Planned Obsolescence

[Maintainin]

Planned Obsolescence/Pyramids of Waste aka the Lightbulb conspiracy...

The deliberate shortenin of product life spans by manufacturers to guarantee consumer demand n' thus has potential benefits for a producer because to obtain continuin use of the product the consumer is under pressure to purchase again, whether from the same manufacturer (a replacement part or a newer model), or from a competitor which might also rely on planned obsolescence.

This 'Pyramid of Waste' built-in obsolescence in industrial design is a policy of deliberately plannin products with a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete or nonfunctional after a certain period.



...anyways, i chose to small-case the use of the word 'conspriracy' above as in itself a lot of posters trip out on it, fact of the matter is a few days ago i got chattin to a very interestin Bolivian woman n' she ended up goin on about how her country could be or has the potential of bein a leadin player in the field of 'Energy' or more to the point how Bolivia could harvest it's huge amounts of Lithium...don't wanna sound like some tree-huggin boff, jus wanted to put this out there to see if any of you lot that are more clued up on the likes could share ya thoughts etc ! ? !

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIVbg2ErOYQ&feature=related[/youtube] [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2KLyYKJGk0&feature=related[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh-KLQfS4X8&feature=related[/youtube] [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3v4UPofNZc&feature=related[/youtube]

 

[scenecreamer]

Only watched the last one, and it is seriously suspect.

Public owned utilities are the answer.

 

[Skashion]

This must be why Apple products never ever break. There's no planned obsolescence!

 

[malg]

It's the upgrades now that get everyone, not the fact that things break.

Apple is a fine example. I love the way they upgrade the iPhone and iPad on such a fucking regular basis - sucking in the gullible. The same goes for all phones, where people need the newest upgrade ASP as it now has a larger memory, or has a new bit of software that can remind you to buy fucking milk on your way home!

Same for cars, TVs, washing machines etc, etc. Fuck all wrong the one you already have, but people still upgrade. Keeps the world spinning.

 

[Dubai Blue]

Can't watch the videos as at work, but is it anything to do with the world's biggest oil companies buying up the rights to any sort of progressive breakthrough technology and simply burying it in order to keep us all hooked on oil? I have no doubt that we could have moved away from this dependency a long time ago, but it really isn't in the interests of some of the world's most powerful institutions to promote such a move.

 

[BoyBlue_1985]

Can't watch the videos as at work, but is it anything to do with the world's biggest oil companies buying up the rights to any sort of progressive breakthrough technology and simply burying it in order to keep us all hooked on oil? I have no doubt that we could have moved away from this dependency a long time ago, but it really isn't in the interests of some of the world's most powerful institutions to promote such a move.

I wouldn't say that a conspiracy as its a well known that oil companies make sure we are still using oil despite the move forward by technology in the last 40 years.

As for stuff breaking after a certain time i guess this could well be true but for every 1 of a certain thing that has broken another has lasted a longer time.
How many people used to have a TV that was 10 years old. My Grandad had a fluorescent tube that worked for about 6 years in his garage. I expect lamps to fail as it gas or metal burning at extreme temperatures in glass, science tells me not to expect a lamp to last 40 years with constant use
The bigger conspiracy i would say is that while a company just released the iPad 3 they probably have developed technology for the iPad 27 but there is no profit in releasing that now and not the other 23 before it

 

[BulgarianPride]

It's the upgrades now that get everyone, not the fact that things break.

Apple is a fine example. I love the way they upgrade the iPhone and iPad on such a fucking regular basis - sucking in the gullible. The same goes for all phones, where people need the newest upgrade ASP as it now has a larger memory, or has a new bit of software that can remind you to buy fucking milk on your way home!

Same for cars, TVs, washing machines etc, etc. Fuck all wrong the one you already have, but people still upgrade. Keeps the world spinning.

Like it or not, this is what is driving technology. If there is no demand they will not make it, and technology will stay still.

 

[Skashion]

The bigger conspiracy i would say is that while a company just released the iPad 3 they probably have developed technology for the iPad 27 but there is no profit in releasing that now and not the other 23 before it

This to me is a tiny tiny part of why I hate Jobs' Apple but it just reinforces how much of a difference there is between Woz's Apple and now. Whilst Woz and his proteges were at the company, it made huge leaps in one release. Now it makes no leaps in many releases. It's also noteworthy that whilst Jobs recognised the huge huge talent of Woz's proteges, eventually, his neglect drove every one of them away. Not one of the the Mac's original hardcore remains and most left in 84/5.

 

[gaudinho's stolen car]

Is this another thread about Apple?

 

[Skashion]

Is this another thread about Apple?

There's a lot to say about them on this particular subject as they drip-feed features into new models for which the technology already exists. I'm not even that bothered. For me, it is a symptom of a fallen woman. Once upon a time Apple was a brilliant engineering company making huge innovations from brilliant hackers who subscribed to hacker ethics. Now its idea of innovation is a higher megapixel camera which already existed before they made the previous model and have deliberately chosen not to include it. It's extremely cynical. However, if Apple fans want to upgrade with every iteration or some people have wads of cash to burn I couldn't care less. Apple and its principles are what bother me, I'd love it to return to its original embrace of hacker ideals.