On 2025-03-02, c186282 <
c186282@nnada.net> wrote:
The inventor of the Schick razor would basically
give away the razor body - knowing he would make
it back many times over selling the razor BLADES.
....
IBM - kinda discounted boxes, but years and
years of SUPPORT/MAINT.
And the business was tended with an eye to being sustainable
over decades. For a long time, new machines came out in the
US only, then once initial demand slowed down, became available
in Europe. When they started coming off leases (as the next
product generation was introduced), the old generation went
to South America and India.
When information began to flow instantly, globally, that
had to change.
It's a viable, historical, biz model.
Today, you can buy a good color laser printer
pretty damned cheap - but they NAIL you on the
toner cartridges, and strive to make them
hard to copy. Again, their money back many
times over.
I wish someone would build a GOOD color printer and charge
for the printer instead of the ink/toner, but I do not think
anybody does that. Canon lasers are pretty good, but at over
USD 700 for a full set of 4 toner cartridges, I could not
justify one for home. And ALL ink printers suck.
The "eco-tank" printers sound good, but since the print heads are
permanent, and there is not a reasonable cleaning procedure,
you are hosed when the nozzles inevitably clog up after a couple
weeks of disuse.
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