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Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence (Read 2052 times)
bogarde73
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Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Aug 10th, 2016 at 3:06pm
 
I think planned obsolescence probably really started in the 1950s. Certainly JK Galbraith and Vance Packard talked about it then.

So, instead of things being built to last they were built to induce repeat sales. But now that repeat sale cycle has accelerated to ridiculous levels.

You don't expect to get an economic life out of most appliances beyond the standard warranty period. It's almost as if they can calculate when the product will fail to that couple of months past warranty.
Even the mass market furniture, such as the flat pack products, seems to have that limited life span. When I see heaps of relatively new-looking furniture waiting for council clean-ups, it just amazes me to think of the comparison with furniture made 50-100 years ago , which was worth repairing.

Apart from the above situation, there is also the technological obsolescence that has overtaken us all, forcing constant upgrades or replacements of computers, phones, everything electronic.

Adam Smith would turn in his grave.
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #1 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 3:15pm
 
Most appliances that were once expected to last because they cost so much are now so cheap that people treat them as disposable. Just look at all the stuff tossed out on bulk collection day that is still in good condition. This is a response to consumer demand.
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #2 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 5:05pm
 
I was buying $400-$500 mobiles and throwing them in a box until one day I said "Blow it, I'll just buy el cheapos from now on". I found a Nokia under $200 and it hasn't let me down since buying it 7 years ago, both phone and battery are still going strong. It was a fluke buy though, just lucky this Nokia was designed and built with long term reliability


Wasting thousands of bucks on electronic crap makes you wake up a bit


http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-17/mobile-phones-engineered-with-built-in-obs...
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #3 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 5:15pm
 
An interesting thread.   I worked in the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) for some years.   Every now and then a White Paper would be commissioned by the Government of the day and the Defence Forces asked to comment and draw up a wish list of what they wanted to address the issues.  In those days, it was whatever was bright and shiny at the time, but here was never a cradle to grave analysis done on each capability to determine the total cost of it's life.  Of course after a few decades of this approach, the Defence Budget was going to maintenance, upkeep and just keeping the bloody things going, with little money left for new capability.  Finally, total cost from cradle to grave now forms part of aquisition so the costs are know and can be budgetted for, when buying new capability

When buying things now, there most probably is a capability life built in based on types of materials used, manufacture, even disposal.  The old adagerof the more you pay the best you get usually comes true - mind you, my mate still has an ancient washing machine that he basically bought new from a "$2 shop "and it outperforms the 4 I have had in the time frame
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #4 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 6:02pm
 
Personally, I think you have to want less stuff. My XP desk top computer lasted 11 years. In the mean time, I went through three laptops. Now, I would not touch a laptop without a 5 year warranty. Not interested in a smart phone, I get my kicks playing music, working in wood, and writing. I get the sense that the more stuff on offer, the more inadequate many people feel, if they cannot afford it all. Its all just landfill filtered through their lives.
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #5 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 6:05pm
 
Vic wrote on Aug 10th, 2016 at 5:15pm:
An interesting thread.   I worked in the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) for some years.   Every now and then a White Paper would be commissioned by the Government of the day and the Defence Forces asked to comment and draw up a wish list of what they wanted to address the issues.  In those days, it was whatever was bright and shiny at the time, but here was never a cradle to grave analysis done on each capability to determine the total cost of it's life.  Of course after a few decades of this approach, the Defence Budget was going to maintenance, upkeep and just keeping the bloody things going, with little money left for new capability.  Finally, total cost from cradle to grave now forms part of aquisition so the costs are know and can be budgetted for, when buying new capability

When buying things now, there most probably is a capability life built in based on types of materials used, manufacture, even disposal.  The old adagerof the more you pay the best you get usually comes true - mind you, my mate still has an ancient washing machine that he basically bought new from a "$2 shop "and it outperforms the 4 I have had in the time frame


Amazing. You can now divulge "secret" information because you are OLD and RETIRED?
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Vic
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #6 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 6:07pm
 
Neferti wrote on Aug 10th, 2016 at 6:05pm:
Vic wrote on Aug 10th, 2016 at 5:15pm:
An interesting thread.   I worked in the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) for some years.   Every now and then a White Paper would be commissioned by the Government of the day and the Defence Forces asked to comment and draw up a wish list of what they wanted to address the issues.  In those days, it was whatever was bright and shiny at the time, but here was never a cradle to grave analysis done on each capability to determine the total cost of it's life.  Of course after a few decades of this approach, the Defence Budget was going to maintenance, upkeep and just keeping the bloody things going, with little money left for new capability.  Finally, total cost from cradle to grave now forms part of aquisition so the costs are know and can be budgetted for, when buying new capability

When buying things now, there most probably is a capability life built in based on types of materials used, manufacture, even disposal.  The old adagerof the more you pay the best you get usually comes true - mind you, my mate still has an ancient washing machine that he basically bought new from a "$2 shop "and it outperforms the 4 I have had in the time frame


Amazing. You can now divulge "secret" information because you are OLD and RETIRED?


secret information?  I don't think so!   More like the antique Department of Defence/DMO adopting accepted civilian practices after decades of waste!
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #7 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 6:08pm
 
I've got an LG nexus phone from work. It actually seems really solid, but I look after it. People mistreat electronic equipment because it is so cheap. I consider laptops to be short term, almost disposable purchases. Not so much because they break, but because the cheap ones won't handle the internet in a few years time.
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #8 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 7:07pm
 
Laptops are definitely a high turnover item but st least they're cheap.  Desktops a good because at least you can roll up your sleeves and change out bits.

One surprise item I have is a  $50 Ozito lawn mower which is 6 years and going strong.

I just try to buying less crap Smiley

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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #9 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 10:25pm
 
Anything Samsung is chit imo , only took me a fridge two plasma tvs and a laptop to work this out , not one of them lasted 7 years , do yourself a favour and avoid Samsung
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #10 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 10:28pm
 
I dusted off my Toshiba laptop , blew all the dust out and put some new heat sync grease where required , been dropped about 20 times and still going strong , around 5 years now .
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #11 - Aug 10th, 2016 at 10:31pm
 
man mimics the Universe with planned obsolescence:  the Sun will one day die.

still ... as I age I buy less knowing that it will one day die. and what I do buy I want to last.

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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #12 - Sep 1st, 2016 at 3:11am
 
With the impending end to the 2G network looming closer, I finally stepped up to the plate and bought a smart phone. I did my best to choose something that has a chance of having a useful life of more than just a few years. Time will tell.

Even though Samsung's Galaxy old flagship S5 is now two years old it is one of the last Samsungs to have a removable battery and will also take micro SD cards of up to 256GB. With it's IP67 ratting it will survive falling into the toilet bowl.

The screen vulnerability of smart phones hasn't sat all that easily with me, so I ended up purchasing a LifeProof Fre case. It provides greater shock, dust and water resistance and comes with a built in screen protector. The only down side is a little extra bulk and occasional Eco problems, both issues I was willing to put up with. If the Eco ever gets to bad I can simply the ear pieces in.    
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« Last Edit: Sep 1st, 2016 at 4:27am by 0ktema »  


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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #13 - Sep 1st, 2016 at 3:49am
 
Yes indeed.. new stuff is definitely designed to fail, just after warranty date.

Having said that,  my first home computer was purchased secondhand.. an HP Compaq, and it lasted for 10 yrs, as did the modem.  It ran XP. When it finally blew out I had to purchase something else, so I now own a new computer running Windows 10. I will see how long it lasts.

It is true that older machines lasted.  I'll touch wood  Smiley and say I have a fridge I bought in 1992,(Westinghouse) and it is still going. I also have a house water-pump which I bought around the same time, (Onga)  and IT is still going strong.

I feel like I am tempting fate.... because both of these appliances are expensive to replace.  People express amazement when I tell them about the life of these machines. I just cross my fingers and hope they keep on going.

I also had a mag washing machine.. an Hitachi, which lasted for over thirty yrs. Sadly it blew a relay somewhere recently, and couldn't be repaired, so I now have a newish machine that was given to me. Fingers crossed.

Planned obsolescence is a definite fact, and I just hope my old stuff keeps on going, as long as I do.
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It is sad that everything now produced for household use is expected to fail relatively soon. Capitalism and the consumer society really sucks.
Whenever I see an old car tooling around, I sigh with nostalgia.

They don't make things like they used to. Sad


 
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Re: Planned obsolescence now accelerated obsolescence
Reply #14 - Sep 1st, 2016 at 3:51am
 
bogarde73 wrote on Aug 10th, 2016 at 3:06pm:
I think planned obsolescence probably really started in the 1950s. Certainly JK Galbraith and Vance Packard talked about it then.



That, or the pseudo-journalist over at Breitbart have yet to understand microeconomics, reverse engineering, and consumer boredom.

Why most electronics (including that crap Apple makes) are are cheap in feel these days is simply because they are made that way. This is exactly why Apple, the world’s largest company by market capitalization, has reported its first quarterly sales decline in 14 years. Consumers are not buying products out of quality but rather necessity and particularity ones that can do the same job for 2/3 the price.


Electronic manufactures are also a lot less competitive for no mater whose brand you buy it will be obsolete in 8-10 months time
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