Is the printer industry in disorder.
Well, with the digitization of almost everything, people just don’t print like they used to. More modern ways of storing and sharing information, changing communication preferences in homes and offices, and environmental concerns have rocked the printing industry and challenged stakeholders like HP.
I would argue that it is not only technological, economic and social changes that have reduced the printer business. For the common man, printers and their capabilities have become boring. When was the last time you heard about a killer new printer feature?
HP has come under fire for alleged anti-consumer practices in its printer business, turning off many people’s devices. But HP’s latest print announcement is a rare example of a printer company offering new, potentially useful features instead of questionable business tactics to boost business.
Printers need rebranding
Frequent readers of Ars Technica (myself included) may be surprised to find me praising a printer company, especially HP. In recent years, HP has been a big engine of broken trust between printer brands and customers.
Its worst crime was its use firmware updates so that previously purchased printers will no longer work with non-HP ink. HP has dealt with many lawsuits and paid millions for it fines and: customer compensation. Activists have called for HP printers to be removed An environmental assessment tool for electronic products registry due to HP’s Dynamic Security updates.
But HP continues to stand by Dynamic Security, with CEO Enrique Lores even going so far as to unrealistically claim that Third-party ink poses a cybersecurity risk. Updates to features on devices that people rely on for valuable or even work-critical tasks can ruin someone’s day. It can also make people distrustful of upgrades, raising more pressing security concerns than non-proprietary ink cartridges. Furthermore, HP and other printer companies (like Canon) have also been rightly criticized for creating printer-scanners. ink is required to perform scanssomething that should be an inkless affair.
