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{{Anti-consumerism|Theories}}
{{Anti-consumerism|Theories}}


In [[economics]] and [[industrial design]], '''planned obsolescence''' (also called '''built-in obsolescence''' or '''premature obsolescence''') is a policy of planning or designing a [[good (economics)|product]] with an artificially limited [[Product lifetime|useful life]] or a purposely frail design, so that it becomes [[obsolete]] after a certain pre-determined period of time upon which it decrementally functions or suddenly ceases to function, or might be perceived as [[fashion|unfashionable]].<ref name=bulow1986>{{cite journal<!-- no bot --> |last=Bulow |first=Jeremy |s2cid=154545959 |title=An Economic Theory of Planned Obsolescence |date=November 1986 |journal=The Quarterly Journal of Economics |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=101 |issue=4 |pages=729–749 |jstor=1884176 |doi=10.2307/1884176 |url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3308/b5dddf1480228dd55e98bff6f61f86d40416.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719103914/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3308/b5dddf1480228dd55e98bff6f61f86d40416.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-07-19 }}</ref> The rationale behind this strategy is to generate long-term sales volume by reducing the time between repeat purchases (referred to as "shortening the replacement cycle").<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bidgoli |first1=Hossein |title=The Handbook of Technology Management, Supply Chain Management, Marketing and Advertising, and Global Management |date=2010 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0470249482 |pages=296}}</ref> It is the deliberate shortening of the lifespan of a product to force people to purchase functional replacements.<ref>Giles Slade (2006), "Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America", Harvard University Press, p5.</ref>
In [[economics]] and [[industrial design]], '''planned obsolescence''' (also called '''built-in obsolescence''' or '''premature obsolescence''') is the concept of policies planning or designing a [[good (economics)|product]] with an artificially limited [[Product lifetime|useful life]] or a purposely frail design, so that it becomes [[obsolete]] after a certain predetermined period of time upon which it decrementally functions or suddenly ceases to function, or might be perceived as [[fashion|unfashionable]].<ref name=bulow1986>{{cite journal<!-- no bot --> |last=Bulow |first=Jeremy |s2cid=154545959 |title=An Economic Theory of Planned Obsolescence |date=November 1986 |journal=The Quarterly Journal of Economics |publisher=Oxford University Press |volume=101 |issue=4 |pages=729–749 |jstor=1884176 |doi=10.2307/1884176 |url=https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3308/b5dddf1480228dd55e98bff6f61f86d40416.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719103914/https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/3308/b5dddf1480228dd55e98bff6f61f86d40416.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-07-19 }}</ref> The rationale behind this strategy is to generate long-term sales volume by reducing the time between repeat purchases (referred to as "shortening the replacement cycle").<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bidgoli |first1=Hossein |title=The Handbook of Technology Management, Supply Chain Management, Marketing and Advertising, and Global Management |date=2010 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-0470249482 |pages=296}}</ref> It is the deliberate shortening of the lifespan of a product to force people to purchase functional replacements.<ref>Giles Slade (2006), "Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America", Harvard University Press, p5.</ref>


Planned obsolescence tends to work best when a producer has at least an [[oligopoly]].<ref name="orbach">{{Cite journal |author= Orbach, Barak |title= The Durapolist Puzzle: Monopoly Power in Durable-Goods Market |journal= Yale Journal on Regulation |volume= 21 |pages= 67–118 |year= 2004 |ssrn= 496175 }}</ref> Before introducing a planned obsolescence, the producer has to know that the customer is at least somewhat likely to buy a replacement from them in the form of [[brand loyalty]]. In these cases of planned obsolescence, there is an [[information asymmetry]] between the producer, who knows how long the product was designed to last, and the customer, who does not. When a [[Market (economics)|market]] becomes more competitive, product lifespans tend to increase.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Jeremy|last1=Bulow|title=An Economic Theory of Planned Obsolescence|url=https://academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/101/4/729/1840176|journal=The Quarterly Journal of Economics|date=1 November 1986|issn=0033-5533|pages=729–750|volume=101|issue=4|doi=10.2307/1884176|jstor=1884176|hdl=10419/262438 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first1=Adam|last1=Hadhazy|access-date=2018-07-13|title=Here's the truth about the 'planned obsolescence' of tech|url=http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160612-heres-the-truth-about-the-planned-obsolescence-of-tech}}</ref> For example, when Japanese vehicles with longer lifespans entered the American market in the 1960s and 1970s, American carmakers were forced to respond by building more durable products.<ref name="dickinson">{{cite book |last1=Dickinson |first1=Torry D. |last2=Schaeffer |first2=Robert K. |title=Fast Forward: Work, Gender, and Protest in a Changing World |date=2001 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7425-0895-8 |pages=55–6}}</ref>
Planned obsolescence tends to work best when a producer has at least an [[oligopoly]].<ref name="orbach">{{Cite journal |author= Orbach, Barak |title= The Durapolist Puzzle: Monopoly Power in Durable-Goods Market |journal= Yale Journal on Regulation |volume= 21 |pages= 67–118 |year= 2004 |ssrn= 496175 }}</ref> Before introducing a planned obsolescence, the producer has to know that the customer is at least somewhat likely to buy a replacement from them in the form of [[brand loyalty]]. In these cases of planned obsolescence, there is an [[information asymmetry]] between the producer, who knows how long the product was designed to last, and the customer, who does not. When a [[Market (economics)|market]] becomes more competitive, product lifespans tend to increase.<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Jeremy|last1=Bulow|title=An Economic Theory of Planned Obsolescence|url=https://academic.oup.com/qje/article-abstract/101/4/729/1840176|journal=The Quarterly Journal of Economics|date=1 November 1986|issn=0033-5533|pages=729–750|volume=101|issue=4|doi=10.2307/1884176|jstor=1884176|hdl=10419/262438 |hdl-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|first1=Adam|last1=Hadhazy|access-date=2018-07-13|title=Here's the truth about the 'planned obsolescence' of tech|url=http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160612-heres-the-truth-about-the-planned-obsolescence-of-tech}}</ref> For example, when Japanese vehicles with longer lifespans entered the American market in the 1960s and 1970s, American carmakers were forced to respond by building more durable products.<ref name="dickinson">{{cite book |last1=Dickinson |first1=Torry D. |last2=Schaeffer |first2=Robert K. |title=Fast Forward: Work, Gender, and Protest in a Changing World |date=2001 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-0-7425-0895-8 |pages=55–6}}</ref>
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There are several variants of planned obsolescence. They are listed in the order of increasing severity:
There are several variants of planned obsolescence. They are listed in the order of increasing severity:

===Perceived obsolescence===
Obsolescence of desirability or stylistic obsolescence occurs when designers change the styling of products so trendsetting customers will purchase the latest styles.

Many products are primarily desirable for aesthetic rather than functional reasons. An example of such a product is clothing. Such products experience a cycle of desirability referred to as a "fashion cycle". By continuously introducing new aesthetics, and retargeting or discontinuing older designs, a manufacturer can "ride the fashion cycle", allowing for constant sales despite the original products remaining fully functional. [[Sneakers]] are a popular fashion industry where this is prevalent—[[Nike, Inc.|Nike]]'s [[Air Max]] line of running shoes is a prime example where a single model of shoe is often produced for years, but the color and material combination ("colorway") is changed every few months, or different colorways are offered in different markets.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} This has the upshot of ensuring constant demand for the product, even though it remains fundamentally the same.

Motor vehicle platforms typically undergo a midlife "facelift"—a cosmetic rather than an engineering change for the purpose of cost effectively increasing customer appeal by making previously manufactured versions of the same fundamental product less desirable. The most simplistic way to achieve this outcome is to offer new paint colors.

To a more limited extent this is also true of some personal-use electronic products, where manufacturers will release slightly updated products at regular intervals and emphasize their value as [[status symbol]]s. The most notable example among technology products are [[Apple Inc.#Products|Apple products]]. New colorways introduced with iterative “S” generation iPhones (e.g. the [[iPhone 6S]]'s "Rose Gold") entice people into upgrading and distinguishes an otherwise identical-looking iPhone from the previous year's model.

Some [[smartphone]] manufacturers <!-- not only OnePlus --> release a marginally updated model every 5 or 6 months compared to the typical yearly cycle, leading to the perception that a one-year-old handset can be up to two generations old. A notable example is [[OnePlus#Products|OnePlus]], known for releasing T-series devices with upgraded specifications roughly 6 months after a major release device. [[Sony Mobile]] utilised a similar tactic with its [[Sony Xperia Z series|Xperia Z-series]] smartphones.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}


===Contrived durability===
===Contrived durability===
Contrived durability is a strategy of shortening the product lifetime before it is released onto the market, by designing it to deteriorate quickly.<ref name="orbach"/> The design of all personal-use products includes an expected average lifetime permeating all stages of development. Thus, it must be decided early in the design of a complex product how long it should last so that each component can be made to those specifications. Since all matter is subject to [[entropy]], it is impossible for anything to last forever: all products will ultimately break down, no matter what steps are taken. Limited lifespan is only a sign of planned obsolescence if the limit is made artificially short.
Contrived durability is a strategy of shortening the product lifetime before it is released onto the market, by designing it to deteriorate quickly.<ref name="orbach"/> The design of all personal-use products includes an expected average lifetime permeating all stages of development. Thus, it must be decided early in the design of a complex product how long it should last so that each component can be made to those specifications. Due to natural degradation, most products will ultimately break down, no matter what steps are taken. Limited lifespan is only a sign of planned obsolescence if the limit is made artificially short.


The strategy of contrived durability is generally not prohibited by law, and manufacturers are free to set the durability level of their products.<ref name="orbach"/> While often considered planned obsolescence, it is often argued as its own field of anti-customer practices.
The strategy of contrived durability is generally not prohibited by law, and manufacturers are free to set the durability level of their products.<ref name="orbach"/> While often considered planned obsolescence, it is often argued as its own field of anti-customer practices.
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While such a design can help make the device thinner, it makes it difficult to replace the battery without sending the entire device away for repairs or purchasing an entirely new device.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2015/mar/03/has-planned-obsolesence-had-its-day-design End of the line for stuff that's built to die?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023171156/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2015/mar/03/has-planned-obsolesence-had-its-day-design |date=October 23, 2016 }}. The Guardian. March 2015</ref> On a device with a sealed back cover, a manual battery replacement might induce permanent damage, including loss of water-resistance due to damages on the [[Waterproofing|water-protecting seal]], as well as risking serious, even irreparable damage to the phone's [[motherboard|main board]] as a result of having to pry the battery free from strong adhesive in proximity to delicate components. Some devices are even built so that the battery terminals are covered by the main board, requiring it to be riskily removed entirely before disconnecting the terminals.<ref>{{cite web |last1=muligheder |first1=dk Mads Nyvold fortæller om klodens klima-og ressourcekrise ved at undersøge det turbulente felt mellem realpolitiske |last2=artiklen |first2=geopolitiske magtbalancer og visionære løsninger Del |title=Nej, det er ikke en konspirationsteori. Nogle produkter er bare designet til at gå i stykker før tid |url=https://www.zetland.dk/historie/s8qDRzGz-aOMNamWw-074b1 |website=Zetland |language=da |date=22 March 2017}}</ref>
While such a design can help make the device thinner, it makes it difficult to replace the battery without sending the entire device away for repairs or purchasing an entirely new device.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2015/mar/03/has-planned-obsolesence-had-its-day-design End of the line for stuff that's built to die?] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161023171156/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/shortcuts/2015/mar/03/has-planned-obsolesence-had-its-day-design |date=October 23, 2016 }}. The Guardian. March 2015</ref> On a device with a sealed back cover, a manual battery replacement might induce permanent damage, including loss of water-resistance due to damages on the [[Waterproofing|water-protecting seal]], as well as risking serious, even irreparable damage to the phone's [[motherboard|main board]] as a result of having to pry the battery free from strong adhesive in proximity to delicate components. Some devices are even built so that the battery terminals are covered by the main board, requiring it to be riskily removed entirely before disconnecting the terminals.<ref>{{cite web |last1=muligheder |first1=dk Mads Nyvold fortæller om klodens klima-og ressourcekrise ved at undersøge det turbulente felt mellem realpolitiske |last2=artiklen |first2=geopolitiske magtbalancer og visionære løsninger Del |title=Nej, det er ikke en konspirationsteori. Nogle produkter er bare designet til at gå i stykker før tid |url=https://www.zetland.dk/historie/s8qDRzGz-aOMNamWw-074b1 |website=Zetland |language=da |date=22 March 2017}}</ref>


The practice in phone design started with Apple's [[iPhone]]s and has now spread out to most other mobile phones<ref name=Verge-iPhone>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/8/9872746/apple-bad-hardware-design-iphone-case-pencil-magic-mouse|title=What happened to Apple design?|first=Nick|last=Statt|date=December 8, 2015|website=The Verge}}</ref> with, as of 2022, the exception of [[Fairphone]] and [[Shiftphone]] offerings. Earlier [[mobile phone]]s (including water-resistant ones) had back covers that could be opened by the user in order to replace the battery.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Parlette |first1=Alexis |title=Does planned obsolescence feed the fear that our devices will be out of date? |url=https://www.fairmontflyer.com/features/2015/02/26/does-planned-obsolescence-feed-the-fear-that-our-devices-will-be-out-of-date/ |website=The Flyer}}</ref> On 09 12 2022, the [[EU Parliament]] reached an agreement to require, from 2026, manufacturers to design all electrical appliances sold in the EU (and not used predominantly in wet conditions) so that consumers can easily remove and replace batteries themselves.<ref>{{cite web |title=Batteries: deal on new EU rules for design, production and waste treatment |date=2022-12-09 |work=News European Parliament |publisher=[[European Parliament]] |type=Press release |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221205IPR60614/ |access-date=2022-12-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211102055/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221205IPR60614/batteries-deal-on-new-eu-rules-for-design-production-and-waste-treatment |archive-date=2022-12-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Neue EU-Regeln: Jeder soll Handy-Akkus selbst tauschen können |language=de |trans-title=New EU rules: Everyone should be able to replace smartphone batteries themselves |date=2022-12-09 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |department=Wirtschaft |url=https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/neue-eu-regeln-jeder-soll-handy-akkus-tauschen-koennen-a-06ae1024-8fbf-44c5-a420-70be35c1a401 |access-date=2022-12-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211102933/https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/neue-eu-regeln-jeder-soll-handy-akkus-tauschen-koennen-a-06ae1024-8fbf-44c5-a420-70be35c1a401 |archive-date=2022-12-11}}</ref>
The practice in phone design started with Apple's [[iPhone]]s and has now spread out to most other mobile phones<ref name=Verge-iPhone>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/8/9872746/apple-bad-hardware-design-iphone-case-pencil-magic-mouse|title=What happened to Apple design?|first=Nick|last=Statt|date=December 8, 2015|website=The Verge}}</ref> with, as of 2022, the exception of [[Fairphone]] and [[Shiftphone]] offerings. Earlier [[mobile phone]]s (including water-resistant ones) had back covers that could be opened by the user in order to replace the battery.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Parlette |first1=Alexis |title=Does planned obsolescence feed the fear that our devices will be out of date? |url=https://www.fairmontflyer.com/features/2015/02/26/does-planned-obsolescence-feed-the-fear-that-our-devices-will-be-out-of-date/ |website=The Flyer|date=February 15, 2024 }}</ref> On December 9, 2022, the [[EU Parliament]] reached an agreement to require, from 2026, manufacturers to design all electrical appliances sold in the EU (and not used predominantly in wet conditions) so that consumers can easily remove and replace batteries themselves.<ref>{{cite web |title=Batteries: deal on new EU rules for design, production and waste treatment |date=2022-12-09 |work=News European Parliament |publisher=[[European Parliament]] |type=Press release |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221205IPR60614/ |access-date=2022-12-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211102055/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20221205IPR60614/batteries-deal-on-new-eu-rules-for-design-production-and-waste-treatment |archive-date=2022-12-11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Neue EU-Regeln: Jeder soll Handy-Akkus selbst tauschen können |language=de |trans-title=New EU rules: Everyone should be able to replace smartphone batteries themselves |date=2022-12-09 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |department=Wirtschaft |url=https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/neue-eu-regeln-jeder-soll-handy-akkus-tauschen-koennen-a-06ae1024-8fbf-44c5-a420-70be35c1a401 |access-date=2022-12-11 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211102933/https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/neue-eu-regeln-jeder-soll-handy-akkus-tauschen-koennen-a-06ae1024-8fbf-44c5-a420-70be35c1a401 |archive-date=2022-12-11}}</ref>


===Prevention of repairs===
===Prevention of repairs===
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Other products may also contain design features meant to frustrate repairs, such as [[Apple Inc.|Apple's]] "[[Tamper resistance|tamper-resistant]]" [[pentalobe screw]]s that cannot easily be removed with common personal-use tools, overuse of glue, as well as [[#Software degradation and lock-out|denying operation]] if any third-party component such as a replacement home button has been detected.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/01/apple-screwing-new-iphones-out-of-simple-diy-repair/ |title=Apple "screwing" new iPhones out of simple DIY repair |last=Foresman |first=Chris |date=January 20, 2011 |work=Ars Technica |access-date=January 28, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514171627/http://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/01/apple-screwing-new-iphones-out-of-simple-diy-repair/ |archive-date=May 14, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hein|first=Buster|date=2016-02-09|title=Everything you need to know about iOS' crippling 'Error 53'|url=https://www.cultofmac.com/411395/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ios-crippling-error-53/|access-date=2021-04-08|website=Cult of Mac|language=en-us}}</ref>
Other products may also contain design features meant to frustrate repairs, such as [[Apple Inc.|Apple's]] "[[Tamper resistance|tamper-resistant]]" [[pentalobe screw]]s that cannot easily be removed with common personal-use tools, overuse of glue, as well as [[#Software degradation and lock-out|denying operation]] if any third-party component such as a replacement home button has been detected.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/01/apple-screwing-new-iphones-out-of-simple-diy-repair/ |title=Apple "screwing" new iPhones out of simple DIY repair |last=Foresman |first=Chris |date=January 20, 2011 |work=Ars Technica |access-date=January 28, 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514171627/http://arstechnica.com/apple/2011/01/apple-screwing-new-iphones-out-of-simple-diy-repair/ |archive-date=May 14, 2012 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hein|first=Buster|date=2016-02-09|title=Everything you need to know about iOS' crippling 'Error 53'|url=https://www.cultofmac.com/411395/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ios-crippling-error-53/|access-date=2021-04-08|website=Cult of Mac|language=en-us}}</ref>


Front loading [[washing machine]]s often have the drum [[bearing (mechanical)|bearing]]{{Snd}}a critical and wear-prone mechanical component {{Snd}}permanently molded into the wash tub, or even have a sealed outer tub, making it impossible to renew the bearings without replacing the entire tub. The cost of this repair may exceed the residual value of the appliance, forcing it to be scrapped.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Cooper|first1=Daniel R.|last2=Skelton|first2=Alexandra C. H.|last3=Moynihan|first3=Muiris C.|author4-link=Julian Allwood|last4=Allwood|first4=Julian M.|date=2014-03-01|title=Component level strategies for exploiting the lifespan of steel in products|journal=Resources, Conservation and Recycling|volume=84|pages=24–34|doi=10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.11.014|doi-access=free}}</ref>
Front loading [[washing machine]]s often have the drum [[bearing (mechanical)|bearing]]{{Snd}}a critical and wear-prone mechanical component {{Snd}}permanently molded into the wash drum, or even have a sealed outer drum, making it impossible to renew the bearings without replacing the entire drum. The cost of this repair may exceed the residual value of the appliance, forcing it to be scrapped.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Cooper|first1=Daniel R.|last2=Skelton|first2=Alexandra C. H.|last3=Moynihan|first3=Muiris C.|author4-link=Julian Allwood|last4=Allwood|first4=Julian M.|date=2014-03-01|title=Component level strategies for exploiting the lifespan of steel in products|journal=Resources, Conservation and Recycling|volume=84|pages=24–34|doi=10.1016/j.resconrec.2013.11.014|doi-access=free|bibcode=2014RCR....84...24C }}</ref>

[[File:Bosch MaxoMixx planned obsolence.jpg|thumb|left|Planned obsolescence in a [[Robert Bosch GmbH|Bosch]] [[immersion blender]]: a plastic latch (indicated by the head of a match) designed to break after a [[Material fatigue|certain number of deformations]], making it difficult to use the blender. All the elements shown in the photo (motor, switch, speed control microprocessor, power cord, etc.) are sold by the Bosch service as "single spare part" for a price similar to the new complete device.]]

Bosch, despite the up to 10-year availability of spare parts declared on websites,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bosch-diy.com/gb/en/service/online-spare-parts |title=Bosch spare parts online shop }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bosch-home.pl/serwis/pielegnacja-i-ochrona/czesci-zamienne/ |title=Sprzęt Gospodarstwa Domowego }}</ref> assembles in the popular MaxoMixx mixers an easily breaking plastic latch, refusing to sell the replacement latch to the user and proposing to replace the entire drive consisting of many elements as a single spare part, which is almost equivalent to buying a new device.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bosch-home.com/us/supportdetail/product/MSM88190/01#/Tabs=section-spareparts/ |title=Home appliances—Blender rod MSM88190 }}</ref>


According to Kyle Wiens, co-founder of online repair community [[iFixit]], a possible goal for such a design is to make the cost of [[Maintenance, repair and operations|repairs]] comparable to the replacement cost, or to prevent any form of servicing of the product at all. In 2012, Toshiba was criticized for issuing [[cease-and-desist]] letters to the owner of a website that hosted its copyrighted repair manuals, to the detriment of the independent and home repair market.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/11/cease-and-desist-manuals-planned-obsolescence/ |title=The Shady World of Repair Manuals: Copyrighting for Planned Obsolescence |first=Kyle |last=Wiens |magazine=Wired |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327192009/http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/11/cease-and-desist-manuals-planned-obsolescence/ |archive-date=March 27, 2014 }}</ref>
According to Kyle Wiens, co-founder of online repair community [[iFixit]], a possible goal for such a design is to make the cost of [[Maintenance, repair and operations|repairs]] comparable to the replacement cost, or to prevent any form of servicing of the product at all. In 2012, Toshiba was criticized for issuing [[cease-and-desist]] letters to the owner of a website that hosted its copyrighted repair manuals, to the detriment of the independent and home repair market.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/11/cease-and-desist-manuals-planned-obsolescence/ |title=The Shady World of Repair Manuals: Copyrighting for Planned Obsolescence |first=Kyle |last=Wiens |magazine=Wired |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327192009/http://www.wired.com/opinion/2012/11/cease-and-desist-manuals-planned-obsolescence/ |archive-date=March 27, 2014 }}</ref>
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Several cities such as London, Berlin, Paris, Antwerp and Brussels have introduced [[low-emission zone]]s (LEZ) banning older diesel cars.<ref>{{cite news|title=Current and future situation of obsolescence in the automotive industry |date=March 25, 2009 |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://dial.uclouvain.be/memoire/ucl/fr/object/thesis%3A14403/datastream/PDF_01/view }}</ref>
Several cities such as London, Berlin, Paris, Antwerp and Brussels have introduced [[low-emission zone]]s (LEZ) banning older diesel cars.<ref>{{cite news|title=Current and future situation of obsolescence in the automotive industry |date=March 25, 2009 |newspaper=The Economist |url=https://dial.uclouvain.be/memoire/ucl/fr/object/thesis%3A14403/datastream/PDF_01/view }}</ref>

== Alternatives ==

===Perceived obsolescence===
Obsolescence of desirability or stylistic obsolescence occurs when designers change the styling of products so trendsetting customers will purchase the latest styles. Although similar; it is a result of consumer perception rather than premeditated (planned) by the designer.

Many products are primarily desirable for aesthetic rather than functional reasons. An example of such a product is clothing. Such products experience a cycle of desirability referred to as a "fashion cycle". By continuously introducing new aesthetics, and retargeting or discontinuing older designs, a manufacturer can "ride the fashion cycle", allowing for constant sales despite the original products remaining fully functional. [[Sneakers]] are a popular fashion industry where this is prevalent—[[Nike, Inc.|Nike]]'s [[Air Max]] line of running shoes is a prime example where a single model of shoe is often produced for years, but the color and material combination ("colorway") is changed every few months, or different colorways are offered in different markets.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} This has the upshot of ensuring constant demand for the product, even though it remains fundamentally the same.

Motor vehicle platforms typically undergo a midlife "facelift"—a cosmetic rather than an engineering change for the purpose of cost effectively increasing customer appeal by making previously manufactured versions of the same fundamental product less desirable. The most simplistic way to achieve this outcome is to offer new paint colors.

To a more limited extent this is also true of some personal-use electronic products, where manufacturers will release slightly updated products at regular intervals and emphasize their value as [[status symbol]]s. The most notable example among technology products are [[Apple Inc.#Products|Apple products]]. New colorways introduced with iterative “S” generation iPhones (e.g. the [[iPhone 6S]]'s "Rose Gold") entice people into upgrading and distinguishes an otherwise identical-looking iPhone from the previous year's model.

Some [[smartphone]] manufacturers <!-- not only OnePlus --> release a marginally updated model every 5 or 6 months compared to the typical yearly cycle, leading to the perception that a one-year-old handset can be up to two generations old. A notable example is [[OnePlus#Products|OnePlus]], known for releasing T-series devices with upgraded specifications roughly 6 months after a major release device. [[Sony Mobile]] utilised a similar tactic with its [[Sony Xperia Z series|Xperia Z-series]] smartphones.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}


== Laws and regulations ==
== Laws and regulations ==
{{Update section|date=April 2021}}
{{Update section|date=April 2021}}


===Europe ===
In 2015 the French National Assembly established a fine of up to €300,000 and jail terms of up to two years for manufacturers planning the failure of their products.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bates-Prince|first=James|title=Interview: The True Story of France's Fight against Planned obsolescence|url=https://buymeonce.com/blogs/articles-tips/interview-france-fight-planned-obsolescence|publisher=Buy Me Once}}</ref> The rule is relevant not only because of the sanctions that it establishes but also because it is the first time that a legislature recognized the existence of planned obsolescence.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cissé|first1=Sonia|last2=Metcalf|first2=Caitlin Potratz|last3=Fisher|first3=Adrian|last4=de Meersman|first4=Guillaume|last5=Didizian|first5=Marly|date=31 March 2020|title=In the Crosshairs: Planned Obsolescence|url=https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=463c3580-1dfc-48b4-b57c-159b147b4708}}</ref> These techniques may include "a deliberate introduction of a flaw, a weakness, a scheduled stop, a technical limitation, incompatibility or other obstacles for repair".{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}
In 2015, the French National Assembly established a fine of up to €300,000 and jail terms of up to two years for manufacturers planning the failure of their products.<ref>{{cite web|last=Bates-Prince|first=James|title=Interview: The True Story of France's Fight against Planned obsolescence|url=https://buymeonce.com/blogs/articles-tips/interview-france-fight-planned-obsolescence|publisher=Buy Me Once}}</ref> The rule is relevant not only because of the sanctions that it establishes but also because it is the first time that a legislature recognized the existence of planned obsolescence.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Cissé|first1=Sonia|last2=Metcalf|first2=Caitlin Potratz|last3=Fisher|first3=Adrian|last4=de Meersman|first4=Guillaume|last5=Didizian|first5=Marly|date=31 March 2020|title=In the Crosshairs: Planned Obsolescence|url=https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=463c3580-1dfc-48b4-b57c-159b147b4708}}</ref> These techniques may include "a deliberate introduction of a flaw, a weakness, a scheduled stop, a technical limitation, incompatibility or other obstacles for repair".{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

The European Union is also addressing the practice. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), an advisory body of the EU,<ref>European Economic and Social Committee. retrieved June 7, 2016 from {{cite web|title=About|date = January 2, 2010|url=http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.the-committee|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620235955/http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.the-committee|archive-date=June 20, 2016|access-date=2016-06-07}}</ref> announced in 2013 that it was studying "a total ban on planned obsolescence". It said replacing products that are designed to stop working within two or three years of their purchase was a waste of energy and resources and generated pollution.<ref>The EESC calls for a total ban on planned obsolescence. (2013, October 17). Retrieved June 7, 2016, from {{cite web|title=Press releases|url=http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.press-releases.29603|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630041831/http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.press-releases.29603|archive-date=June 30, 2016|access-date=2016-06-07}}</ref> The EESC organised a round table in Madrid in 2014 on 'Best practices in the domain of built-in obsolescence and collaborative consumption' which called for [[sustainable consumption]] to be a customer right in EU legislation.<ref>New attitudes towards consumption: Best practices in the domain of built-in obsolescence and collaborative consumption. (2014, June 25). Retrieved June 7, 2016, from {{cite web|title=Events|url=http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-built-in-obsolescence|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624112858/http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-built-in-obsolescence|archive-date=June 24, 2016|access-date=2016-06-07}}</ref> Carlos Trias Pinto, president of the EESC's Consultative Commission on Industrial Change<ref>Consultative Commission on Industrial Change—Presentation. (no date). Retrieved June 7, 2016, from {{cite web|title=Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI)|date = February 15, 2010|url=http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.ccmi|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621032029/http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.ccmi|archive-date=June 21, 2016|access-date=2016-06-07}}</ref> supports "the introduction of a labeling system which indicates the durability of a device, so the purchaser can choose whether they prefer to buy a cheap product or a more expensive, more durable product".<ref>Lavadoras con muerte anunciada. (2014, November 2). Retrieved May 19, 2015, from {{cite news|title=Lavadoras con muerte anunciada|newspaper=El País|date=November 2014|url=http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2014/10/31/actualidad/1414761553_335774.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525103723/http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2014/10/31/actualidad/1414761553_335774.html|archive-date=May 25, 2015|access-date=2015-05-25|last1=Vidales|first1=Raquel}}</ref>


In 2015, as part of a larger movement against planned obsolescence across the European Union, France passed legislation requiring that appliance manufacturers and vendors declare the intended product [[service life|lifespan]]s, and to inform purchasers how long [[spare part]]s for a given product will be produced. From 2016, appliance manufacturers are required to repair or replace, free of charge, any defective product within two years from its original purchase date. This effectively creates a mandatory two-year [[warranty]].<ref name="sgs">Drew Prindle. [http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/france-planned-obsolescence-law/ New French law tells consumers how long new appliances will last] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201102006/http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/france-planned-obsolescence-law/ |date=February 1, 2016 }}. Digitaltrends. March 3, 2015</ref>
In 2015, as part of a larger movement against planned obsolescence across the European Union, France passed legislation requiring that appliance manufacturers and vendors declare the intended product [[service life|lifespan]]s, and to inform purchasers how long [[spare part]]s for a given product will be produced. From 2016, appliance manufacturers are required to repair or replace, free of charge, any defective product within two years from its original purchase date. This effectively creates a mandatory two-year [[warranty]].<ref name="sgs">Drew Prindle. [http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/france-planned-obsolescence-law/ New French law tells consumers how long new appliances will last] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201102006/http://www.digitaltrends.com/home/france-planned-obsolescence-law/ |date=February 1, 2016 }}. Digitaltrends. March 3, 2015</ref>

The European Union is also addressing the practice. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), an advisory body of the EU,<ref>European Economic and Social Committee. retrieved June 7, 2016 from {{cite web|title=About|date = January 2, 2010|url=http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.the-committee|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160620235955/http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.the-committee|archive-date=June 20, 2016|access-date=2016-06-07}}</ref> announced in 2013 that it was studying "a total ban on planned obsolescence". It said replacing products that are designed to stop working within two or three years of their purchase was a waste of energy and resources and generated pollution.<ref>The EESC calls for a total ban on planned obsolescence. (2013, October 17). Retrieved June 7, 2016, from {{cite web|title=Press releases|url=http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.press-releases.29603|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160630041831/http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.press-releases.29603|archive-date=June 30, 2016|access-date=2016-06-07}}</ref> The EESC organised a round table in Madrid in 2014 on 'Best practices in the domain of built-in obsolescence and collaborative consumption' which called for [[sustainable consumption]] to be a customer right in EU legislation.<ref>New attitudes towards consumption: Best practices in the domain of built-in obsolescence and collaborative consumption. (2014, June 25). Retrieved June 7, 2016, from {{cite web|title=Events|url=http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-built-in-obsolescence|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624112858/http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-built-in-obsolescence|archive-date=June 24, 2016|access-date=2016-06-07}}</ref> Carlos Trias Pinto, president of the EESC's Consultative Commission on Industrial Change<ref>Consultative Commission on Industrial Change—Presentation. (no date). Retrieved June 7, 2016, from {{cite web|title=Consultative Commission on Industrial Change (CCMI)|date = February 15, 2010|url=http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.ccmi|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621032029/http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.ccmi|archive-date=June 21, 2016|access-date=2016-06-07}}</ref> supports "the introduction of a labeling system which indicates the durability of a device, so the purchaser can choose whether they prefer to buy a cheap product or a more expensive, more durable product".<ref>Lavadoras con muerte anunciada. (2014, November 2). Retrieved May 19, 2015, from {{cite news|title=Lavadoras con muerte anunciada|newspaper=El País|date=November 2014|url=http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2014/10/31/actualidad/1414761553_335774.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525103723/http://economia.elpais.com/economia/2014/10/31/actualidad/1414761553_335774.html|archive-date=May 25, 2015|access-date=2015-05-25|last1=Vidales|first1=Raquel}}</ref> In 2023, the EU voted to support a directive to ban planned obsolescene.<ref>[https://environment-analyst.com/global/109402/eu-law-will-ensure-product-durability Environmental Analyst website, ''EU law will ensure product durability’'', article dated May 17, 2023]</ref> In 2024, the EU Council clarified the liability of retailers with regard to information, unnecessary software upgrades and unjustified obligation to purchase replacement parts from the original manufacturer.<ref>[https://www.skadden.com/insights/publications/2024/03/fighting-early-obsolescence#:~:text=On%206%20March%202024%2C%20the%20EU%20published%20directive,obligations%20related%20to%20early%20obsolescence%20and%20software%20updates. Skadden website, ''Fighting Early Obsolescence: New EU Directive Extends Liability Risks'', article by Bernd R. Mayer, Michael Albrecht vom Kolke and Sarah Johnen dated March 27, 2024]</ref>

The UK adopted the ''Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information Regulations 2021'' in mid-2021.<ref>[https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9302/ UK Parliament website, Research Briefing section, ''Right to Repair Regulations'', September 24, 2021]</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-57665593 BBC website, ''Right to repair rules will extend lifespan of products, government says'', article by Tom Espiner & Rebecca Wearn dated July 1, 2021]</ref>

=== North America ===
In June 2023, the Québécois Minister of Justice introduced ''Bill 29: An Act to protect consumers against planned obsolescence and to promote the durability, repairability and maintenance of goods'', which proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection Act.<ref>[https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=4274ea18-1577-4001-ba71-7b833603acb7 Lexology website, ''Government proposes changes to Consumer Protection Act to ban planned obsolescence'', article dated June 21, 2023]</ref> Quebec adopted this Bill in October 2023, prohibiting the creation or sale of an item with planned obsolescence through any technique which would reduce its normal operating life.<ref>[https://www.blakes.com/insights/built-to-last-quebec-s-bill-29-shakes-up-consumer/ Blakes website, ''Built to Last? Quebec's Bill 29 Shakes Up Consumer Protection Landscape'', article by Marie-Hélène Constantin, Céline Poitras and John Lenz dated October 6, 2023]</ref><ref>[https://www.torys.com/en/our-latest-thinking/publications/2023/10/quebec-adopts-measures-against-planned-obsolescence Torys Counsel website, ''Bill 29: Québec adopts measures against planned obsolescence'', article by Matthew Angelus et al, dated October 11, 2023]</ref>

In the USA, planned obsolescence is being tackled through [[Right to Repair]] laws which have been enacted by several states,<ref>[https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240SB244 California Legislative Information ''SB-244 Right to Repair Act (2023-2024)'']</ref> including California, Minnesota, New York and Colorado.<ref>[https://www.kcrw.com/news/shows/press-play-with-madeleine-brand/gaza-hip-hop-raoul-peck-tech/right-to-repair KCRW Radio website, ''Right to Repair Act: Apple is shifting its stance on sustainability'', article by Amy Ta and Sara Schiff dated October 11, 2023]</ref> This issue is mainly seen as one of [[intellectual property]] rights in areas such as electronics and software.<ref>[https://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine_digital/en/2023/article_0023.html World Intellectual Property Organisation website, ''The Right to Repair: Recent Developments in the USA'', article by Irene Calboli dated August 2023]</ref>


==Critics and supporters==
==Critics and supporters==
Shortening the replacement cycle has critics and supporters. [[Philip Kotler]] argues that: "Much so-called planned obsolescence is the working of the competitive and technological forces in a free society—forces that lead to ever-improving goods and services."<ref>{{cite news|title=Planned obsolescence |newspaper=The Economist |url=http://www.economist.com/node/13354332 |access-date=8 February 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207162419/http://www.economist.com/node/13354332 |archive-date=December 7, 2013 }}</ref>
Shortening the replacement cycle has critics and supporters. [[Philip Kotler]] argues that: "Much so-called planned obsolescence is the working of the competitive and technological forces in a free society - forces that lead to ever-improving goods and services."<ref>{{cite news|title=Planned obsolescence |newspaper=The Economist |url=http://www.economist.com/node/13354332 |access-date=8 February 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207162419/http://www.economist.com/node/13354332 |archive-date=December 7, 2013 }}</ref>


Critics such as [[Vance Packard]] argues the process is wasteful and exploits customers. With psychological obsolescence, resources are used up making changes, often cosmetic changes, that are not of great value to the customer. Miles Park advocates new and collaborative approaches between the designer and the purchaser to challenge obsolescence in fast-moving sectors such as personal-use electronics.<ref>Park, M. (2010). "Defying Obsolescence." In Cooper T (ed) Longer Lasting Products: Alternatives to the Throwaway Society. Gower, Farnham, UK".</ref> Some people, such as Ronny Balcaen, have proposed to create a new label to counter the diminishing quality of products due to the planned obsolescence technique.<ref name=ReferenceA/>
Critics such as [[Vance Packard]] argues the process is wasteful and exploits customers. With psychological obsolescence, resources are used up making changes, often cosmetic changes, that are not of great value to the customer. Miles Park advocates new and collaborative approaches between the designer and the purchaser to challenge obsolescence in fast-moving sectors such as personal-use electronics.<ref>Park, M. (2010). "Defying Obsolescence." In Cooper T (ed) Longer Lasting Products: Alternatives to the Throwaway Society. Gower, Farnham, UK".</ref> Some people, such as Ronny Balcaen, have proposed to create a new label to counter the diminishing quality of products due to the planned obsolescence technique.<ref name=ReferenceA/>
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== In academia ==
== In academia ==
[[Russell Jacoby]], writing in the 1970s, observes that intellectual production has succumbed to the same pattern of planned obsolescence used by manufacturing enterprises to generate ever-renewed demand for their products.
[[Russell Jacoby]], writing in the 1970s, observed that intellectual production has succumbed to the same pattern of planned obsolescence used by manufacturing enterprises to generate ever-renewed demand for their products.


{{blockquote|The application of planned obsolescence to thought itself has the same merit as its application to consumer goods; the new is not only shoddier than the old, it fuels an obsolete social system that staves off its replacement by manufacturing the illusion that it is perpetually new.<ref>[[Russell Jacoby]], ''Social Amnesia'' (1975), p. xvii.</ref>}}
{{blockquote|The application of planned obsolescence to thought itself has the same merit as its application to consumer goods; the new is not only shoddier than the old, it fuels an obsolete social system that staves off its replacement by manufacturing the illusion that it is perpetually new.<ref>[[Russell Jacoby]], ''Social Amnesia'' (1975), p. xvii.</ref>}}


==See also==
{{Portal|Business and economics|Companies|Environment}}
{{Portal|Business and economics|Companies|Environment}}

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[Artificial demand]]
* [[Artificial demand]]
* [[Bathtub curve]]—a concept of typical product failure
* [[Bathtub curve]]—a concept of typical product failure
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* [[Durapolist]]—producer that manipulates the durability of its product
* [[Durapolist]]—producer that manipulates the durability of its product
* {{Annotated link|Durability}}
* {{Annotated link|Durability}}
* [[Electronics right to repair]]—government legislation to allow people to repair their own devices
* [[Environmental effects of transport]]
* [[Environmental effects of transport]]
* [[Interchangeable parts]]
* [[Interchangeable parts]]
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* [[Sony timer]]—urban legend alleging that Sony deliberately rigged their products to fail at a certain time
* [[Sony timer]]—urban legend alleging that Sony deliberately rigged their products to fail at a certain time
* [[Vendor lock-in]]—making a customer dependent on a vendor for products and services, unable to use another vendor without substantial switching costs.
* [[Vendor lock-in]]—making a customer dependent on a vendor for products and services, unable to use another vendor without substantial switching costs.
{{div col end}}


==References==
==References==
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{{wikiquote}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{Commons category|Planned obsolescence}}
{{Commons category|Planned obsolescence}}
* {{cite journal | author=Taiwo K. Aladeojebi | title=Planned Obsolescence | url=https://www.ijser.org/researchpaper/Planned-Obsolescence.pdf | journal=International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research | volume=4 | number=6 | pages=1504&ndash;1508 | date=Jun 2013 }}
* {{cite journal | author=Larry A. DiMatteo and Stefan Wrbka | title=Planned Obsolescence and Consumer Protection: The Unregulated Extended Warranty and Service Contract Industry | url=https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/research/JLPP/upload/DiMatteo-Wrbka-final.pdf | journal=[[Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy]] | volume=28 | number=3 | pages=483&ndash;544 | date=Spring 2019 }}
* {{cite thesis | author=Daniel Keeble | title=The Culture of Planned Obsolescence in Technology Companies | url=https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/55526/Keeble_Daniel.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y | type=Bachelor's thesis | institution=[[Oulu University of Applied Sciences]] | date=Spring 2013 }}
* {{cite report | author=Bernard London | title=Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence | url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_(1932)_Ending_the_depression_through_planned_obsolescence.pdf | institution=New York | type=Essay | year=1932 }}
* {{cite report | author=Bernard London | title=Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence | url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:London_(1932)_Ending_the_depression_through_planned_obsolescence.pdf | institution=New York | type=Essay | year=1932 }}
* {{cite report | author=Neil Maycroft | title=Consumption, planned obsolescence and waste | url=http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/2062/1/Obsolescence.pdf | institution=University of Lincoln | type=Internal Report | year=2009 }}
* {{cite report | author=Neil Maycroft | title=Consumption, planned obsolescence and waste | url=http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/2062/1/Obsolescence.pdf | institution=University of Lincoln | type=Internal Report | year=2009 | access-date=November 4, 2019 | archive-date=October 29, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029120450/http://eprints.lincoln.ac.uk/2062/1/Obsolescence.pdf | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite thesis | author=Daniel Keeble | title=The Culture of Planned Obsolescence in Technology Companies | url=https://www.theseus.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/55526/Keeble_Daniel.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y | type=Bachelor's thesis | institution=[[Oulu University of Applied Sciences]] | date=Spring 2013 }}
* {{cite journal | author=Taiwo K. Aladeojebi | title=Planned Obsolescence | url=https://www.ijser.org/researchpaper/Planned-Obsolescence.pdf | journal=International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research | volume=4 | number=6 | pages=1504&ndash;1508 | date=Jun 2013 }}
* {{cite thesis | author=Viviane Monteiro | title=Does the Planned Obsolescence Influence Consumer Purchase Decisions: The Effects of Cognitive Biases: Bandwagon Effect, Optimism Bias and Present Bias on Consumer Behavior | url=http://bibliotecadigital.fgv.br/dspace/bitstream/handle/10438/24214/Viviane%20Monteiro%20_revis%C3%A3o%20final_2.pdf | type=Master's thesis | institution=[[Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo]] | year=2018 }}
* {{cite thesis | author=Viviane Monteiro | title=Does the Planned Obsolescence Influence Consumer Purchase Decisions: The Effects of Cognitive Biases: Bandwagon Effect, Optimism Bias and Present Bias on Consumer Behavior | url=http://bibliotecadigital.fgv.br/dspace/bitstream/handle/10438/24214/Viviane%20Monteiro%20_revis%C3%A3o%20final_2.pdf | type=Master's thesis | institution=[[Escola de Administração de Empresas de São Paulo]] | year=2018 }}
* {{cite journal | author=Larry A. DiMatteo and Stefan Wrbka | title=Planned Obsolescence and Consumer Protection: The Unregulated Extended Warranty and Service Contract Industry | url=https://www.lawschool.cornell.edu/research/JLPP/upload/DiMatteo-Wrbka-final.pdf | journal=[[Cornell Journal of Law and Public Policy]] | volume=28 | number=3 | pages=483&ndash;544 | date=Spring 2019 }}


{{Engineering approaches}}
{{Engineering approaches}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Planned obsolescence}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Planned obsolescence}}
[[Category:Brand management]]
[[Category:Brand management]]
[[Category:Ethically disputed business practices]]
[[Category:Marketing techniques]]
[[Category:Marketing techniques]]
[[Category:Obsolescence]]
[[Category:Obsolescence]]
[[Category:Product expiration]]
[[Category:Product expiration]]
[[Category:Right to Repair]]
[[Category:Right to repair]]

Latest revision as of 03:25, 14 November 2024

In economics and industrial design, planned obsolescence (also called built-in obsolescence or premature obsolescence) is the concept of policies planning or designing a product with an artificially limited useful life or a purposely frail design, so that it becomes obsolete after a certain predetermined period of time upon which it decrementally functions or suddenly ceases to function, or might be perceived as unfashionable.[1] The rationale behind this strategy is to generate long-term sales volume by reducing the time between repeat purchases (referred to as "shortening the replacement cycle").[2] It is the deliberate shortening of the lifespan of a product to force people to purchase functional replacements.[3]

Planned obsolescence tends to work best when a producer has at least an oligopoly.[4] Before introducing a planned obsolescence, the producer has to know that the customer is at least somewhat likely to buy a replacement from them in the form of brand loyalty. In these cases of planned obsolescence, there is an information asymmetry between the producer, who knows how long the product was designed to last, and the customer, who does not. When a market becomes more competitive, product lifespans tend to increase.[5][6] For example, when Japanese vehicles with longer lifespans entered the American market in the 1960s and 1970s, American carmakers were forced to respond by building more durable products.[7]

History

[edit]
The 1923 Chevrolet is cited as one of the earliest examples of annual facelifts in the car industry because it had a restyled body covering what essentially was nine-year-old technology.[8]
Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence, by Bernard London, 1932

In 1924, the American automobile market began reaching saturation point. To maintain unit sales, General Motors executive Alfred P. Sloan Jr. suggested annual model-year design changes to convince car owners to buy new replacements each year, with refreshed appearances headed by Harley Earl and the Art and Color Section. Although his concept was borrowed from the bicycle industry, its origin was often misattributed to Sloan.[9] Sloan often used the term dynamic obsolescence,[10] but critics coined the name of his strategy planned obsolescence.

This strategy had far-reaching effects on the automobile industry, product design field and eventually the whole American economy. The smaller players could not maintain the pace and expense of yearly re-styling. Henry Ford did not like the constant stream of model-year changes because he clung to an engineer's notions of simplicity, economies of scale, and design integrity. GM surpassed Ford's sales in 1931 and became the dominant company in the industry thereafter. The frequent design changes also made it necessary to use a body-on-frame structure rather than the lighter, but less easy to modify, unibody design used by most European automakers.

The origin of the phrase planned obsolescence goes back at least as far as 1932 with Bernard London's pamphlet Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence.[11] The essence of London's plan would have the government impose a legal obsolescence on personal-use items, to stimulate and perpetuate purchasing. However, the phrase was first popularized in 1954 by Brooks Stevens, an American industrial designer. Stevens was due to give a talk at an advertising conference in Minneapolis in 1954. Without giving it much thought, he used the term as the title of his talk. From that point on, "planned obsolescence" became Stevens' catchphrase. By his definition, planned obsolescence was "Instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary."[12]

The phrase was quickly taken up by others, but Stevens' definition was challenged. By the late 1950s, planned obsolescence had become a commonly used term for products designed to break easily or to quickly go out of style. In fact, the concept was so widely recognized that in 1959 Volkswagen mocked it in an advertising campaign. While acknowledging the widespread use of planned obsolescence among automobile manufacturers, Volkswagen pitched itself as an alternative. "We do not believe in planned obsolescence", the ads suggested. "We don't change a car for the sake of change."[13] In the famous Volkswagen advertising campaign by Doyle Dane Bernbach, one advert showed an almost blank page with the strapline "No point in showing the 1962 Volkswagen, it still looks the same".

In 1960, cultural critic Vance Packard published The Waste Makers, promoted as an exposé of "the systematic attempt of business to make us wasteful, debt-ridden, permanently discontented individuals". Packard divided planned obsolescence into two sub categories: obsolescence of desirability and obsolescence of function.

"Obsolescence of desirability", also known as "psychological obsolescence", referred to marketers' attempts to wear out a product in the owner's mind. Packard quoted industrial designer George Nelson, who wrote:

Design ... is an attempt to make a contribution through change. When no contribution is made or can be made, the only process available for giving the illusion of change is "styling"!

Variants

[edit]

There are several variants of planned obsolescence. They are listed in the order of increasing severity:

Contrived durability

[edit]

Contrived durability is a strategy of shortening the product lifetime before it is released onto the market, by designing it to deteriorate quickly.[4] The design of all personal-use products includes an expected average lifetime permeating all stages of development. Thus, it must be decided early in the design of a complex product how long it should last so that each component can be made to those specifications. Due to natural degradation, most products will ultimately break down, no matter what steps are taken. Limited lifespan is only a sign of planned obsolescence if the limit is made artificially short.

The strategy of contrived durability is generally not prohibited by law, and manufacturers are free to set the durability level of their products.[4] While often considered planned obsolescence, it is often argued as its own field of anti-customer practices.

A possible method of limiting a product's durability is to use inferior materials in critical areas, or suboptimal component layouts which cause excessive wear. Using soft metal in screws and cheap plastic instead of metal in stress-bearing components will increase the speed at which a product will become inoperable through normal usage and make it prone to breakage from even minor forms of abnormal usage. For example, small, brittle plastic gears in toys are extremely prone to damage if the toy is played with roughly, which can easily destroy key functions of the toy and force the purchase of a replacement. The short life expectancy of smartphones and other handheld electronics is a result of constant usage, fragile batteries, and the ability to easily damage them.[14]

Screens

[edit]

Samsung AMOLED displays used in mobile phones have suboptimal ribbon cables that deteriorate over time, resulting in the screen turning completely white. Another point of failure is the degraded TFT layer which causes green or purple lines to appear on the display. Both issues can be triggered by a software update.[15][16] They render the device unusable, requiring the user to repair or replace the display or to upgrade to a new device sooner than they had needed to. These issues are well known to the public thanks to Samsung's own Galaxy S20 series of mobile phones. [17]

Batteries

[edit]

Throughout normal use, batteries lose their ability to store energy, output power, and maintain a stable terminal voltage, which impairs computing speeds and eventually leads to system outages in portable electronics.[18][19]

Some portable products highly relied upon in the post-PC era, such as mobile phones, laptops, as well as electric toothbrushes, are designed in a way that denies end-users the ability to replace their batteries after those have worn down, therefore leaving an aging battery trapped inside the device, which limits the product lifespan to its shortest-lived component.[18][20]

While such a design can help make the device thinner, it makes it difficult to replace the battery without sending the entire device away for repairs or purchasing an entirely new device.[21] On a device with a sealed back cover, a manual battery replacement might induce permanent damage, including loss of water-resistance due to damages on the water-protecting seal, as well as risking serious, even irreparable damage to the phone's main board as a result of having to pry the battery free from strong adhesive in proximity to delicate components. Some devices are even built so that the battery terminals are covered by the main board, requiring it to be riskily removed entirely before disconnecting the terminals.[22]

The practice in phone design started with Apple's iPhones and has now spread out to most other mobile phones[23] with, as of 2022, the exception of Fairphone and Shiftphone offerings. Earlier mobile phones (including water-resistant ones) had back covers that could be opened by the user in order to replace the battery.[24] On December 9, 2022, the EU Parliament reached an agreement to require, from 2026, manufacturers to design all electrical appliances sold in the EU (and not used predominantly in wet conditions) so that consumers can easily remove and replace batteries themselves.[25][26]

Prevention of repairs

[edit]

The ultimate examples of such design are single-use versions of traditionally durable goods, such as disposable cameras, where the customer must purchase entire new products after using them just once. Such products are often designed to be impossible to service; for example, a cheap throwaway digital watch may have a case which is sealed in the factory, with no designed ability for the user to access the interior without destroying the watch entirely.[citation needed] Manufacturers may make replacement parts either unavailable or so expensive that they make the product uneconomic to repair. For example, Canon and some HP inkjet printers incorporate a replaceable print head which eventually fails. However, the high cost of a replacement forces the owner to scrap the entire device.[27]

Pentalobe screws used in an iPhone 6S. Critics have argued that Apple's use of pentalobe screws in their newer devices is an attempt to prevent the owner from repairing the device themselves.

Other products may also contain design features meant to frustrate repairs, such as Apple's "tamper-resistant" pentalobe screws that cannot easily be removed with common personal-use tools, overuse of glue, as well as denying operation if any third-party component such as a replacement home button has been detected.[28][29]

Front loading washing machines often have the drum bearing – a critical and wear-prone mechanical component  – permanently molded into the wash drum, or even have a sealed outer drum, making it impossible to renew the bearings without replacing the entire drum. The cost of this repair may exceed the residual value of the appliance, forcing it to be scrapped.[30]

Planned obsolescence in a Bosch immersion blender: a plastic latch (indicated by the head of a match) designed to break after a certain number of deformations, making it difficult to use the blender. All the elements shown in the photo (motor, switch, speed control microprocessor, power cord, etc.) are sold by the Bosch service as "single spare part" for a price similar to the new complete device.

Bosch, despite the up to 10-year availability of spare parts declared on websites,[31][32] assembles in the popular MaxoMixx mixers an easily breaking plastic latch, refusing to sell the replacement latch to the user and proposing to replace the entire drive consisting of many elements as a single spare part, which is almost equivalent to buying a new device.[33]

According to Kyle Wiens, co-founder of online repair community iFixit, a possible goal for such a design is to make the cost of repairs comparable to the replacement cost, or to prevent any form of servicing of the product at all. In 2012, Toshiba was criticized for issuing cease-and-desist letters to the owner of a website that hosted its copyrighted repair manuals, to the detriment of the independent and home repair market.[34]

One way is that a store can sell a part which is incompatible with the products they sell on their own, so customers would try it and think their product is just broken, and then buy a whole new product. One example is that a ceiling fan pull chain The Home Depot or Lowe's sell at their stores wouldn't work out perfectly on most of the ceiling fans, including the ones they sell at their stores. The pull chain they sell is for a ceiling fan with a 3 speed motor and a single capacitor, which is rarely the case of ceiling fans sold today, and would cause ceiling fans with triple capacitor to not work well on medium and would cause ceiling fans with dual capacitor to not spin at all.

Systemic obsolescence

[edit]

Planned systemic obsolescence is caused either by the withdrawal of investment, or a product becoming obsolete through continuous development of the system in which it is used in such a way as to make continued use of the original product difficult. Common examples of planned systemic obsolescence include changing the design of screws or fasteners so that they cannot easily be operated on with existing tools, thereby frustrating maintenance. This may be intentionally designed obsolescence, a withdrawal of investment or standards being updated or superseded. For example, serial ports, parallel ports, and PS/2 ports have largely been supplanted or usurped by USB on newer PC motherboards since the 2000s.[citation needed]

Programmed obsolescence

[edit]

In some cases, notification may be combined with deliberate artificial disabling of a functional product to prevent it from working, thus requiring the buyer to purchase a replacement. For example, inkjet printer manufacturers employ smart chips in their ink cartridges to prevent them from being used after a certain threshold (number of pages, time, etc.), even though the cartridge may still contain usable ink or could be refilled (with ink toners, up to 50 percent of the toner cartridge is often still full).[35] This constitutes "programmed obsolescence", in that there is no random component contributing to the decline in function.[dubiousdiscuss]

In the Jackie Blennis v. HP class action suit, it was claimed that Hewlett-Packard designed certain inkjet printers and cartridges to shut down on an undisclosed expiration date, and at this point customers were prevented from using the ink that remained in the expired cartridge. HP denied these claims, but agreed to discontinue the use of certain messages, and to make certain changes to the disclosures on its website and packaging, as well as compensating affected customers with a total credit of up to $5,000,000 for future purchases from HP.[36][37]

Samsung produces laser printers that are designed to stop working with a message about imaging drum replacing. There are some workarounds for users, for instance, that will more than double the life of the printer that has stopped with a message to replace the imaging drum.[38]

In 2021, Canon disabled the scanning function of its Canon Pixma MG6320 all-in-one printers whenever an ink cartridge was out of ink. A class action lawsuit was filed.[39]

Software degradation and lock-out

[edit]

Another example of programmed obsolescence is making older versions of software (e.g. Adobe Flash Player or YouTube's Android application[40]) unserviceable deliberately, even though they would technically, albeit not economically, be able to keep working as intended.

Where older versions of software contain unpatched security vulnerabilities, such as banking and payment apps, deliberate lock out may be a risk-based response to prevent the proliferation of malware in those older versions. If the original vendor of the software is no longer in business, then disabling may occur by another software author as in the case of a web browser disabling a plugin. Otherwise, the vendor who owns a software ecosystem may disable an app that does not comply with a key policy or regulation, such as the processing of personal data to protect user privacy, though in other cases, this does not exclude the possibility of "security reasons" being used for fearmongering.

This could be a problem for the user, because some devices, despite being equipped with appropriate hardware, might not be able to support the newest update without modifications such as custom firmware.

Additionally, updates to newer versions might have introduced undesirable side effects, such as removed features[40] or compulsory changes,[41] or backwards compatibility shortcomings which might be unsolicited and undesired by users.

Software companies sometimes deliberately drop support for older technologies as a calculated attempt to force users to purchase new products to replace those made obsolete.[42] Most proprietary software will ultimately reach an end-of-life point at which the supplier will cease updates and support, usually because the cost of code maintenance, testing and support exceed the revenue generated from the old version. As free software and open source software can usually be updated and maintained at lower cost, the end of life date can be later.[43] Software that is abandoned by the manufacturer with regard to manufacturer support is sometimes called abandonware.

[edit]

Legal obsolescence refers to the undermining of product usability through legislation, as well as facilitate purchasing a new product by offering benefits.

For example, governments wanting to increase electric vehicle ownership could increase the replacement rate of cars by subsidising them.

Several cities such as London, Berlin, Paris, Antwerp and Brussels have introduced low-emission zones (LEZ) banning older diesel cars.[44]

Alternatives

[edit]

Perceived obsolescence

[edit]

Obsolescence of desirability or stylistic obsolescence occurs when designers change the styling of products so trendsetting customers will purchase the latest styles. Although similar; it is a result of consumer perception rather than premeditated (planned) by the designer.

Many products are primarily desirable for aesthetic rather than functional reasons. An example of such a product is clothing. Such products experience a cycle of desirability referred to as a "fashion cycle". By continuously introducing new aesthetics, and retargeting or discontinuing older designs, a manufacturer can "ride the fashion cycle", allowing for constant sales despite the original products remaining fully functional. Sneakers are a popular fashion industry where this is prevalent—Nike's Air Max line of running shoes is a prime example where a single model of shoe is often produced for years, but the color and material combination ("colorway") is changed every few months, or different colorways are offered in different markets.[citation needed] This has the upshot of ensuring constant demand for the product, even though it remains fundamentally the same.

Motor vehicle platforms typically undergo a midlife "facelift"—a cosmetic rather than an engineering change for the purpose of cost effectively increasing customer appeal by making previously manufactured versions of the same fundamental product less desirable. The most simplistic way to achieve this outcome is to offer new paint colors.

To a more limited extent this is also true of some personal-use electronic products, where manufacturers will release slightly updated products at regular intervals and emphasize their value as status symbols. The most notable example among technology products are Apple products. New colorways introduced with iterative “S” generation iPhones (e.g. the iPhone 6S's "Rose Gold") entice people into upgrading and distinguishes an otherwise identical-looking iPhone from the previous year's model.

Some smartphone manufacturers release a marginally updated model every 5 or 6 months compared to the typical yearly cycle, leading to the perception that a one-year-old handset can be up to two generations old. A notable example is OnePlus, known for releasing T-series devices with upgraded specifications roughly 6 months after a major release device. Sony Mobile utilised a similar tactic with its Xperia Z-series smartphones.[citation needed]

Laws and regulations

[edit]

Europe

[edit]

In 2015, the French National Assembly established a fine of up to €300,000 and jail terms of up to two years for manufacturers planning the failure of their products.[45] The rule is relevant not only because of the sanctions that it establishes but also because it is the first time that a legislature recognized the existence of planned obsolescence.[46] These techniques may include "a deliberate introduction of a flaw, a weakness, a scheduled stop, a technical limitation, incompatibility or other obstacles for repair".[citation needed]

In 2015, as part of a larger movement against planned obsolescence across the European Union, France passed legislation requiring that appliance manufacturers and vendors declare the intended product lifespans, and to inform purchasers how long spare parts for a given product will be produced. From 2016, appliance manufacturers are required to repair or replace, free of charge, any defective product within two years from its original purchase date. This effectively creates a mandatory two-year warranty.[47]

The European Union is also addressing the practice. The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), an advisory body of the EU,[48] announced in 2013 that it was studying "a total ban on planned obsolescence". It said replacing products that are designed to stop working within two or three years of their purchase was a waste of energy and resources and generated pollution.[49] The EESC organised a round table in Madrid in 2014 on 'Best practices in the domain of built-in obsolescence and collaborative consumption' which called for sustainable consumption to be a customer right in EU legislation.[50] Carlos Trias Pinto, president of the EESC's Consultative Commission on Industrial Change[51] supports "the introduction of a labeling system which indicates the durability of a device, so the purchaser can choose whether they prefer to buy a cheap product or a more expensive, more durable product".[52] In 2023, the EU voted to support a directive to ban planned obsolescene.[53] In 2024, the EU Council clarified the liability of retailers with regard to information, unnecessary software upgrades and unjustified obligation to purchase replacement parts from the original manufacturer.[54]

The UK adopted the Ecodesign for Energy-Related Products and Energy Information Regulations 2021 in mid-2021.[55][56]

North America

[edit]

In June 2023, the Québécois Minister of Justice introduced Bill 29: An Act to protect consumers against planned obsolescence and to promote the durability, repairability and maintenance of goods, which proposed amendments to the Consumer Protection Act.[57] Quebec adopted this Bill in October 2023, prohibiting the creation or sale of an item with planned obsolescence through any technique which would reduce its normal operating life.[58][59]

In the USA, planned obsolescence is being tackled through Right to Repair laws which have been enacted by several states,[60] including California, Minnesota, New York and Colorado.[61] This issue is mainly seen as one of intellectual property rights in areas such as electronics and software.[62]

Critics and supporters

[edit]

Shortening the replacement cycle has critics and supporters. Philip Kotler argues that: "Much so-called planned obsolescence is the working of the competitive and technological forces in a free society - forces that lead to ever-improving goods and services."[63]

Critics such as Vance Packard argues the process is wasteful and exploits customers. With psychological obsolescence, resources are used up making changes, often cosmetic changes, that are not of great value to the customer. Miles Park advocates new and collaborative approaches between the designer and the purchaser to challenge obsolescence in fast-moving sectors such as personal-use electronics.[64] Some people, such as Ronny Balcaen, have proposed to create a new label to counter the diminishing quality of products due to the planned obsolescence technique.[35]

The Environmental Law Institute writes that planned obsolescence "contributes to a culture of wastefulness by perpetuating a 'buy new and buy often' mentality and limiting consumer autonomy to keep products longer by hard-wiring a 'self-destruct' button in products".[65] Bisschop et al. (2022) have said that the practice limits the "usable life of products to bolster private profit at the expense of consumer interests and environmental sustainability", stating it should be considered a corporate crime against the environment.[66]

In academia

[edit]

Russell Jacoby, writing in the 1970s, observed that intellectual production has succumbed to the same pattern of planned obsolescence used by manufacturing enterprises to generate ever-renewed demand for their products.

The application of planned obsolescence to thought itself has the same merit as its application to consumer goods; the new is not only shoddier than the old, it fuels an obsolete social system that staves off its replacement by manufacturing the illusion that it is perpetually new.[67]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Bulow, Jeremy (November 1986). "An Economic Theory of Planned Obsolescence" (PDF). The Quarterly Journal of Economics. 101 (4). Oxford University Press: 729–749. doi:10.2307/1884176. JSTOR 1884176. S2CID 154545959. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 19, 2020.
  2. ^ Bidgoli, Hossein (2010). The Handbook of Technology Management, Supply Chain Management, Marketing and Advertising, and Global Management. Wiley. p. 296. ISBN 978-0470249482.
  3. ^ Giles Slade (2006), "Made to Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America", Harvard University Press, p5.
  4. ^ a b c Orbach, Barak (2004). "The Durapolist Puzzle: Monopoly Power in Durable-Goods Market". Yale Journal on Regulation. 21: 67–118. SSRN 496175.
  5. ^ Bulow, Jeremy (November 1, 1986). "An Economic Theory of Planned Obsolescence". The Quarterly Journal of Economics. 101 (4): 729–750. doi:10.2307/1884176. hdl:10419/262438. ISSN 0033-5533. JSTOR 1884176.
  6. ^ Hadhazy, Adam. "Here's the truth about the 'planned obsolescence' of tech". Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  7. ^ Dickinson, Torry D.; Schaeffer, Robert K. (2001). Fast Forward: Work, Gender, and Protest in a Changing World. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 55–6. ISBN 978-0-7425-0895-8.
  8. ^ "Annual model change was the result of affluence, technology, advertising". Automotive News. September 14, 2008. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  9. ^ Babaian, Sharon (1998). The Most Benevolent Machine: A Historical Assessment of Cycles in Canada. Ottawa: National Museum of Science and Technology. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-660-91670-5.
  10. ^ Grattan, Laura (January 6, 2016). Populism's Power: Radical Grassroots Democracy in America. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780190277659 – via Google Books.
  11. ^ "Bernard London's pamphlet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 19, 2012.
  12. ^ Adamson, Glen (June 2003). Industrial Strength Design: How Brooks Stevens Shaped Your World. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-01207-2.
  13. ^ LIFE. Time Inc. August 3, 1959. Archived from the original on February 28, 2017.
  14. ^ "Life Expectancy of a Smartphone". Archived from the original on March 25, 2017. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  15. ^ "Bug from software update is causing serious issues with the Galaxy S20 series displays". PhoneArena. April 15, 2022.
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Further reading

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