Recently, HP released a firmware update for some inkjet printers that disabled certain third-party cartridges. The claim is that the customer “is exposed to quality and potential security risks” when using counterfeit cartridges. I'm curious why HP is claiming that users shouldn't trust HP's abilities to secure their devices against attacks from malicious cartridges, but that's probably not an implication that HP considered when publishing this press release.
Also, if the intent was to inform users about counterfeit and potentially malicious cartridges, you would think that they would have provided an override method from the start. Thankfully, they are now. HP is preparing an optional firmware update that does not check cartridges. They claim that it will be available in a couple of weeks, and provide a link to where it will be hosted.
So yeah, they are doing the right thing now. Still… come on.
I work with a small company
I work with a small company that sells mostly remanufactured toner – a lot of which is HP remanufactured toner.
If the IT departments for the schools and businesses decide(d) to update the firmware on their printers, our company would be in deep shit – we’d likely go out of business and at least 50+ people would be put out of a job, myself included.
Take it from someone who’s “in” the printing industry – do not scam yourself and buy (HP) OEM cartridges – they are horrendously overpriced for what they are.
Although HP does make good printers, HP is not friendly to any ink cartridge that does not have the HP branding.
HP is not doing anyone but themselves any favors.
Lexmark did the exact same
Lexmark did the exact same thing at the end of 2011, locked out anything but their own cartridges and I don’t remember it ever hitting the news or being fixed. Its what made me move to HP to begin with!
HP is dedicated to making
HP is dedicated to making overpriced, Foxconn manufactured trash that has been a joke for decades.
They are just as bad as other Chinese junk makers like Lenovo.
Foxconn does not design the
Foxconn does not design the hardware that HP gimps by design, Foxconn only makes/assembles the parts to HP’s specifications. The real Cons are in the board rooms of the technology companies, and they are all crooks out for that Dollar, Yen, Yuan… I’d rather go back to dot matrix printers as that was the best deal of all for printing.
HP, like Lexmark, Epson, and
HP, like Lexmark, Epson, and Dell printers, picked short term profits over true customer care. Thus they join the rest on my NEVER BUY list. There are still enough printer brands who haven’t pushed the screw-the-customer idea quite so far that I don’t need to choose which venomous snake to let into my sleeping bag. Not yet, anyway.
I remember getting a $25
I remember getting a $25 settlement from Epson when they got caught setting their printer cartage chips to say empty with about 1/3 of the ink still remaining in their cartridges! All the printer makers are corrupt, along with the PC/Laptop OEMs. The technology industry is a very seedy affair, even more corrupt than the oil industry. The entire PC/laptop industry and peripheral/printer industry is dew for a good round of strong regulation! They need to be fined for such practices. Laptop OEMs with their lack of graphics driver updates on OEM modded graphics drivers is just as bad as any printer ink scams from the printer makers.
That M$ windows Secure Boot and other PC/Laptop hardware lock-ins/spyware(Lenovo) to any closed ecosystems on third party OEM produced PC/Laptops needs to be stopped, with some effective regulations and antitrust enforcement. Folks but their third party OEM made PC/Laptop hardware from the OEMs and not M$. So why is the government allowing M$ to take over the OEMs Third Party produced PC/Laptop hardware with windows 10! If M$ wants to be like Apple then let M$ produce its own branded PC/laptops for that closed ecosystem. But M$ should not be allowed to take over any Third Party produced OEM PC/Laptops in order to milk the third party OEM made PC/laptop owners via the owners own hardware for any closed OS ecosystem profits!
Edit: Folks but
to: Folks
Edit: Folks but
to: Folks buy