I'm working on a IoT startup and we'd prefer to rent you the equipment as part of the service. That way there is no confusion. Having customers buy equipment they really don't own seems ridiculous to me.
This is also acceptable to me, especially if it’s X per month for service and device (including device replacement if needed). I also like how it reduces capex for a business that is looking to connect their devices and just needs a plug-and-play system.
How does that help someone who has built your product into their working procedures? When you decide to stop doing it they are in an even worse situation than the Jamboard users because presumably you will repossess the hardware.
They can seek a new provider and integrate new devices. It also puts more pressure on us to keep the devices viable. Our revenue model is dependent on low cost devices working in the field as long as possible.
Not really, though. In both cases the customer won't have a working device. Just in this case it's obvious while in the other it's less so.