When I read stories about companies like Spotify creating e-waste like this, I think it’s worth pointing out that commercial companies don’t have to behave this way.
As a counter-point, back around 2008, I purchased two Squeezebox music players from Logitech (digital music players that Logitech had acquired from Slim Devices: high quality DACs that supported every audio format, gap-less playback, synchronised playing on multiple devices, and were very configurable).
They discontinued these products four years later (2012) but kept their mysqueezebox.com online service running up until the start of this year (2024). They kept the user forums running and archived the knowledge-base wiki. Most importantly, they open-sourced the stand-alone server software for running a local Squeezebox server and continued to pay the main developer to maintain the project for more than a decade after they discontinued the products. He’s still the lead developer and project maintainer of the server software, now called Lyrion Music Server: https://lyrion.org/
Correction: the stand-alone server software was always open source, specifically GPLv2. In addition to the audio quality and features, that was one of the selling points for me. It being written in Perl, meant that it was both cross-platform and easy to run on a GNU/Linux system.
Logitech seem to be crazy about user support somehow. I had one of their old Harmony IR remote controls, and when they discontinued the software used for programming the older generations of remotes, they sent me a brand new remote free of charge.
I put my Logitech MX keyboard in the bag with few other things and one of the keycap broke off. Completely my fault. Since the key mechanism was intact I have told their support what happened and asked if they sell replacement keycaps and got completely new keyboard for free.
Great support but I was left with mixed feelings since I still had almost completely working keyboard and I think the experience would be better if they would send me just the keycap.
Stories like this will make me more comfortable trying Logitech products in the future (I say as I look around the room at the 3 Logitech nice within 10ft of me).
I’ve been hesitant to buy things like smart remotes, or other things in similar categories, because so many companies have poor track records around support. Good support does more than advertising ever could for me.
A counter story: The battery in a Logitech wireless headset I had died under warranty. To send a replacement, Logitech would have had me "destroy" my existing headset and send pictures as proof. Given that interaction, and how quickly the wireless headset died, I am very wary of buying Logitech products, personally.
They do that because shipping things that have (potentially) faulty lithium-ion batteries is generally frowned upon, so in lieu of returning them some (potentially explosive) e-waste, they have you destroy it to ensure that you're not just trying to get a second headset for free.
This may be a thing they started doing after yours, but for the Logitech wireless headset I have they actually sell replacement parts for all the bits you could either wear out or lose.
Like they had replacement headbands, the side padding where it fits over your ears, and batteries, and even a replacement for the little USB receiver it uses.
I have a fleet of harmony remotes and they all still work great. I'll continue using them until an open source alternative arrives that fills this void
Every few months I go searching again to see if anything can beat the Harmony remote with hub (no screen on the remote) and nothing comes close. I mean there are a few products that are decent and what I'd buy if Harmony stopped working but they are not as good as Harmony. The battery life is measured in months (like 6-12) and not having to point the remote is huge QoL improvement. Pair that with being able to script actions for on/off and it was an amazing device.
For a while I hoped someone would buy their Harmony division and keep making them but alas, it was not meant to be.
I had a mouse go wonky on me like 20 years ago and Logitech sent me a new one even when it was out of warranty. And I have to say that the MX Keys Mini is the best keyboard I’ve used in years for my purposes. There are a couple things that could be refined, but it’s pretty great for Mac/iOS use.
As a counter-point, back around 2008, I purchased two Squeezebox music players from Logitech (digital music players that Logitech had acquired from Slim Devices: high quality DACs that supported every audio format, gap-less playback, synchronised playing on multiple devices, and were very configurable).
They discontinued these products four years later (2012) but kept their mysqueezebox.com online service running up until the start of this year (2024). They kept the user forums running and archived the knowledge-base wiki. Most importantly, they open-sourced the stand-alone server software for running a local Squeezebox server and continued to pay the main developer to maintain the project for more than a decade after they discontinued the products. He’s still the lead developer and project maintainer of the server software, now called Lyrion Music Server: https://lyrion.org/
Correction: the stand-alone server software was always open source, specifically GPLv2. In addition to the audio quality and features, that was one of the selling points for me. It being written in Perl, meant that it was both cross-platform and easy to run on a GNU/Linux system.