Why free is the future of business
Give away the cell phone, sell the monthly plan; make the videogame console cheap and sell expensive games--it's the business model we're hooked on.
Free cell phones--but you have to pay hefty monthly fees to use them. Video game consoles at well below cost--but you have to buy expensive video games to use them. Free coffee makers for businesses--but you have to buy coffee packets to make them work. King Gillette started the trend in the 1900s by giving away razors so people would buy disposable blades. It still works--with the cost of many tech products falling fast, businesses realize that more money can be made tricking consumers into thinking they're getting something for nothing.
Read the full Wired story: "Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business"