Have HP shot themselves in the proverbial foot? Yes, according to Boing Boing, who report in 2 separate stories that HP have decided to region encode HP inkjet printers to only accept region appropriate ink cartridges. This wouldn’t be an issue if the prices were similar worldwide, but apparently the cost of a HP cartridge in Europe is a lot more than the equivalent cartridge in the USA. In the second story, an anonymous HP employee replied:

“You may have a valid issue with respect to how the company should try to manage the effects of currency fluctuations, but I think the conspiracy theory about a one-time gouging of Europe to make a fast buck is a red herring. The only real solution to this might be truly dynamic, global pricing—which might work if HP only sold direct over the web, but real world sales channels consist of a web of retailers and resellers who cannot support it “

Thanks to Sanj for the link.

Website: Boing Boing - Region Coding Electronics and Ink Cartridges

Website: Boing Boing - Explanation for region coded printer cartridges?