The following appears on waltersshutwell.com

Delivery changed the game in Pizza…so…

HP recently announced their Instant Ink program just like they did back in 2011.

A reaction from the Motley Fool, back in 2011,

“Ugh, seriously?”

“…Those words literally escaped my lips when I read what Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ ) is up to now. It’s about six months too late to be an April Fool’s joke , so unfortunately these ideas must be for real. Which one should we start with: dumb or dumber?

I’ll start with dumb. HP announced an “Instant Ink” pilot program, which is a subscription service that promises savings and convenience for subscribers. Through the service, HP will automatically deliver “Original HP Ink cartridges” to your home or office as needed, with shipping bundled into the service. The cost will range from $5.99 to $10.99 per month, depending on the product line. The company claims that users may save up to 50% annually in exchange for “one low monthly fee…”

This program is initially designed for home/SoHo usage and works with volume bands below 100 images per month.

• The printer is inkjet based.
• The printer is connected to HP via the cloud.
• When the printer runs low on ink an order is generated and ink appears in your mailbox a few days later complete with a return envelope for the empty.
• When you try to place the cartridge in your neighbor’s inkjet, because you both have the same device, the cartridge is disabled, an alarm sounds in some underground bunker just outside Boise and all the magic smoke is released from YOUR printer, not your neighbor’s. Just kidding about the alarm – but the cartridge is disabled.

All very tidy, wouldn’t you say?

Imagine, if you will, toner/ink showing up at your desk, without you picking up the phone.  Further fathom the charge for this service resides around $5.99/Month as long as you print under 100 pages or maybe $15.00/Month for unlimited* volume. No calling, no meter reads, no ordering,  no empty printers or end of the day scrambles off to the nearest office supply store.

You print without fear, as if you ever did, because the monthly cost is so low, its irrelevant.

This is the plan; make printing so cheap the act of printing is as thoughtless as watching TV.

Friends, I give you one possible timeline in the Future of MpS – self imposed irrelevancy.  Rejoice and make mirth for the sun shall shine on our faces forever!

So be it.

Just because the Motley Fool thinks this is a bad idea, doesn’t mean it won’t work(mopier).  We all know how innovative HP can be (TouchPad) and their commitment to customers (2007, product delivered to the highest volume accounts only), employees(25,000 layoffs) and suppliers (thousands of cancelled laser engine orders to Canon) is beyond comparison(pale).

The real value is recognizing this scheme will be emulated, “copied”, by others in the industry.  Each OEM scrambling for every, last print – battling through their drones – NOT A CHANNEL.

Consider this: USPS can get toners/inks desk side as easily as any of our providers.  Additionally, the OEM owns the entire path to the customer – from the plant to the desktop, from the womb to the tomb.

Click here to read the rest of the article on waltersshutwell.com