Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze • Hacker News Board

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#111

Post by dragonwriter » Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 4:41 PM UTC

wyldfire wrote: post #51

shimon wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

True, but the proprietary tech in the machine was supposed to be a form of defensible advantage for this business. If the product value comes entirely from chopping and delivering vegetables in a bag, it wouldn't be hard for others to replicate.

Hello, darkness my old friend. The analogies to Keurig won't stop here -- next up, DRM juice packs.

> The analogies to Keurig won't stop here

The elevator pitch to investors for this is probably "Keurig for organic juice".

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#112

Post by HenryBemis » Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 4:42 PM UTC

PKop wrote: post #86

victor22 wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because you can't eventually DRM a bottle.

Sure, but from the customer's perspective, why is this product necessary?

I was thinking (in all seriousness from anyone around that had used this product), how on earth is that healthier than eating or squeezing 2-3 oranges? Apart from the convenience. Do those bags really maintain the vitamins etc or is it just a "healthy alternative to soft drinks"?

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#113

Post by pascalxus » Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 4:42 PM UTC

This is what happens when all the most important innovation is illegal (housing, health, and transportation) and increasing shares of income goes to the top 0.01%. Innovators run out of real things to innovate on, and start creating 400$ bags of juice. You should Look forward to seeing more of this in the coming decades.

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#114

Post by aresant » Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 4:44 PM UTC

DerpyBaby123 wrote: post #102

aresant wrote: post #46

"Reporters were able to wring 7.5 ounces of juice in a minute and a half. The machine yielded 8 ounces in about two minutes. . . The company sells produce packs for $5 to $8 . . ." - So the machine is 6%, give or take, more efficient than hand. If I'm serving two juices a day during weekdays for me and spouse at average cost of $6.5/unit that's $0.78/day, $3.90/week, say I do this 50 weeks a year so $195 in juice rec…

I know you're being facetious, but the machine is actually slower than doing it by hand.

The machine takes no time though - eg 2 min of machine time is zero human cost time :)

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#115

Post by Pigo » Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 4:44 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #108

Pigo wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is something to be concerned about, but even rudimentary coffee pots have automatic shutoffs and most have other safety measures. Plus even with the long running heating element, they draw much less power than Keurigs. They bother me, but I usually keep my opinion to myself because people get emotionally invested in strong purchases (which coffee has become thanks Keurig).

In an office setting (especially outside of the morning rush), it can also make sense to have an easy and mess-free way for people to make individual servings. I suppose there are scenarios at home too but they make mediocre coffee and are expensive and wasteful. Maybe in a non-coffee drinking house where guests occasionally want one cup.

I think it's the mounds of used single cups I see in our trash every day that bothers me, not to mention how much the company spends for them.

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#116

Post by ksherlock » Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 4:46 PM UTC

grabcocque wrote: post #6

$120m from investors none of whom were aware you don't need a $400 machine to squeeze the juice from fruit? How do people with so little sense get so much money?

And more importantly, will they invest in my $1,000 wifi enabled can opener?

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#117

Post by nommm-nommm » Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 4:50 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #108

Pigo wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is something to be concerned about, but even rudimentary coffee pots have automatic shutoffs and most have other safety measures. Plus even with the long running heating element, they draw much less power than Keurigs. They bother me, but I usually keep my opinion to myself because people get emotionally invested in strong purchases (which coffee has become thanks Keurig).

In an office setting (especially outside of the morning rush), it can also make sense to have an easy and mess-free way for people to make individual servings. I suppose there are scenarios at home too but they make mediocre coffee and are expensive and wasteful. Maybe in a non-coffee drinking house where guests occasionally want one cup.

Keurig can't be described as "mess free." We have one and work and the machine spews coffee all over itself and, of course, the place you put the pods and the spout gets all gunked up and nobody cleans it. It's pretty gross. Same thing happened with the old one so it's not just one model.

>Maybe in a non-coffee drinking house where guests occasionally want one cup.

I have a $20 drip pot that makes 1-2 cups and takes up a quarter of the counter space. French press is even cheaper and I have one that makes only a single cup. Then there's aeropress...

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#118

Post by magic_beans » Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 4:52 PM UTC

aloisdg wrote: post #26

"He owned a cup which served also has a bowl for food but threw it away when he saw a boy drinking water from his hands and realized one did not even need a cup to sustain oneself."

Is that from the biography of Rob Rhinehart?

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#119

Post by beaconstudios » Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 4:53 PM UTC

The single most "Silicon Valley is a bubble" paragraph I've ever seen:

Doug Evans, the company’s founder, would compare himself with Steve Jobs in his pursuit of juicing perfection. He declared that his juice press wields four tons of force—“enough to lift two Teslas,” he said. Google’s venture capital arm and other backers poured about $120 million into the startup. Juicero sells the machine for $400, plus the cost of individual juice packs delivered weekly. Tech blogs have dubbed it a “Keurig for juice.”

I've got bingo!

Re: Juicero May Be Feeling the Squeeze

#120

Post by draw_down » Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 4:53 PM UTC

thefifthsetpin wrote: post #60

dpflan wrote: post #5

"Two investors in Juicero were surprised to learn the startup’s juice packs could be squeezed by hand without using its high-tech machine." This sounds almost comical...

I don't see why this matters at all -- the disposable juice packs are what extract money from the consumer. It's the razor / replacement blade or printer / ink model. If someone finds out that they really only need the blades, ink, or juice packs, it's no big deal. The problem for the manufacturer comes when consumers figure out that they can use knock-off blades, generic ink, or 3rd party juice packs.

How many people do you know that drag the razor across their face without the handle? Sure it's where the profit comes from, but you do need the two parts to have a consumer story. Otherwise they'd just sell the blades and drop the ruse.