Planned Obsolescence (Artificial Product Lifespan)
Channel: Daily Insight
Date: 2017-06-16

Planned obsolescence is the intentional design of a product to have an artificially limited lifespan. The first major example of this could be seen in the formation of the Phoebus Cartel in 1924. The cartel was made up of a number of major manufacturers including Osram, Philips, and General Electric. They’re goal was simple – reduce the lifespan of electric bulbs to 1000 hours in order to maximise profits. This forced consumers to have to buy new light bulbs regularly. Of course, the public were not informed of this agreement. The intentional change of the style of a product can be used to create the illusion that the new product is better than the previous one. Clothing and accessories are a common example of this. One year, small sunglasses are considered fashionable, then the very next year, larger ones are all the rage. Some companies intentionally make it hard to repair their device. Apple’s cash cow, the iPhone, is notoriously hard to repair. This causes an artificial scarcity (https://youtu.be/JFieXFWotIc) of skilled technicians which has the effect of increasing maintenance costs for obsolete phones. Some products are designed with low-quality parts in mind, especially in key areas. Manufacturers know that making critical components from cheap plastics or metals will result in a significant reduction in lifespan. Toy manufacturers are infamous for this. Sure, their toys look great on the outside, but they often contain cheap plastic cogs in vital locations. What happens when a four-year-old’s motorised train stops working? “Dad! I want a new one!”