Have you ever heard of "Planned Obsolescence"?

[minimalist]

Have you ever heard of "Planned Obsolescence"? Before 1920s many products were made with the intent to last over time. The problem encountered by companies was the lack of return customers.In the 1920s and 1930s companies began adopting the process of "Planned Obsolescence" many products are designed by companies to have a limited lifecycle and after a predetermined time limit to break or not to be more functioning, though not afford to repair the product because the repair would be too expensive and more convenient to buy a new one... minimalist generation home

 

[Mark of Zorro]

Its hard to know who is doing it on purpose and for whom its just plain old shoddy materials and workmanship.

I managed to jailbreak an old DVD player so that my boy could watch a DVD from America (region codes! Another way us customers get screwed!). And now that DVD player's door won't open, which would be fine except that it won't load either, and whenever I had a problem with loading the answer was to open and close the door.

And of course, that is another thing annoys me...the automatic door. Why can't they just make the things manual? Seems to me most anything I have using discs, the first thing to go is the damned automatic door! Why? Oh, well that is where my doubts about planned obsolescence start to fade. I don't have solid evidence, but I do believe these companies totally plan on that to fail. Its just happened to darn much for me to think its coincidence.

 

[BrianLewis]

iPhones come to mind. I wonder why anyone buys those when they obviously designed it so the screen would crack easily. Being a trendy person sure is expensive, especially when you buy junk products repeatedly (as intended).

I have seen about 20 different iPhones with cracked screens from various people I know. Yet, of the people I know with a Samsung phone, I have not seen 1 cracked screen.

After several generations of having the same issue, Apple has to know about the issue. Since they have done nothing about it, doesn't that mean that they consider it acceptable? Perhaps even part of the design?

 

[Mark of Zorro]

The reason people keep buying them in Japan is for being locked in. People get family plans, and if they went with Softbank, as far as I know, they only have the choice of the iPhone if they want a smartphone. If they want to change carrier, they either break up the family plan or get everyone to change.

I looked up some information on that problem and I found information going both ways, some saying the screens are tough and some saying fragile. But the ones who said it was tough did not claim to have also dropped it. They just quote Apple in saying it was 30 times tough as whatever....so at this time, considering your experience and what I read on the web, having no personal experience myself, I am believing they are fragile.

Anyone else with anything to say about that?

 

[RolandtheHeadless]

Computers have to be the ultimate in planned obsolescence.

 

[BrianLewis]

If your a gamer for sure.

Computers have to be the ultimate in planned obsolescence.

 

[Mark of Zorro]

If your a gamer for sure.

Oh, its more than that. So much software will only work with computers up to a certain level of advancement not available just a few years ago. I am sure the latest version of Excel and Word will not work well with my computer if at all, especially since I am still chugging along on XP. The last document I got from work I could not open because I don't have the latest version. I am pretty much locked into getting a new computer now.