613
Open source computer mouse by Ploopy
(lemmy.ml)
I needed another corded mouse and this time around I thought of @PKL@mastodon.social and @pronk@mastodon.social instead of Logitech's shareholders. These guys make open source mice among other open source hardware under the brand Ploopy. You can order one from them, assembled or as a kit, or you could print and build it entirely by yourself.
The mouse itself is pretty great. Coming from a long line of Logitech (MX518/G5/G500/G502), it's a bit larger than what I'm used to but I think I'm getting accustomed to it.
Here's another shot of it:
I have a Logitech from 2003 or so. The feet are gone. The plastic under the feet is rubbed rmooth. The Omron switches are still great, no failure symptoms. Meanwhile I replaced a G500 after couple of years of use due to a switch developing "double-click" from wear. The reason I needed another wired mouse now is that another Logitech developed double-clicking. So yeah, exactly.
I have a 2 year old MX Master 3S, the left click button can't dragndrop anymore without dropping, unless you press really hard on it.
Also I can't rebind the buttons without having Logitech spyware installed on my computer.
Changing the button requires soldering and deep disassembly.
For a 120$USD mouse this sucks !
Using cheap switches on high end stuff like this is just abominable. I'd somewhat understand it on a cheap model but this.. fucking hell.
How else would they still stay in business if I could just use that mouse for the next 10 years !
If it only was merely aboit staying in business.. instead it's all about growing profits. They made $613M on $4.3B last year.
Chatgpt, give me the most business answer possible with airtight logic that eliminates the possibility of imagining a different way.
Chatgpt :
Logitech, like any publicly traded company, exists to maximize shareholder value, not product longevity, so using cheaper switches—even in a $120 mouse—isn’t corner-cutting, it’s strategic. A $0.10 upgrade per unit sounds trivial, but across millions of units it erodes margins significantly, and more durable components risk extending the product lifespan beyond the optimal refresh cycle, cutting into predictable repeat sales. Making switches hard to replace and binding functionality to proprietary software isn't anti-consumer—it's deliberate lock-in that ensures brand dependency and data capture, both of which are monetizable assets. With shareholders expecting year-over-year growth, not stability, any move that delays repurchase or encourages repair undermines the core business model. The $613M profit on $4.3B revenue isn’t greed—it’s the result of a finely tuned system where every design and pricing decision serves one purpose: sustainable, scalable profitability.
The robot knows what's up.
I had 2 Logitech m570s fail on me before I bought the Ploopy Thumb. So far it's lasted longer than either Logitech mouse, and looks like it will manage to be my longest surviving mouse.