So if your argument is that by offering a better service it will encourage more people to fly on WJ then you are correct, it is hoped that it will pay for the expense. But it isn't to force everyone to pay for a mostly free service.
You are right that it is designed around people travelling with their own device, phone, tablet, computer. The reality is most people already do travel with something, and if you are one of the very few that don't then sorry.
The problem with seat back tv's was poor reliability, and high maintenance costs to repair the system, or unserviceable tvs or audio jacks. The other big issue besides those direct costs was when people would get on the aircraft and either the system or their individual TV or audio jack wasn't working, it was poor customer service.....over promising and under delivering.
So now people can use their own, functioning device, and we just have to try to ensure that the system is working, hopefully most of the time. And no geographic limits, where's the TV system would lose signal anywhere beyond Canadian borders.
On longer flights, there are tablets to rent, but of course this is a cost.
There is a similar antenna to the live TV one, so there no expected fuel reductions due to that, but there will be due to the reduced weight with no seat backs tvs. You are right that the pennies per passenger won't be directly reduced off of each ticket, as airplane tickets aren't a 'cost+X%' pricing model. They are largely a commodity based on supply and demand.
So while it is unfortunate if you are part of the small percentage that don't travel with a device of any sort, for the vast majority it is expected to be a better system. I hope that provides some insight into why WJ went this direction.
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