot more room.
« Last Edit: July 12, 2022, 09:10:08 PM by ergophobe »
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rcjordan

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #12 on: July 14, 2022, 02:27:06 AM »
"GM has approximately 16 million vehicles on the road in the US, about a quarter of which include features for which customers are paying subscriptions. “Our research indicates that with the right mix of compelling offerings, customers are willing to spend $135 per month on average for products and services,” Alan Wexler, SVP of innovation and growth at GM, said during a presentation at the company’s investor event in December 2021."


The future of cars is a subscription nightmare - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/13/23206999/car-subscription-nightmare-heated-seats-remote-start
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rcjordan

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #13 on: August 11, 2022, 03:05:49 PM »
GM Makes $1,500 OnStar Subscription Mandatory on GMC, Buick, Cadillac Models
https://www.thedrive.com/news/gm-makes-1500-onstar-subscription-mandatory-on-gmc-buick-cadillac-models
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ergophobe

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Re: Travoli's prediction of "everything will be subscription"
« Reply #14 on: August 14, 2022, 10:28:21 PM »
It's the new "resort fee" model which is just a way to hide sticker price.

I don't necessarily have a problem with that as long as it's all disclosed. But it's a little like having a base price and a mandatory "wheel charge" to cover the cost of the wheels.
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