Last fall, Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber was roundly ridiculed after suggesting the company would like to produce a “Forever Mouse” — a mouse with a monthly subscription fee for software updates. It seemed to betray a lack of understanding: many people who buy mice don’t want software at all, much less software they have to pay for; the idea they’d pay every month is ridiculous.
But as I sit here with a perfectly good Logitech mouse, the best I’ve ever owned, I’m starting to think some sort of “forever mouse” wouldn’t be such a bad idea. Logitech has an opportunity and a responsibility to make its mice last longer, and I have part of the proof right underneath my palm. I use a great mouse that is slowly disintegrating.
In some ways, my wireless Logitech G502 Lightspeed is already a forever mouse. I may never have to charge or replace its battery again, because I use Logitech’s magic wireless charging mouse pad to automatically keep its battery at the perfect level. I haven’t plugged in this mouse once in nearly three and a half years.
Luckily, the mouse’s buttons and sensor have held up well over the same period, as far as I can tell. But the soft rubber grips that let me hold the gadget? After just a few years of use, they’re reaching the end. They’re worn down, so grubby and discolored that I can’t simply clean them anymore. Worst of all, one of the grips is beginning to delaminate from the mouse’s frame and is starting to peel off. It squishes uncomfortably under my thumb every time I grip the mouse.
There’s one obvious solution: Logitech should sell replacement mouse parts. The company even claims it sells mouse parts via the repair site iFixit. Here is a quote from Logitech chief operating officer Prakash Arunkundrum in an iFixit press release: “Normal wear and tear is inevitable, which is why we strive to make it simpler for people to access original Logitech replacement parts for their devices.”
But as of today, Logitech doesn’t actually sell the parts that would address “wear and tear.”
Here is the complete list of parts you can buy for a Logitech mouse on iFixit:
- $10 for a set of screws
- $15 for a set of mouse skates
- $20 for a battery
Don’t get me wrong, it’s refreshing to see official parts on the open market. But these aren’t the parts I, or anyone who wants to repair a Logitech mouse, truly need.
We need grips. Buttons. Shells. Mouse wheels. And optimally, microswitch assemblies. These are the things that wear out over time — or all at once, if you have an unfortunate accident. Logitech and iFixit are also only selling three different kinds of mouse batteries. If you have a dying Logitech G900 mouse battery, like my wife, iFixit doesn’t have that part.
Months ago, I reached out to both Logitech and iFixit to find out why the part offerings are so slim, but I didn’t get very far. Logitech declined The Verge’s request for an interview about its repair strategy, and iFixit didn’t want to speak out of turn.
Here’s what Logitech did say, via spokesperson Leila Lewis:
Yes, there are plans to add additional replacement parts for existing products supported by iFixit, as well as new products, to the Logitech Repair Hub on iFixit in the future. We actively explore and evaluate other critical repair components (such as switches, buttons, and scroll wheels) based on replacement feasibility and compliance requirements across geographies.
iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens told me:
Logitech is pretty responsive to what people are asking for. If there are particular parts people want, please speak up! We’ll work on expanding the selection.
I told them both that for now, I simply need the grips. Several months later, Logitech’s part selection has not expanded. I haven’t found replacements anywhere (though Amazon will happily sell me some grip tape).
I can’t imagine replacing an entire $100 mouse over a couple of pieces of rubber. If I have to, I probably won’t pick Logitech again. Peeling rubber coating is exactly why I had to stop using my beloved Logitech MX518 over a decade ago. I don’t expect mice to truly last forever, but I think it’s worth sending the world’s leading peripheral maker a message that you can’t build disposable products while claiming they’re repairable.
How much loyalty could Logitech inspire if its mice were truly repairable? How many more mice might it sell if word got out that — like Logitech’s legendary C920 webcam — they were made to last? That if you buy Logitech, you don’t have to trash a device that fits you like a glove, don’t have to keep retraining your hand for slightly different shapes of mouse? What if, at a minimum, Logitech shared 3D printer files like Philips just did with shavers, so we could print our own buttons and grips?
Or do Logitech’s profits rely on people trashing perfectly good mice just because they’re starting to get gross, I wonder? I’d hate to think that. (The company’s financials don’t say.)
Thankfully, Logitech now has a way to disprove that idea. Forever Mouse, but forget the subscription; embrace the idea that mice should last.
