Forums The Vibe Chat Consumerism and Planned Obsolescence

Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1054655
    DaftFader
    Participant

      I already was suspicious about there being timer chips in things that make them break, but these guys actually find them in some printers and make some software to reset it that makes the printer work again!

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A1UeV5mC_w

      #1264148
      barrettone
      Participant

        I’m pretty sure one of my iPods broke due to planned obsolecence. The screen caught fire on the inside for no fucking reason.

        #1264149
        Mezz
        Participant

          lolz I love a good conspiracy theory………. you know my toaster stopped working a few weeks back, I recon it deliberately & maliciously self destructed to make me go to work hungry and force me to buy a new one

          Seriously though, yes planned obsolescence is real, almost everything has a designed lifespan, and techy items are often sold when their replacement or upgraded new versions have already been designed & are ready for production………… we do live in a consumer society and tis the nature of the beast

          BUT

          Kill chips………… not sure I believe anyone has gone that far, for a start it would be illegal in many countries to include and not disclose in the product description, but also if caught and exposed using such a devise even the biggest brand name would be destroyed overnight ( remember Ratners )

          #1264151
          korno
          Participant

            Everything dies, its kinda natural…

            #1264144
            General Lighting
            Moderator

              @DaftFader 512630 wrote:

              I already was suspicious about there being timer chips in things that make them break, but these guys actually find them in some printers and make some software to reset it that makes the printer work again!

              http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5A1UeV5mC_w

              @Mezz 512637 wrote:

              Kill chips………… not sure I believe anyone has gone that far, for a start it would be illegal in many countries to include and not disclose in the product description, but also if caught and exposed using such a devise even the biggest brand name would be destroyed overnight ( remember Ratners )

              A device put in to deliberately make something stop working simply to reduce its service life (and for no other reason) is indeed illegal even in the USA. An big American company was busted in the 1950s or 1960s for making television sets that failed in this manner.

              However the printer companies “justify” their actions by claiming that not doing this would cause the printer to fill up with surplus ink at the bottom, this ink would spill everywhere and it contains some bad chemicals, so they can turn the EU and other nations product safety laws back on themselves. Unfortunately they have lawyers which actively work out how to do this to maximise the companies profit and think “its all permissible in a free market as folk can buy printers from a competitor if you don’t like it”, and the cost of the gadgets themselves has plummeted.

              Also, though it is horribly resource intensive, and bad for the environment especially in foreign countries where they get the bits, the “free market” has created a situation where it is increasingly hard to repair electronics unless you live in China, Malaysia or similar countries where it is all made.

              I wonder how many of you heard about Philips, Samsung and LG getting busted for fixing the price of CRT monitors? They got fined millions of Euros – but these companies doubtless folk what work or worked there (they had at least one factory in East Anglia and another outside London) will say it was preserving jobs and growth. They do all work together on product development and share ideas.

              A few months ago I gutted a flaky Samsung CRT monitor as the cost of the kit needed to repair it without risking electrocuting myself was more than a new one (29 000V inside it!) and I already have 2 CRT monitors kept for standby use. And this is what I found inside it..

              7269772108_5bcd58d22e_c_d.jpg

              #1264147
              Fizzbombheid
              Participant

                not my washing machine. it’s worked perfectly for 14 years. i do believe it is gonna live forever.

                #1264146
                thelog
                Participant

                  You know what they say abut the conspiracy theorists that stay up all night watching conspiracy videos. They are all disinformation agents put in place by the government.

                  Daftfader is a spy!!!

                  #1264152
                  Deezl
                  Participant

                    I havent read the other posts as im in a rush BUT:
                    I think timed obsolescence came about as after the boom of the 1920’s, when products were made to last at a high standard and everyone had money to spend (much of these products survive to day actually) the problem arose in the late 1920’s that no one needed to purchase new vaccuum cleaners etc. as they all already had one – so businesses went bust and it contributed to the great depression of the late 20’s early 30’s (until public work schemes and WW2 got the economy rolling again.. funny how war = profit). That’s what i was taught anyway, but yeah i’d say most companies make their products to break after x amount of years/use

                    #1264145
                    General Lighting
                    Moderator

                      To be fair in spite of its controversial title is a documentary on a well researched actual event.

                      The wider issue is not even so much that things break down, but you cannot fix them easily when they do. Even when I was a teenager and young adult, most consumer electronic gadgets could be repaired and you could buy the parts to do so at Farnell or Radiospares. in professional environments having a repair/maintenance department was the accepted practice.

                      now the trend is to replace entire modules rather than components or even the entire device, and thats even in pro audio….

                      #1264150
                      Mezz
                      Participant

                        You also have to remember that in the commercial sector companies depreciate equipment over varying time periods, the depreciation of the ‘asset’ is offset against the profits made making that part of the profit non-taxable, so its good for companies to have equipment that wares out as it makes upgrading cheaper.

                        If a manufacturers sells to businesses they know that the equipment they sell only has to last a certain length of time, and making that equipment to a higher quality that lasts longer is just a waste of money.

                      Viewing 10 posts - 1 through 10 (of 10 total)
                      • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.

                      Forums The Vibe Chat Consumerism and Planned Obsolescence