Ever since my first HP laptop -- before I knew any better -- I have despised HP and every product of theirs I've ever had to use. Consumer laptops full of bloatware. Online knowledge bases poorly designed. Printers full of bugs. Gah, they're just the worst.
this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2026
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The fine print is worse. If you cancel, you owe a fee equal to the rental price for the remainder of the year.
Companies pivoting to rent seeking is an awful trend.
e machines did this back in the 90's/00's to predictably failed results.
Everything old is new again...
"This computer will never go out of date" indeed.
Bleak.
Starting at $35 per month you too can rent an AI laptop that will fulfill HP's every need.
7.HP AI Companion requires 32GB RAM for local processing.
WHAT THE FUCK
What is surprising about this? LLMs are giant memory consumers.
yea, i'm surprised, 32GB is goddamn ridiculous for anything, let alone for a shitty hp branded autocorrect
fuck AI, fuck HP, and fuck "laptop subscription"
the saddest thing is, people will sign up, if for no other reason than they have no other option
yea, i’m surprised, 32GB is goddamn ridiculous for anything, let alone for a shitty hp branded autocorrect
32GB is actually considered the bare minimum for most of the common locally run LLM models. Most folks don't run a locally run LLM. They use a cloud service, so they don't need a huge pile of RAM locally. However, more privacy focused or heavy users with cost concerns might choose to run an LLM locally so they're not paying per token. With regards to locally run LLMs, this would be comparable to renting car when you need it vs buying one outright. If you only need a car once a year, renting is clearly the better choice. If you're driving to work everyday then clearly buying the car yourself is a better deal overall.
You are perfectly fine not liking AI, but you're also out-of-touch if you think 32GB is too big for anything. Lots of other use cases need 32GB or more and have nothing to do with AI.
I agree with your frustration with subscription laptops. I hope people don't use it.
It all reads like a giant racket. AI requires 32GB of RAM on your laptop, 32GB of RAM is expensive, so you have to lease, and it's expensive because AI requires RAM to run in the cloud. It's a problem in search of a solution, and it keeps making new problems along the way.
Its only a problem if you want to run AI. If you don't want AI locally or cloud based, then no need to spend the money on the high end 32GB model (for AI purposes) or paying for a cloud subscription. No one is required to get the 32GB model if they don't want it.
well hp is aware that laptops are quickly becoming out of reach money-wise for a larger and larger chunk of consumers, they just had to figure out some way to exploit that.
$420 a year for a laptop doesn't sound like robbery at first, until you consider it's just money out the window, and they're 100% harvesting every 1 and every 0 input and output from that laptop that they still own/control. i haven't even looked at the fine print, which i'm willing to bet makes the whole thing exponentially worse
Not so distant future. Subscriptions on premium air... basic air includes toxins. Same for water. The fuckers that created the contamination are the ones selling the subscription. CAPITALISM!
mmmmm lets see here
for the pavillion 16...
$34.99 a month with no protection plans available and no option to buy out over time and requires a 650 credit score...
or $979.99 for a one off purchase with the ability to have a protection plan ontop of it (this same laptop is also on a sale via HP for 429$ if you use their financing system...)
I don't see how this is helpful to the general consumer. The typical user doesn't replace their laptop every year, and at the prices they give you end up breaking even around 2 years. You would need to be processing an upgrade at least every 2.3 years in order to make your money worth it. I've had the same laptop for 8+ years now. I don't know anyone who had a laptop fail outside of accidental damage prior to the 2 year mark. Most system issues appear prior to the one year warranty end date if something was /going/ to happen.
I can see how this could be helpful for a company that has temp workers.. but even then it's not like the company couldn't just re-provision the laptop and give it to the next person.
I could see this being more handy if accidental was included on it, but out of the current offerings it's just not worth it for anyone.
This sounds like leasing renamed. Not unusual in the enterprise space.
It's not unlike leasing a car. It has its (tax) advantages.
Having said that, this is Needful Things level of deal.
I really wonder who would (basically) rent a laptop. You can get used ones so cheap.
*This does not seem aimed at business.
People who want new but can't afford the capital expense.
businesses used to rent computers all the time but im not sure how many do in this millenia.
It's still likely less hassle than amortising capital expenses for something that will likely be written off well before end of life and then needing to dispose of it. As a consumer of fire sale disposed laptops, renting shouldn't be allowed.
This doesn't seem aimed at businesses.
yeah just responding in general. If it was cheap enough I could see doing it but it would have to be quite a savings because I keep my stuff going for awhile. Figure the yearly cost could not be any higher than 20% new but the cost would either have to go down over time or they would need to swap out for a new one each year.
My employer leases our computers for 3-5 years. I get a new model when my lease runs out. I don't really mind the guaranteed refresh except having to move all my stuff over. I would be way more pissed if they moved to BYOD.
The Epstein class of billionaires demand that all serfs enter subscription for living, if you do not comply your taxes will find someone willing to enforce it. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
They've exploited consumers to the point that they can't even afford basic needs, but no worries, they'll rent them back to you indefinitely.
How is that laptop $3000?
These also come with a 5G subscription. Not saying it justifies the price, and I don't know what that would cost separately. But some of these prices are less than the cost of an ISP plan.