Last week, Darkcrizt commented here y here the news that many devices would stop working properly due to not having updated certificates. For my part, I wrote several articles expressing my anger at Microsoft for not letting me install Windows 11 doing an objective and measured analysis of Microsoft's erroneous decision to establish artificial restrictions on the installation of Windows 11.
Since both are clear examples, this is a good time to talk about planned obsolescence.
About planned obsolescence. Concept
The planned obsolescence is un set of deliberate strategies aimed at ensuring that the current version of a given product will be out of date or unusable within a predetermined period of time. In this way, manufacturers ensure that consumers will be forced to replace it even if it works properly.
Obsolescence can be achieved by introducing a model with superior features or by intentionally designing a product to stop working properly within a certain time frame. In either case, consumers are expected to opt for the new product from the same brand.
Obsolescence is often not about the product itself but rather by applying restrictions to a competitor's product with the help of a third party.
Types of planned obsolescence
We can divide programmed obsolescence into 4 types:
1- Artificial establishment of the duration period
The products are manufactured with parts whose duration has a limited useful life when, if others of higher quality were used, that period would be extended.
2- Software updates
Software developers release new versions of their applications that at a certain point are no longer compatible with old devices. In many cases, it has been possible to verify that this incompatibility is absolutely artificial since by "cheating" the software, it worked without problems.
I remember that I had a PDA from the Palm line (I don't remember the model) Mine couldn't connect to the Internet, although the next model (Obviously more expensive) did. I just had to download the modules that someone kindly uploaded to the internet and they worked without a hitch.
Another very common thing that happened to us linuxers a decade ago was the number of sites that did not work with Firefox and required Internet Explorer. It was enough to change the User Agent variable to "Internet Explorer" to navigate without problems.
3- Perceived obsolescence
This is a psychological tactic, it is about convincing the consumer through advertising and the use of influencers that the current product is old and that a new one is needed. How many megapixels do you need on your phone to take a good photo of your cat?
4- Obstacles to repair
Some time ago I had a phone that was on its last legs. It no longer had buttons and the touchscreen worked the way I wanted it to. Inadvertently I ended up calling someone I didn't want to talk to. As I could not cut I opened the phone to remove the battery, but I could not because it was built-in. I finally ended up putting it in the freezer to block the signal.
I count this, because preventing removing the battery (with the excuse of making phones thinner) is a way of forcing consumers to resort to official services and discouraging them from replacing them with cheaper substitutes.
Other tactics are the use of non-standard parts or that require specific tools for repair. Access to these parts is often restricted.
Two examples of planned obsolescence
- iPhone slower and slower: The French Justice confirmed that software updates made the performance of older models increasingly slower. The company blamed the batteries, but paid compensation of $ 27 million. It also lowered the prices of its replacement batteries to make the phones faster with the new software, and vowed to do more in the future to ensure that the phones didn't slow down again. year, I'm sure there is some planned obsolescence somewhere.
- Printers: This is something we all know about. Many times we find printers at a reduced price, but when we have to buy an ink cartridge we find that it has a price equal to or higher than buying a new one. In addition, restrictions are placed on recharging or the use of alternative cartridges. There were reports that some models stopped working after a certain number of printed pages or a certain time from the first printing.
"Obsolescence is often not about the product itself but rather by applying restrictions to a competitor's product with the help of a third company."
Here's an example: My PC is a MEDION ERAZER, with an AMD RYZEN 7 1800x processor and an RX480 mounted on an AMI board managed by MEDION and Windows 10 Home. As reported by AMD, the processor is supported by Ubuntu and RHEL but the latter will depend on the manufacturer. The board (now out of support) can only be updated through Windows, and the injected microcode is prepared to run only Windows 10. Manipulating any parameter to install any distro, such as disabling Secure Boot, installing only in UEFI or switching to legacy mode causes the system to hang.
Finally and after tests and tests and more tests, for months, I have been able to have Ubuntu or Debian in a stable way manipulating the processor.
Thanks for the article.
Greetings.
Thanks for comment.
The planned obsolescence is the myth of our time.
I think the biggest problem is one of definition, because it overlaps with the “life expectancy” and the excessive expectations of the buyer. People do not understand these concepts and being honest, companies do not make a lot of effort to make it clear.
The true planned obsolescence is that manufacturers sabotage their own products so that they fail after a while and, with very few exceptions (not to be confused with pure fraud), it does not exist. For that to work, all manufacturers would have to agree not to take advantage of the quality gap left by the other and also ensure that a new competitor does not enter. Not even monopolies use it because they don't need to "convince" the customer to buy from them.
It is often argued that putting higher quality components would make things last longer. True, but would we really pay more for it? No one doubts that Audis last longer than Fords because they are better made, but they don't cost the same either. Apple's batteries are much better than LG's, but we don't pay the same for an LG as for an iPhone. Using titanium and carbon fiber is not free and that is why the devices that are taken to the battlefield or to a hospital cost considerably more than the ones we have at home. That people buy a cheap ACME brand microwave from the corner grocery store and then complain that it lasts less than the neighbor's Electrolux is not due to fraud but to faulty customer expectations. Sometimes I buy ACME brand products and other times brand “the most expensive-for-a-rich man” depending on the case, but I know that I don't buy the same.
On the other hand, does it make sense for everything to last long? I still have the toys from when I was little, but that just means my parents paid for the excess quality as they would only have to last the two years I wanted to play with them. The same applies to cassette readers, typewriters or 14 ”CRT monitors, which are sure to be collecting dust and without any use whatsoever.
And finally, in order not to elaborate further, there is the problem of the repair difficulty. The biggest cost is not in the parts, but in the labor or labor, so that even if the parts were free, the washing machines of a certain age would still not be repaired. And although they give me the service manuals and I do not value my time, the variety of things that each of us is capable of repairing is quite low. The reality is that to make something “fixable” at home, the products would have to be bulkier, less efficient and more expensive. Anyone could put a hand on the engine of a SEAT 600, but the machine was going 80 km / h and consumption was measured by supertankers and not by liters.