This Coffee Maker Has DRM to Lock Out Competitor's Refills - Update

[WOPR]

I CALLED IT! I FREAKING CALLED IT! THEY TOLD ME I WAS CRAZY! THEY SAID IT COULDN'T BE DONE! BUT IT'S REAL AND HAPPENING RIGHT NOW! I TOLD YOU WHAT THE FUTURE WOULD BRING US AND YOU DIDN'T LISTEN!

*flashback to November 2013*
*Giving his speech in speech class of how DRM is horrible and we need to push aggresively for DRM-Free products before they infect everything*
Student: Well what if we don't play video games or use iTunes or read ebooks?
Me: It's spreading into everything, next thing you'll know we'll have DRM'ed cars where your car locks itself if you leave the state and you can't drive it further unless you pay a $20 fee to travel outside the state for a month.
Student: Well what if we take the bus?
Me: You can come up with any many "what ifs" as you want but it can and will infect everything, next thing you know we'll have DRM'ed microwaves that only cook lean couseine and refuse to nuke anything else, or food processors that will only dice up Dole brand bananas, heck even coffee makers that will only brew over priced starbucks stuff instead of just any kind you want!
Student: That's ridiculous, they could never make stuff like that.

 

[Strazdas]

What I mean was that Sony doesn't make 100% of all sales. I realize that was a horrible wording on my part.

yes, their cut is more likely 1% or so than 100%. even less. Still they do get a cut from every disc sold.

I should have been more clear, though I WAS talking about the pro-DRM crowd. I meant I've yet to hear anyone claim DRM POSITIVELY affects a game's performance.

Sadly, i have visited Gamespot on multiple occasions and was exposed to people actually claiming DRM improves performance. sadly such people exist.

 

[Sateru]

I've always kinda stood on the fence about Keurig, the little cups are kinda convenient, but that is offset by the price of those little cups. They had the reusable, and refillable ones that you can fill with your own coffee grounds or tea leaves, but I'm thinking this might get in the way of that. I can understand the reason why they're doing this, they make their money off of those little cups, and the thought of dealing with helping their competitors out isn't exactly something they would enjoy.

Still... I much prefer regular espresso coffee makers, and a regular teapot over these things any day of the week. They're convenient, but... it feels like more of a fad thing than anything else. It's not exactly going to replace anything anytime soon. Percolator coffee is a really good thing as well, although extremely bitter and very strong. That was my first introduction to coffee... it's a godsend for caffeine fixes. Well, seconded only by cold coffee brewing which is delicious, perfect, and caffeine rich in goodness.

 

[ZCAB]

I never understood why anyone would buy a coffee machine that uses cups or pads. Perhaps they're less expensive than the really premium ones that grind the beans for you, but they're more expensive than the standard coffee makers with the paper filters that let you brew whole pots. At least with those, you have control over the type of coffee you use, the strength of the brew, and how much of it you make.

 

[crispskittlez]

Mofos trying to mess with the way I take my coffee?! Hope they don't expect a sale from me, and many others I'm sure.

 

[secretkeeper12]

Since when does coffee making count as "Digital Rights"? I think the author should recheck their terminology....

 

[Cyberjester]

This seems rather silly on the one hand, and yet on the other hand makes sense. I mean, you don't get PS3 games to work on the 360. So I guess if it is your company's coffee maker, it makes sense to make it so only your coffee will work with it.

This isn't getting PS3 games to work on the 360, this is taking PC games and making sure it only works with your DVD player. Or like most DRM, it puts an extra piece between the product and you to "ensure" that people can't use just any product. So think Shell teaming up with Holden to make sure the engine only starts when certain levels of a certain chemical are read. The chemical isn't used in the engine, it's just extra waste which increases maintenance. Which isn't a bad thing for the monopoly on maintenance.

360 games and PS3 games work on different technology, this is taking the same technology and limiting the availability. Or in this case, something like increasing the price on your own pods and making sure the coffee machine only starts if it reads the chip right. Think of a pen that only activates near a certain notepad, that sort of thing. It's why DRM is so hated in some circles. It doesn't actually make sense, it's purely to maintain your stranglehold on a market. Which does make sense from a capitalist perspective, doesn't make sense if you're the serf though.

 

[Someone Depressing]

I have a caffiene addiction ( a pretty mild one; just coffee, tea and sodas) and I've never touched a coffee machine, vending machine that sells coffee, or even pre-made coffee in my entire life.

I made all of my own coffee with a kettle... honestly, I find the idea of a single machine dedicated to producing a single drink really weird.

...Eh, some coffee is more valuable than gold. What is is, like, the second most exported good? I can see why people would have these.

And the fact that a company's going to such extreme lengths to protect something so minor is probably only stranger.

 

[Signa]

Companies have every right to put what they want in THEIR product. The problem is the consumer that buys the product. Obviously consumers should check that the machine they buy can handle the pods they want to use.

Are you seriously going to trod out that argument, that the device I pay for isn't owned by me, and that the terms of its use change on someone else's whim?

If they gave the machine away for free, and then had you buy their pods, I'd take no issue, because, you're right, it's their machine. But these machines are not a service, they are a product for a consumer to use. A company has no right over it after they package it and ship it out of their warehouse.

On the matter of the update: I love the safety comment. It's like Keurig is seeing the backlash of poisoned coffee pods, and this is their response to prevent people from harming themselves. That's so generous of you Keurig, I'm glad you're on our side!

 

[Signa]

Companies have every right to put what they want in THEIR product. The problem is the consumer that buys the product. Obviously consumers should check that the machine they buy can handle the pods they want to use.

Are you seriously going to trod out that argument, that the device I pay for isn't owned by me, and that the terms of its use change on someone else's whim?

If they gave the machine away for free, and then had you buy their pods, I'd take no issue, because, you're right, it's their machine. But these machines are not a service, they are a product for a consumer to use. A company has no right over it after they package it and ship it out of their warehouse.

If you buy a coffeemaker that is limited in what capsules it uses, then that is your choice and your problem. The consumer has to be the one making the choice, not lawmakers, because there are many business models where it is legitimate to limit the product before selling it (game consoles is one, they have to be limited to play only games with a license from the manufacturer, otherwise the whole business idea will fail). How would even a law against a practice like this one be written? You can't write a law against proprietary paraphernalia in general.

Uh, when did either of us mention laws, or lawmakers?

here, I'll quote myself again, and you can point it out for me:

Are you seriously going to trod out that argument, that the device I pay for isn't owned by me, and that the terms of its use change on someone else's whim?

If they gave the machine away for free, and then had you buy their pods, I'd take no issue, because, you're right, it's their machine. But these machines are not a service It's like a law or something, they are a product for a consumer to use. A company has no right over it after they package it and ship it out of their warehouse.

Oops, it's right there in bold. My bad.

 

[Signa]

snip snip

Allowing it, or making a law forbidding it are the only two options. It doesn't matter if you mentioned laws or not. Companies should be allowed to put drm into anything and then it is up to the consumer to buy things that are more open. Just look at the iphone and how apple was forced to allow others to be allowed to develop for the iphone.

As much as I agree with you that consumers should take some responsibility, it's a cold reality that consumers just. don't. care. People are stupid, and only stupid people would support Keurig's design, thus I believe that this product will be a success, regardless how either you or I feel about it. You know as well as I do that this product shouldn't exist as it does, and that's where (since you're bringing laws into the discussion) this product probably should be restricted by the FTC or something. Though, I can't remember the last time the FTC did anything for consumers and DRM related products.

Personally, I don't care whether Keurig gets money for this design, because the consumers that spend money on it obviously have more dollars than sense. It's not like Keurig is offering something that people's lives depend on, and then those people have to jump through Keurig's hoops to get it[footnote]much like the pharmaceutical companies...[/footnote]. If you're as upset about this as you sound, then take it upon yourself to let people know not to buy Keurig pod makers. Next time someone says something about getting a coffee maker, tell them "I hope it's not one of those Keurig machines. Here's why..." You'll win more flies with that honey.

 

[Justin Boisvert]

I think that the USA needs to legislate broad limits on DRM type protections, in much the same way that we passed laws restricting monopolies and price fixing.

 

[Idsertian]

I think someone needs to tell Steven that April Fool's Day is on April 1st, not March 4th. Fired off a bit too soon there, chap. I mean, this is a joke, right? Right?

Oh. It's not. That's...really kinda sad. Who saw this come up in the bi-quarterly Coffee Machine Maker Union meeting and thought it was a good idea? No really, who actually thought this would be a good idea and work? Wait, did an ex-EA employee end up at this manufacturer or something? Because that's probably what happened.

 

[Nazulu]

It's Sim City 5 all over again. Hey Draec, you wanna defend this too?

It amazes me they think they can deceive us all with this bull crap. Do they really believe no one is going to test it? I'd love to hear him go into detail about the 'safety' it provides.

 

[Ambitiousmould]

Well, I always just brew coffee with a kettle, ground coffee beans, milk and a mug. I never trusted those damn coffee machines, and now I know why. Seriously though, common sense dictates that this is not a good product to buy, and therefore won't sell very well.