Logitech has an idea for a “forever mouse” that requires a subscription

They could probably do that in windows by adding some service that checks if the mouse is valid... Since on windows it's using Logitech drivers.

On Linux it's open source so no way they can do anything.

I mainly wonder how they are going to solve a broken microswitch with a software update...

Button mapping is also in software for programmable buttons. Otherwise even my G52 Hero doesn't actually need the software. The beauty and whole point of USB peripherals is plug-n-play so there's absolutely no point to a subscription service... well, nothing short of a dystopian future where the "lifetime" mouse is "lifetime" because the switches are so terrible they only last a month before needing to send it in for replacements, justified by each switch having a programmable micro-processor that needs to be flashed with proprietary software at replacement, effectively over-powering right-to-repair in the same swoop. At that point, it's not worth using a computer. I'd learn to carve on stone tablets before accepting that BS.

There are industrial switches that last practically forever. I've made some test robots for wearing out limit switches and the decent ones could be hammered constantly for days on end without a single miss.

Another component that doesn't wear out is a photo gate. It doesn't click or spring, though.

Actually just a decent keyboard switch would probably put up with a lot.

But it's cheaper to go cheap and you get more repeat business.

What mouse if you don't mind sharing?

My Logitech G602 technically has high quality Omron switches but only on left/right click, the middle click and the rest use crappy little tactile switches that last about 6 months before I need to replace them.

You can get rugged or smooth.

Lots of expensive brands prioritize smooth because their buyers will buy often and not care about resale or cost of new.

A Toyota Hilux and a Range Rover aren't really made with the same priorities, even though both could go offroading.

Someone that buys a brand new off the lot beamer likely isn't planning to still own it 120,000 miles later. Probably not even three years later.

GHub is a terrible piece of software, ugh.

Have you used a TV in the past 10 years?

They already have with their planned obsolescence. At least HP printers tend to work if you give them blood of your first born ink.

If you want to get rid of their software, for the RGB part you can use OpenRGB instead. It runs on both Linux and Windows and can do pretty much any RGB controller (RAM, GPU, mainboard, mouse, keyboard, ...).

https://openrgb.org/

For changing DPI I use Piper but I don't think that one is available on Windows.

https://github.com/libratbag/piper

OK, so, you're right. Let's be fair, though: this is capitalism. There are companies that make quality mice, and they are more expensive and don't compete at the same scale Logitech does. If Logitech made quality mice, they'd be more expensive, and even more consumers would look at and choose cheaper mice from their competitors.

Part of this is absolutely "margins & profit." Part is the veiled curse of online shopping: when you can't feel and handle the product, much more of shopper decision comes down to simply price: this is the T-Shirt Effect: if two online products look identical, but one is less expensive, most people are going to opt for the less expensive one. It's put established companies known for quality out of business, or driven their product quality down to compete. Part of it is that there are few reliable, authoritative review sources; many are barely disguised paid ads, or star-manipulation. The end sum is consumers voting with their dollars, and companies responding accordingly. Sales are down, your competitors' are up, people are choosing products you know are cheaper crap, and so it's obvious people prefer cheaper crap, so you make it.

It's a lose-lose for everyone except those companies able to quickly clone reputable products, but with lower-quality components, and flood the online market with them.

Low-quality, low-cost mass manufacturing has put products in the hands of people who wouldn't otherwise be able to afford them. But it's also driven down quality, and driven waste up; the same decision process being used by low-income folks is also used by middle-class, and with nearly all shopping being online, consumers have few options for a better process.

The equation changes when you get to the wealthy, who can shop with companies who aren't competing on volume, but reputation and margins: the Bang & Olufsens; the Breguets, and the Urban Jurgensens. People who can afford to shop with artisans shop differently, but all t-shirts look the same online.