There's been a lot of chatter and discontent about the Fenix 7 being grandfathered several years after launch following the release of the Fenix 8. The 7 obviously still works and will for many years, but there's a group of consumers who are going to be perpetually unhappy unless they always have the latest features being delivered to the watch.
These folks cite the Apple Watch or Kindle as examples of products that are continually updated with new features, however these devices enable additional revenue streams or lock customers in (new iPhone purchases and continual book sales), whereas Garmin do not, meaning Garmin can't afford to sell the Fenix at a loss as there's no other way to make this money back during the products life. Money is only made when they sell you a new Fenix, hence the need to keep you lusting after the new and frequently released device.
That's got me thinking that Garmin could potentially adopt the Whoop/Apple/Kindle alternate revenue model and deliver the Fenix at a lower initial price and at the same time satisfy those who always want the latest features.
It'd work like this. You'd buy a Fenix which had essentially no features enabled. It'd tell the time and would run ConnectIQ only and it would cost $600 for example, but then you'd have to pay $20 per month to unlock all of the mapping and sports features. You'd always have the newest features so long as you had the subscription, and Garmin would theoretically support the device for 5-7 years.
Thoughts? Would this make those who are currently unhappy, happier?
