The software is a "one time cost" in quotes due to maintenance etc but talking in broad strokes which wouldn't impact the claim of $1 touch
Or to put it another way you wouldnt invent a new way to desalinate seawater and then say the cost is $10/litre instead of 2 cent because of r&d on the device you made..
> invent a new way to desalinate seawater and then say the cost is $10/litre
Depends on the marketing strategy, most likely. But I like GP's point about undervaluing programmer time. It is non-free and everyone down to the programmers themselves tend to grossly underestimate its cost.
Humans are kind of expensive to keep alive and happy enough to program willingly
/That last statement had more caveats than I wanted...
It really depends on their intention, whether they consider that part of the work DIY or not.
If I paint my wall, I would generally say it costs the price of the paint, not whatever I'd have to pay to have someone do it for me.
Or what about the people who tinker with their own smart home solutions with arduinos and raspberries. If you factor in the price of work/research/coding, it would be very hard to justify not buying an off-the-shelf solution instead.
> If I paint my wall, I would generally say it costs the price of the paint
That's the mentality I'm challenging here. Mentally you don't account for the cost of your time, but from an outside perspective, you're spending it all the same.
That you have to factor in the price of labor with DIY electronics is the main reason you don't see more of those easy electronics projects available as some off-the-shelf contained product (where's my IoT API-accessible thermometer for $10!!!???).
Or to put it another way you wouldnt invent a new way to desalinate seawater and then say the cost is $10/litre instead of 2 cent because of r&d on the device you made..