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Planned obselencence

 
steveo 2017-03-28 18:11:33 

I have a 4 year old laptop that is showing signs of dying.

This is strange for me, because the laptop, a Dell is much less older than another Dell I have had for over 10 years and which is still working today(I replaced the harddrive and upgraded the RAM).

I know, I know, they should be thrown out. I was brought up to care things.

This current Dell is overheating and the problem is looking terminal (not fixable like swapping the harddrive).

This is disturbing to me because I have noticed a trend in almost ALL products being produced these days. They are made with a fault that requires you to replace them at regular intervals.

Another example is my gelette MIII blades, I once had a pack where each blade was so sharp, I could reuse them for over a month. These days, they last about a week.

My new mode of operation is to boycott any product that I suspect has built in obsolescence measures. My next laptop is going to be a Lenovo X1 carbon.

 
nick2020 2017-03-28 20:12:39 

In reply to steveo

Consumerism. Can't have you owning a pc for 10 years when money have to be made.

 
steveo 2017-03-29 07:27:50 

In reply to nick2020


Consumerism. Can't have you owning a pc for 10 years when money have to be made.


Yes, money has to be made, today and also tomorrow. If people wise up to companies deliberately placing weak links in their products to shorten their lifespans, those companies may not have a future.

 
ray 2017-03-29 07:53:49 

In reply to steveo

noticed that as well

 
djdrastic 2017-03-29 08:38:13 

Cellphones/laptops with non removable batteries drive me nuts.
I have a Macbook at home that is probably close to 7 years old and whilst it's still as fast as the day I bought it , the battery is essentially useless on the thing.

 
Sheik 2017-03-29 08:52:44 

steveo,

OBSOLESCENCE IS CAPITALISM AT ITS VERY WORSE MATE!!!

EXTRACT - PRODUCE - CONSUME - DISPOSE!!!

WITH ALL OF THE ABOVE TO BE DONE AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND REPEATED AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE - INFINITELY!!!!!

ALWAYS REMEMBER THOUGH THAT "INFINITE GROWTH IS IMPOSSIBLE ON A FINITE PLANET"!!!

THIS STATE OF AFFAIRS WILL NOT CONTINUE FOR MUCH LONGER OF THAT I CAN ASSURE YOU!!!

OH RA$$!!!

FUNNY AS FCUK!!!

HA!HA!HA!

SHEIK

 
steveo 2017-03-29 10:52:37 

In reply to Sheik

Zeitgeist explains it

 
SnoopDog 2017-03-29 11:34:54 

In reply to steveo

You do have a point that in this day in age a lot of products (especially tech products) are deliberately made and planned for obsolescence. Mass production and quantity over hand-made and quality.

But generally, nothing lasts forever. Everything has a sell by date including the human body. And every year technological advances continues in leaps and bounds. Many products from even five years ago are technologically inferior to the ones made presently ie. the original iPad is a relic when compared to a current model. It doesn't mean the original is unusable, but in comparison to the present model it is much slower and incompatible with current apps and software which requires higher processing power.

Nice topic and a good post.

 
Bigzinc 2017-03-29 12:04:46 

In reply to steveo

Then you have the idiots that replace their devices with newer versions because they have to have the latest...

As sheik said, you cannot have infinite growth.

 
embsallie 2017-03-29 12:17:23 

In reply to steveo

My new mode of operation is to boycott any product that I suspect has built in obsolescence measures.


Then you will be boycotting a lot of stuff that will benefit you in the short run. These days products run off the assembly lines as a new iteration (commonly referred to as an upgrade) of the old one with very negligible changes (just enough to peek your interest) and a very short lifespan.

Without planned obsolescence, especially in electronics, a lot of companies would not be in business.
They depend on us for three things: 1.Our voracious appetite for the "new" 2. The nature of the human foible to what we call "Keeping up with the Jones's and 3. our penchant for using plastic.

 
Ewart 2017-03-29 13:35:03 

OBSOLESCENCE IS CAPITALISM AT ITS VERY WORSE MATE!!!





.... even when it is spelled incorrectly!

Planned obselencence





razz

//

 
Kay 2017-03-29 13:58:07 

In reply to Ewart

We all saw that but decided to focus on the point he is making which is a very good one. He did spell it correctly in his first post so don't be too hard cool

 
cricketmygame 2017-03-29 14:06:20 

In reply to Sheik

how long will your short wave radio and satellite phone last?

 
steveo 2017-03-29 14:11:11 

In reply to Ewart

Hey as long as the point is communicated wink wink

 
steveo 2017-03-29 14:14:28 

In reply to Kay

We all saw that but decided to focus on the point he is making which is a very good one. He did spell it correctly in his first post so don't be too hard


I think he is trying out for the spelling nazi position, one which spuds filled with aplomb

 
nick2020 2017-03-29 14:45:24 

In reply to Sheik

Capitalism vs Consumerism

 
buds 2017-03-29 15:31:23 

In reply to steveo

I have an old Dell laptop and its still working fine(2012 est.)But my HP desk top after 3 years is giving me a warning that the hard drive is gonna fail anytime soon--

Its fact up.

 
steveo 2017-03-29 16:54:14 

In reply to buds


I have an old Dell laptop and its still working fine(2012 est.)But my HP desk top after 3 years is giving me a warning that the hard drive is gonna fail anytime soon--

Its fact up.


I have never been drawn to HP. Actually Dell has been good for me over the years. I am a bit pissed that a newer computer with more modern components dont have the same lifespan as an older one.

I would have bought the Dell XPS 13 but its too small. The Lenovo X1 has always attracted me since it first entered the scene.

 
cricketest 2017-03-30 12:50:38 

i drive a 1992 year model vehicle with 300000+ miles on it... big grin

 
RemainsUnknown 2017-03-30 14:01:54 

In reply to cricketest

i drive a 1992 year model vehicle with 300000+ miles on it... big grin
In the end, what it really should come down to is being HAPPY and CONTENT. Too often though, other factors in life may affect the aforementioned like affordability, situation, circumstances in life and many others.

Life is too short to not LIVE*. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, but that doesn't mean to go out and splurge excessively.

*Living within your means is integral, however.

At the end of the day, 'to each, his own.' cool

 
Kay 2017-03-30 14:14:41 

In reply to steveo

would have bought the Dell XPS 13 but its too small.

I was thinking the same until I got it and it really does not feel small. The virtual bezel-free design makes it feel and look much bigger and comfortable

 
jelfew 2017-03-30 14:28:09 

Many products made today, are expected to do more than their predecessor did. The PC and smartphones are prime examples. The components that go in them are more, hence more components that can fail. Perhaps their time span is shorter but they do more witin that time span than the earlier ones did.

Any manufacturer that is suspected of putting in inferior components in their products with a view to them failing, will not last long. The manufacturers and consumer affairs groups have systems to weed these out. Price also pays a great part. The price for a Benz is higher than the Ford and is expected to last longer. Anyway, a Ford 150 owner will rarely complain about the service he get from his truck, if he services it properly.