Logitech’s new CEO has grand ideas for the computer hardware company, and one of them is a “forever mouse” that you’d never have to replace but that you may have to pay for every month.
The CEO, Hanneke Faber, told the Verge’s Decoder podcast that the immortal mouse is still just a concept, but that one day Logitech could create a mouse that, like a nice watch, is useful in perpetuity—with the help of software updates.
“I’m not planning to throw that watch away ever,” Faber said. “So why would I be throwing my mouse or my keyboard away if it’s a fantastic quality, well-designed, software-enabled mouse?”
Faber noted that Logitech was not “necessarily super far away” from making the forever mouse a reality, but added that the high price for its extreme durability may require the company to add a subscription model to help make it profitable.
A spokesperson for Logitech said that the company had no plans for a subscription mouse.
"The forever mouse was a design exploration into future possibilities. It is not an actual (or planned) product but an ideation of how the consumer electronics industry can think differently and more sustainably about business models and products," the spokesperson said.
The average price of a mouse or a keyboard is about $26, Faber said, and Logitech has the opportunity to create a higher-priced, premium product that delivers more quality. While Faber acknowledged that consumers may be shocked by the concept of a subscription mouse, she said the quality is worth it.
“Imagine it’s like your Rolex. You’re going to really love that,” she told the Verge.
The hardware company is no stranger to bold mouse ideas. In April it announced a mouse with a built-in AI button that could be used to launch an AI prompt builder to help summarize text or write emails.
Faber’s mouse-as-a-service concept is the latest example of the increasing prevalence of subscription-based business models in unusual categories. While customers may be used to paying a subscription for movie or music streaming, now hardware companies are trying to get in on the trend.
HP introduced a subscription service in February that lets customers print 20 pages with their included printer and ink starting at $6.99 per month. Both Ring and Google have also recently raised prices for basic subscription plans for their smart doorbells and thermostats, respectively.
Some customers have already decried Logitech’s idea of adding yet another subscription for an everyday object. One user on Twitter said, there is no need for a “forever mouse,” because their mouse from 30 years ago has held up just fine.
Other social media users on the r/hardware forum on Reddit poked fun at the idea that Logitech might go the way of HP’s printer plan and limit use.
“Number of mouse movements exceeded. Please upgrade to pro account so you can further move your mouse,” one user wrote.
Clarification, July 31, 2024: This article has been updated to clarify that the CEO thought consumers might like having a mouse that lasts a long time.
