Prompt Cast
The Problem of Planned Obsolescence and Its Impact on Consumers
TLDR Planned obsolescence is the intentional practice of making products that don't last long, leading to waste, unnecessary consumerism, and environmental damage. Companies like Apple are major offenders, deliberately slowing down older devices and making repairs more expensive than buying new. Efforts are being made to set new standards for durability and repairability, but consumers also play a role in the prevalence of planned obsolescence.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Planned obsolescence is the deliberate practice of companies making their products to last a shorter amount of time in order to make consumers buy replacements sooner.
05:35
Planned obsolescence is a real thing, as evidenced by the Phoebus Cartel in the 1920s, where electric companies and bulb manufacturers colluded to make light bulbs not last as long so they could sell more.
10:52
Planned obsolescence was first mentioned in a 1932 pamphlet by Bernard London, who proposed the idea of products having an artificial expiration date and consumers being taxed for using them beyond that date, but this idea did not gain traction; however, in the same year, Roy Sheldon and Egmont Arons suggested making less durable products to stimulate the economy and sell more.
16:07
Planned obsolescence started in the 1930s and 1940s with the idea of making products that wouldn't last long to stimulate the economy, but now it has progressed to the point where products are intentionally made to be pure garbage and not last a year.
21:38
Brooks Stevens, a Milwaukee industrial designer, advocated for planned obsolescence in the 1950s, arguing that making products obsolete and not last very long was good for the economy, but this mentality quickly led to problems such as waste, unnecessary consumerism, and keeping up with the Joneses.
27:02
Apple is a major offender of planned obsolescence, as they intentionally slow down older phones through updates and make newer models incompatible with older versions, forcing consumers to spend more money on accessories or new devices.
32:20
Companies control the market on parts and repairs, ensuring that products have an artificially short lifetime and making it more expensive to repair than to buy a new one.
37:44
The toy industry frequently uses contrived durability, purposefully using inferior parts that won't last long, resulting in products that break easily and can't be repaired.
43:10
A study in 2015 found that the percentage of electrical and electronic products replaced within five years due to breakage rose from 3.5% in 2004 to 8.3% in 2012, while the percentage of large household appliances that had to be replaced within five years doubled between 2004 and 2013, indicating the increasing problem of planned obsolescence.
49:34
The problem with repair costs is that if replacement parts are no longer available for a product, you're out of luck after a certain number of years, leading to the dilemma of whether to keep repairing or buy a new one, and companies can easily retire a brand and slap a new name on it, making it difficult to determine if a brand is good or bad.
54:32
The lack of recycling and the environmental damage caused by e-waste are major issues, but there are efforts in Europe to set new standards for durability and repairability, while in the US, the Right to Repair movement is pushing for laws that would make it easier for consumers to repair their own devices or take them to independent repair shops.
59:33
The consumer has some responsibility in the development of a ravenous consumer society and the prevalence of planned obsolescence.
Categories:
Society & Culture
