How Planned Obsolescence is Created and What it is – Guide
The reason large purchases like vehicles or appliances always break immediately after the manufacturer’s warranty expires is because manufacturers plan to obsolescence their products. By making their products more advanced and durable, they can produce materials that last longer, but they also plan to produce products that are more likely to break soon.
Planned obsolescence is a marketing and manufacturing trick designed to entice you to buy something. In this article, we take a closer look at planned obsolescence and explore some of the manufacturers engaging in these questionable practices. We uncover some of the manufacturers engaging in these practices and explain the Right-to-Repair movement, a modern campaign advocating the right of US consumers to keep their purchases for longevity and sustainability.
How Planned Obsolescence Is Created and What It Is
What is planned obsolescence
Technology companies have been using planned obsolescence for years to ensure future sales and demand. On paper, it seems reprehensible, but it’s a common tactic used by tech companies.
The purpose of planned obsolescence, or shortening the time between our repeat purchases, is to maximize profits through consistent sales. Manufacturers believe that the additional sales revenue generated by this strategy outweighs the additional cost of research and development.
How does planned obsolescence occur?
Apple’s example of intentionally slowing down iPhones (tacitly) is a notable case of potential planned obsolescence, but it’s not the only way manufacturers can make a product obsolete. One option is to stop software updates altogether. Android cell phone phones are the biggest offenders in this area. While Google’s Pixel lineup has been updated for some time, many mid-range devices on the market only get two years of Android updates and a single major Android version update. Because of this, many devices do not have the latest version of Android even when they are sold. ..
This prevents the phones from getting new features, performance improvements and important security patches. Another possibility is compatibility. Over time, a device may not work properly with the latest apps and software. This is especially true for manufacturers that produce both hardware and software, such as game console manufacturers. For example, when Nintendo released a new version of the 3DS with improved specs, newer games ran significantly worse on earlier versions of the 3DS. This forced users to look for newer versions to have a good experience.
The lack of upgrade options for phones and laptops has led to planned obsolescence in these industries. For many users, the only way to upgrade their devices is to buy a new one, which can be more expensive than a potential upgrade.
Planned obsolescence is bad news for consumers – and for the environment
Planned obsolescence is a strategy that businesses use to make money by selling products that will soon be no longer able to be used. This strategy harms consumers and people in the poorest countries who cannot afford to maintain up with the demands of technology. The demand for raw materials also increases, putting unsustainable pressure on nature. With the extraction of materials like gold and copper having a huge impact on the environment and consumers constantly throwing away outdated appliances, the concept of planned obsolescence is being scrutinized more than ever.
However, the problem of planned obsolescence is not a one-way street; we, as consumers, demand and expect new products from technology manufacturers. One argument tech companies use to justify planned obsolescence is this: if consumers weren’t so eager to keep up With the latest trends and always wanted the newest devices as soon as they came out, manufacturers wouldn’t have to cut production costs (eg using a cheap plastic part instead of a more expensive metal part that would likely last longer).
Final note
How Planned Obsolescence is Created Planned obsolescence is a term used to describe the idea that products and services will become increasingly obsolete over time, leading to a need for new versions or replacements. This can lead to companies making decisions about when and how to release new products, which can have a significant impact on the economy. The term was first introduced in the early 1990s by Michael Porter, who argued that there was an “obsolescence premium” associated with products that were designed to last for more than 10 years. He argued that this premium was due to two factors: first, consumers were willing to pay more for high-quality products that could be used and abused; second, businesses were able to charge higher prices for older products because they knew they would be able to sell them again soon. Since then, the concept of planned obsolescence has been widely accepted as a key factor in explaining why certain types of products are more popular than others. For example, many people are interested in buying new cars every few years rather than keeping them around for longer periods of time. This is due in part to the idea that newer models are often better-looking and faster-running than older ones, and it also allows businesses to make money by selling new models rather than older ones.
