It requires some work to set up and use and, probably more importantly, there's substantial risk involved. The $/year this thing can produce is not a fixed quantity, both because the BTC/$ exchange rate is not fixed, and because the BTC/hash rate is not fixed. If the $ made over the lifetime of the unit exceeds its cost, then the buyer wins, and the manufacturer could have theoretically made more money by hanging onto it and running the units themselves. However, that's not guaranteed, and it could be a net loss.
In essence, they're selling a risky bet. It's like a lottery ticket, except more dependent on external factors. The buyers get to make a bet that might pay off, and the seller gets more concrete payment in exchange. It's sort of a physical embodiment of a financial instrument.