AirPrint Printer: Feature Overkill
In regards to technology I can always find something to complain about. Today, it’s a first world problem for sure — when technology sports so many amazing features to where it’s frankly, overkill.
We just got a new multifunction printer (Canon MG6220) which cost a mere $99 on sale (within the WTH price). I got it mostly for AirPrint — a nice feature that lets you print wirelessly from your iDevices on the same network.
That one feature is pretty cool. But it’s the rest of its capabilities that I take issue with.
There’s a 3 inch LCD screen that pops up when you press it, plus an iPod-style scroll wheel to advance through its own menu system. You can print directly from an SD card. You can hook up a movie camera and print still frames. You can print labels on a CD or DVD using a special tray. The printer has local storage, which appears on the local network. There are six separate ink cartridges, each with a little red light that activates when installed properly.
Just look at this chart full of icons representing these cool features, and so many more I am still unaware of. The end result is, well, this printer sure does a lot, as your eyes glaze over from “too much information” … and all for a mere $99!
And it’s all rather unnecessary. I just scan and print, not all that often, and can control everything via the Mac’s print dialog box. The printer’s LCD screen’s primary use will be collecting finger prints and cat hair.
It’s pretty clear that for the average consumer, printer technology has hit an innovation wall where the big problems of print and scanning resolution are essentially solved — DPI has passed the threshold of human vision. So there’s nothing to justify a new printer purchase other than piling on these additional, arguably unnecessary features.
And in the digital age where we’re increasingly looking at digital documents and sending them to each other via the web — printing itself may become a niche activity.
Like, this printer can print on a DVD or CD, but I can’t recall the last time I burned one. I’m already at the point where a computer optical drive isn’t a must-have.
In conclusion, it’s a fine printer, just one where 90% of its features I’ll never use. There’s definitely something screwy about that.