HP’s latest lineup of printers are all internet connected. Yay! Some of them also support apps
! And now the first Australian HP printer app has launched from Yahoo!7, and I have to wonder – why would anybody ever use this?
The Daily Brief app from Yahoo!7 “allows users direct access and print to Australian news and headlines at the touch of a button without having to turn on their PC.” In other words, you simply select the app on the printer each morning and it will print out a heap of news stories for you to consume at your leisure.
But in a world supposedly striving for the “paperless office” why on earth would anybody want to print out a couple of pages of news articles when you can easily read them online for free. And even if you don’t want to turn on your PC, in an age of web-connected smartphones, accessing information is easier than ever.
Despite advances in printing technology, ink is still ridiculously expensive. And while a printer may not consume as much power as a PC overall, it still doesn’t compare with a smartphone or tablet.
No, this is just a ridiculous idea for HP to try and keep customers buying more ink than they really need to.
[HP]