DRM in your coffee maker, to stop you from brewing unlicensed coffees

[app103]

As you may have heard, Keurig is engaged in a battle with a host of companies that aspire to provide consumers with ‘pirate’ coffee pods. And who is losing this battle? The consumer.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, Keurig’s business model is pretty much the same as the business model used by most producers of desktop printers. Desktop printers have become almost trivially cheap — you can buy a laser printer for under a hundred bucks now — but the cartridges cost a bundle. That’s where they make their money. Likewise, Keurig sells its popular single-cup coffee makers at astonishingly reasonable prices, and makes its money on the coffee pods. Naturally, given that the pods are lucrative and easy to make, there have been imitators. A large number of companies have sold, over the last few years, their own “K-cups,” pods of coffee designed specifically to work in Keurig’s machines. Consumers love this, both because competition lowers prices and because it expands the range of roasts and flavours available.

To fight the onslaught of packagers of (perfectly legal) pirate K-cups, Keurig recently starting selling its “Keurig 2.0″ line of coffee makers. The 2.0 machines incorporate a digital rights management (DRM) system, designed to ensure that Keurig machines work only with Keurig branded and Keurig licensed pods, effectively shutting out the competition, at least temporarily. The result is that all those non-licensed Keurig imitators won’t work in the new 2.0 machines.

http://www.canadianbusiness.com/blogs-and-comment/keurig-coffee-piracy-obsolescence-ethics/

[app103]

So, now you'll have to jailbreak your coffee maker to be able to brew the coffee of your choice? 

[40hz]

One word: boycott.

[Renegade]

While Gillette's innovation really did some good (compared to straight razors -- and I still want a razor sharpener if I can find one...), I can't see any value at all in this. Sounds like a 'bait & switch'.

I'm all for the pirates here. (Oh, big surprise!)

One word: boycott.

Yup.

And buycott manufacturers that don't show complete contempt for their customers, but rather show some respect.

[MilesAhead]

The next step is the coffee mug.  There will be something nasty in the DRM coffee(like paraquat in pot) that will only be neutralized by drinking it from the DRM Mug.  Of course you can only drink your coffee at home.  If you get in your car the mug will no longer ameliorate the foul tasting ingredient.  (Unless you purchase the mobile licensing rider.)

Metering the air isn't far off I'm afraid.  

[bob99]

Thanks for posting App...
I'd heard rumors of this but didn't research it further. I was planning to look at a Keurig the next time my good old Bunn coffee maker gave it up.
And then buy a couple of the reuseable baskets to be able to use the coffee of my choice.
Guess I'll be rethinking that decision.

[Renegade]

Metering the air isn't far off I'm afraid. 

Why not? The Spaniards have taxed the sun.

Taxing air has already been proposed...

But let's not leave out taxing water...

No, I'm afraid that NOTHING is exempt from tax.

You do want to pay your fair share, don't you? 

No?

Slay the masters!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4PPWYCqPKo

That was just epic! 

DRM is chains. Why pay to shackle yourself? Slay the masters... Mwuahahahaha~! 

[SeraphimLabs]

Damnit, we finally won the DRM war in the music area, and now these same madmen are going to try to attach it to coffee.

BOYCOTT KEURIG! USE ONLY GENUINE AFTERMARKET COFFEE PODS AND POD MACHINES!

[Stoic Joker]

So... The cost of the - now additional - coffee pod DRM chip is passed on to the customer...who was trying to save money in the first place. Because the whole point of the Keurig was to not waste money making a whole pot when you only wanted one cup. Shit, they come with a brew your own coffee basket that's basically just a reusable pod ... So why don't they just work on cost control to keep the price down so people can afford to be loyal??

Talk about self defeating behavior...Damn!


...Think I'm going to go shopping for a Black Fedora.

[MilesAhead]

Taxing air has already been proposed...

I wish I could remember the name of the stand-up comic.  One of his jokes was about being behind on his utilities, so they shut him off.. including air.  He acts like he's leaning against a lamp post spare changing.  All out of breath he says "man, could you ahh ahh ahh, spare some change for some air?"  
The audience tried to laugh big because they thought it was funny.  But they were behind on their air bills.  

[wraith808]

Interesting comment:

You can get around the compatible cup issue by simplifying placing the foil of an approved cup over the unapproved cup.

And the funny part about it is that I've tried the others... and tried the reusable pods.  I'd decided that the keurig cups were the best way to go- both for taste and convenience.  But now...

[Stoic Joker]

I'd decided that the keurig cups were the best way to go- both for taste and convenience.  But now...

Preeecisely the point I was making above.

[bit]

So, now you'll have to jailbreak your coffee maker to be able to brew the coffee of your choice? 

Didn't they justify anti-jailbreaking rules or laws with dire warnings of letting in viruses?
If your Keurig unit was jailbreaked and got a malicious virus I wonder what it could do to jinx up your coffee?

[mwb1100]

I wonder what it could do to jinx up your coffee?

Make it taste like the sludge in my work's lunchroom?

[TaoPhoenix]

Damnit, we finally won the DRM war in the music area, and now these same madmen are going to try to attach it to coffee.

BOYCOTT KEURIG! USE ONLY GENUINE AFTERMARKET COFFEE PODS AND POD MACHINES!

I'll echo this - "CRM" - Coffee Rights Management!

[mwb1100]

they come with a brew your own coffee basket that's basically just a reusable pod

The last time I tried to use the official Keurig reusable pod that I have (which wasn't included with the machine, but a separate purchase, if I recall correctly), it wouldn't fit because of some plastic 'tabs' that seemed to exist only to interfere with the reusable pod (which again is an official Keurig-branded pod).  It definitely worked in the first Keurig unit we had, but was inconvenient, so it didn't get much use.  When I tried to use it in a newer Keurig that we since bought, it won't fit in the machine at all anymore.

Anyway, it seems like they don't want you to use even their own reusable pods.

[Edvard]

One word: boycott.

One word: buyarealdamncoffeemakerferpeteseverlovingsake

...
Because the whole point of the Keurig was to not waste money making a whole pot when you only wanted one cup.

You see, what we have here is a failure to drink enough coffee...

...
Anyway, it seems like they don't want you to use even their own reusable pods.

And it seems like you didn't see that coming...

Sorry for my cynical tone here, but I remember when the Keurig first came out and they went on an all-out media blitz, even going so far as to set up machines at the !@#$%ing ferry terminal handing out free (small) cups of coffee to everyone, and coupons and (later) free sample "k-cups".  I recoiled in violent skepticism to the snappily-dressed vendors trying to convince me that 'pre-packaged for convenience' was better than grinding and brewing my own damn beans in my own damn proportions.  I could see this coming from a thousand miles away.
Now their true colors are showing, and my first instinct proven correct.  Screw them.  

[wraith808]

One word: boycott.

One word: buyarealdamncoffeemakerferpeteseverlovingsake

I have one.  And I prefer the Keurig for a quick cup of coffee in the morning.  Is that a crime?

[Renegade]

You see, what we have here is a failure to drink enough coffee...

HAHAHAHA~! 

Yes! That!

[Edvard]

One word: boycott.

One word: buyarealdamncoffeemakerferpeteseverlovingsake

I have one.  And I prefer the Keurig for a quick cup of coffee in the morning.  Is that a crime?

See above...

And read the part where I apologized for being cynical.  I could say more, but I'd probably piss off more Keurig users.

[app103]

...
Because the whole point of the Keurig was to not waste money making a whole pot when you only wanted one cup.

You see, what we have here is a failure to drink enough coffee... 

There is no failure to drink enough regular coffee in my home. When a full pot is made by me, the full pot is consumed by me.

Where this becomes an issue is with flavored coffees. I don't really like to drink more than a cup of it at a time and usually only brew it when I have someone else willing to drink the rest of the pot.

I had recently considered buying one of these coffee makers for the purpose of brewing single cups of flavored coffees, using one of those refillable cups...and for my hubby to brew an occasional cup of decaf for himself.

But now? Forget it! I'll just have to use one of these.

[Vurbal]

While Gillette's innovation really did some good (compared to straight razors -- and I still want a razor sharpener if I can find one...), I can't see any value at all in this. Sounds like a 'bait & switch'.

The Gillette comparison seems apropos, and for the same reason the bait and switch suggestion seems unlikely. Like Gillette, Keurig most likely just failed to plan for (or at least to successfully execute) a follow up to keep bringing in profits on the scale to which they had become accustomed.

In Gillette's case, it was purely a matter of the original safety razor patent expiring. For Keurig it was probably a question of market saturation. Considering the pricetag, I'd be willing to bet the profit margin on their coffee makers is insanely high. It isn't even a particularly bad price, at least so long as the quality is high enough for them to last a long time. In my experience, that seems to be the case.

Unfortunately, that quality has likely become part of the problem. Most people aren't going to consider buying a product that expensive (relative to the norm for the category) and then replace it a year or 2 later. While there are probably still a lot of people who would like one, I'm betting they're mostly folks who either can't or won't buy until the price drops substantially.

As is typically true of people who see sudden success, the executives at Keurig almost certainly believe their good fortune is purely (or at least mostly) because of their personal genius, which must surely be unique in the history of man. Yes, that's an exaggeration, but not by much. If, in fact, they are such special little snowflakes, it makes no sense to take the obvious step and simply lower hardware prices, and therefore profit margins. Instead, they've chosen to find some other scheme to replace that profit by artificially inflating the price of consumables.

On a side note, while it's not an achievement on the level of the safety razor, which remains the last significant advancement in razor technology IMNSHO, I find Keurig's coffee makers much more impressive in reality than they seemed in theory. I still wouldn't buy one, but for a lot of people they make perfect sense. And, as I already mentioned, I've found the quality to be top notch.

If I weren't such a coffee snob, I'd at least covet one, although I don't think I could justify the price. So long as the technology to retain the flavor of freshly ground beans for months, or at least weeks, isn't available, I won't even be tempted. I guess you could say I was raised a coffee snob, even before I started drinking coffee.

Back in the 70s, when finding whole beans in a regular store was unheard of (around here at least), my parents used to get beans from a local restaurant. We even had an ancient food service (Hobart) grinder which ended up lasting about 30 years or so. The only thing I've ever added to my coffee is cream. I don't mean creamer or half and half. I mean heavy cream. Otherwise I only drink it black.

[Edvard]

...
But now? Forget it! I'll just have to use one of these.

Yes!

The Melittas are very cool.  The only annoying thing is having to buy the special filters, but you can origami a regular filter and it works just fine.

[MilesAhead]

But now? Forget it! I'll just have to use one of these.

Hmm, I wonder if there's such a thing as a consumer model cafe con leche machine?  That's the only coffee I like to drink now.  The machines the restaurants use have an espresso coffee maker with a siphon that heats the milk.  They make each cup individually.

You could just use a flavored bean.  But I guess for home use you just make an espresso then heat milk in the microwave or on the stove and add it to taste.  Many Spanish people like it very sweet.  So if you try it make sure to tell the person making it "no sugar" or they're likely to dump a heaping teaspoon into the little metal carafe that catches the coffee.  Then add your own sugar to taste.  I find it great with no sugar at all.  The only factor being the proportion of milk and coffee.  There's no need to use cream since using a lot of milk doesn't chill the coffee.  Buy good beans instead of cream. 

[tomos]

I wonder if there's such a thing as a consumer model cafe con leche machine?  That's the only coffee I like to drink now.  The machines the restaurants use have an espresso coffee maker with a siphon that heats the milk.  They make each cup individually.

• is that steamed milk then?
• what, roughly, are the proportions milk to coffee?

(trying to figure the difference from a cappuccino)

There are consumer versions of those machines (most are expensive, some *very*); I make something like that at home with a traditional espresso pot and heat/whisk the milk (not too hot though, or you get that boiled milk flavour) - does take a bit of work...