By Tuesday, I might be an actual "Burning Man" as the UK hits climate change-induced records. 40 degrees Centigrade in a country built for 15 degrees will be messy. Our houses here are built to keep the heat in and many of us don't have the luxuries of air conditioning. It's debatable whether I will have a dispatch to get to you next week. But I will try!
The subscription business model has been one that has continued to gain prominence in our daily lives from TV to Music to Retail to Education to Food to Gaming! This week, BMW announced a microtransactions subscription model for additional services that one might expect as part of the car. From Verge:
BMW is now selling subscriptions for heated seats in a number of countries — the latest example of the company’s adoption of microtransactions for high-end car features. A monthly subscription to heat your BMW’s front seats costs roughly $18, with options to subscribe for a year ($180), three years ($300), or pay for “unlimited” access for $415. BMW has slowly been putting features behind subscriptions since 2020, and heated seats subs are now available in some BMW’s digital stores.
For me, this is one step too far - a warm bum sub feels like a business model gone wrong. (or maybe this is just memetic innocualtion?) My view is that if we lean to this bleak future, we will "microtransaction" for services that we take for granted. Washrooms on planes, tapwater at restaurants, walking in the park. The next thing we will be paying for brake lights. It almost feels like EA bought BMW.
I jest - but you can see surge pricing depending on how warm you want it, depending on the price of fuel. Welcome to micropayment hell.
Stay Curious,
Onward! - Rahim
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