Tech's broken promises: Streaming is now just as expensive and confusing as cable. Ubers cost as much as taxis. And the cloud is no longer cheap.
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Some tech is getting pricier and looking a lot like the older services it was supposed to beat. From video streaming to ride-hailing and cloud computing.

Tech’s broken promises: Streaming is now just as expensive and confusing as cable. Ubers cost as much as taxis. And the cloud is no longer cheap::Some tech is getting pricier and looking a lot like the older services it was supposed to beat. From video streaming to ride-hailing and cloud computing.

  • flamingo_pinyata@sopuli.xyzEnglish
    557·
    1 year ago

    “Tech” doesn’t exist. Entire concept is a lie propagated by companies trying to appear like something different.
    Not a tech company - a taxi company, a short term rental company, a video distribution company …

    Look at what they sell, not what tools they use to do it.

    • sudo@lemmy.todayEnglish
      246·
      1 year ago

      “the cloud isn’t tech it’s a rental company” is a pretty dumb take tbh.

      Like, if you’re trying to argue that AWS (or gcp, azure) services don’t provide technical solutions that aren’t available otherwise you just don’t know what you’re talking about. Is it expensive, yeah it definitely can be. But cloud is much more than server rentals at this point. Want a host that gives you bare metal? Great there are ‘rentals’ to choose from. I can see arguing SaaS hasn’t really ‘tech’, but PasS and IaaS provide technology and solutions to problems. I hate Daddy Jeff as much as the next guy but AWS is very much ‘tech’.

      • surewhynotlem@lemmy.worldEnglish
        112·
        1 year ago

        I could buy a server and run AD. I can rent a cloud server and run AD. In that way, you’re correct.

        But what I want to do is buy a local server and run AAD. They won’t let me. Their cloud solutions are an artificial limitation to force us to rent servers rather than license software. It’s another form of vendor lockin.

      • notatoad@lemmy.worldEnglish
        2·
        1 year ago

        but what isn’t tech, then?

        yeah, AWS is tech. but the garage down the street is also selling technology. the landscaping company will sell me a cloud-connected sprinker system, are they a tech business?

        “tech” is an investment term to refer to businesses that develop technology that has the potential to turn into huge, currently unknowable growth. tech is a good investment because it’s so far ahead of the curve that we don’t even know how it will grow yet. if you’re selling things that are generally well understood and will scale and grow in a predictable fashion, you’re not a tech business. you’re a service business.

      • JoeBigelow@lemmy.caEnglish
        45·
        1 year ago

        You know how to fix air conditioning? How about program an alarm system? These are side services a storage company provides their clients to enhance their main product. If uber is a taxi company and Netflix is just Blockbuster 2.0, the cloud is just a big Westies in the sky.

    • Neve8028@lemm.eeEnglish
      63·
      1 year ago

      Uber isn’t a taxi company. They don’t own a fleet. They’re a company that makes an app.