What is planned obsolescence and how does it affect my devices?

“Planned obsolescence” is a strategy that makes products obsolete so that they require frequent replacement. This forces consumers to spend more by purchasing products more frequently. Here's what it is and how it affects the devices you're currently using.

Your devices will expire

In 2017, Reddit users discovered that Apple was using software updates to slow down or throttle the performance of older iPhones, supposedly to improve the health of the device. battery. It finally ended in 2020 with a $500 million legal settlement. Apple's lack of communication about the slowdowns — it wasn't disclosed to consumers until researchers found out — has brought a debate about "planned obsolescence" to the forefront of the tech world.

Planned obsolescence is a way of designing a product to become obsolete after a certain time. It can affect your devices in several different ways, but its main purpose is to make you upgrade to a newer gadget.

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How planned obsolescence is created

While the example of Apple intentionally slowing down iPhones is a notable potential case of planned obsolescence, it's not the only way manufacturers can render a product obsolete.

One solution is to stop software updates altogether. Android mobile phones are the biggest culprits for this. While Google's Pixel line is updated for a relatively long period of time, many mid-range devices in the market only receive up to two years of Android updates and only one major version upgrade. Android. That's why many devices won't come with the latest version of Android at all, even when they're sold. These prevent phones from receiving crucial new features, performance upgrades, and security patches.

Another way is compatibility. Over time, a device may not work well with newer apps and software. This is especially true for manufacturers who create 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 much worse than previous versions of the 3DS. This forced the users to search for newer versions in order to have a good experience.

Another design choice that has created planned obsolescence is the lack of scalability. The disappearance of expandable memory on phones, non-upgradable parts on laptops, and a lack of expansion slots can hurt a gadget's longevity. For many users, the only way to improve their experience is to buy a new machine, which can be significantly more expensive than a potential upgrade.

Right to repair

One of the most important and controversial issues related to planned obsolescence is repairability.

All devices are susceptible to wear and tear. Phones are falling, scratching, splashing water and shaking all the time. The most common type of damage is a cracked screen, but other parts of a device can also be damaged. Not being able to repair your device or turn to a third party for repairs considerably limits the longevity of a device.

In recent years, devices have become increasingly difficult to repair at home. Unlike vehicles, where parts can be easily found and purchased, things like screens and batteries are hard to come by and rarely sold by the original device manufacturer. Worse still, they deliberately make the devices difficult to disassemble. And if you figure out how to fix it yourself, it often voids the warranty.

A cultural and political movement designed to counter this trend is called “Right to Repair”. Right to repair laws would require manufacturers to make repair documentation available to everyone as well as sell genuine replacement parts and tools.

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To buy or not to buy

The main reason companies create planned obsolescence strategies is to force you to buy newer and better products.

A prime example of this phenomenon is game consoles, which are considered modern for six to seven years and are then phased out for newer consoles. Game developers stop making games for previous generation consoles, and eventually the manufacturers themselves will stop supporting them entirely. This is to ensure that you buy a new console every generation, as the latest games will no longer be released for the console you currently own.

This is also true for phones. The longevity of a phone varies from person to person. However, many people buy a new phone every few years. This can get expensive if you consider the rising prices of new devices, with most new high-end phones costing upwards of a thousand dollars. Companies like Apple and Samsung want users to constantly upgrade to the latest and greatest.

The future of sustainable products

As of 2021, many technology companies have taken a stand on environmental issues in recent years. They have introduced recyclable packaging, reduced the use of plastic and even excluded essential peripherals such as charging bricks and headphones, supposedly to reduce e-waste. However, planned obsolescence likely leads to even greater accumulation of electronic waste. Many people have several old unusable devices at home or have thrown them away. These devices likely end up in landfills or treatment plants.

If you're worried about buying products that will soon be out of support and obsolete, be sure to think about the entire product lifecycle when shopping for gadgets. Look for products that are easy to repair and upgrade.