Peloton is introducing a $95 "used equipment activation fee" for bikes purchased from outside its official channels in the US and Canada, aiming to boost revenue and maintain onboarding quality for new subscribers.
The fee has sparked criticism as it reduces the cost savings typically associated with buying secondhand equipment and diverges from practices in other industries, potentially discouraging used market purchases.
Peloton's hardware sales continue to decline, but subscription revenue has seen slight growth; the company still faces financial struggles despite cost-cutting measures and layoffs.
Given how ebikes are becoming more popular every year, and all manufacturers are locking them down with canbus, you're gonna hear that phrase a lot in the future
I don’t have anything fancy going on with the tablet. Like it’s not tracking the bike or my workout or anything like that. I just use my watch for fitness tracking and put up either exercise videos or a stream or something to watch on the tablet.
It's unappealing to have software be hostile. Software that does what I want only if it's creator doesn't actively oppose it.. that need not be on my computer.
Do you see an alternative? Each year more companies move to a subscription model, even when it doesn't make the slightest bit of sense. In many cases if you have the time to do proper research and/or a lot of technical savvy, you can find alternatives from companies no one recognizes. Most people don't have the time or know-how, and the companies that like subscription models are spending billions making sure their names are the only ones people think exist.