Over the past few years, however, consumers are still facing a scourge leading to excessive consumption: planned elimination. Encourage customers to continuously purchase new equipment.
In this article, we will tell you more about manufacturers' voluntary reduction Service life of computer productsAnd the measures that can be taken.
1、 Planned obsolescence, definition
Planned obsolescence is a method adopted by manufacturers to maximize the sales of new models. To do this, they Deliberately shorten product life.
Then, they use various technologies to make the product unable to be used or repaired for a long time. For example, today's smart phones can't be turned on as before. Result: when the old battery fails, the battery cannot be replaced. Similarly, various maintenance is no longer feasible: when the control device fails, the button cannot be replaced or repaired because it is no longer a physical button, so the problem cannot be solved.
Household appliances are also easily phased out as planned: manufacturers use specific components for each generation of household appliances. When the new generation of machines came out, they stopped producing spare parts for the old generation, and the old generation could not be repaired. This forces consumers to buy new models.
Procedural obsolescence can be divided into several types: technical, software and aesthetic.
- scientifically outmoded
When the product stops working due to non repairable parts with limited service life, it is considered as outdated technology. When the spare parts required for product maintenance no longer exist, it is called indirect technology obsolescence.
- Software obsolescence
Software obsolescence is mainly applicable to software based computers, smartphones and other devices. When a new version of an application or software (such as a PC operating system) makes the old version obsolete, it is called planning software obsolescence.
This situation is also accelerated when the formats of old and new versions of the same software or application are incompatible.
- Aesthetic obsolescence
The term "aesthetic obsolescence" is used when a company launches a new product in a promotional campaign and boasts that it is a model with significantly improved performance, and the company has recently done the same for its previous products.
Therefore, the company tries to convince us through its publicity activities that the new model is innovative and almost indispensable. This sales technique is also called "demoulding effect".
II Follow iPhone
If someone cites an old and outdated brand as an example, Apple may be at the top of the list. In fact, the apple brand has been known for using this approach for many years, especially in the United States iPhone.
Therefore, Apple's previous generations of smartphones, which were considered the most advanced at that time, are now outdated. To make matters worse, many models cannot even be updated, so they are almost unusable.
Apple has also developed the (bad) habit of using unique components and technologies that other brands do not have. This technology enables the company to control the production and availability of various spare parts.
As a result, consumers find themselves in a dilemma:
- Or they can't find parts to repair the damaged smartphone, so they have to buy a new model,
- Or they have to pay a high price for the repair, because Apple has the exclusive right to repair the parts.
In addition, in 2017, apple even admitted that it voluntarily limited the performance of some old iPhones in order to maintain the autonomy of the battery. In the face of this, at least, abusive practice, about 30 U.S. states and some consumer protection associations (such as the French stop plan elimination Association) accused apple of deliberately planning to eliminate the iPhone in order to make more profits.
By 2020, the company eventually paid $113 million to end the lawsuit. In France, it was fined 25 million euros for its outdated iPhone plan.
Apple now has an obligation to notify users when it releases updates that may slow down smartphones. However, despite these measures and sanctions, apple still refuses to admit its mistakes.
3、 Alternatives
Since 2015, the law prohibits planned elimination to avoid waste and excessive consumption. Since then, manufacturers' response has been to provide advice and spare parts in order to repair their products.
It is also found that the purpose of DIY workshop is to teach consumers and professionals how to repair all kinds of damaged or faulty items.
Measures have also been taken with regard to household appliances and electronic products: these appliances now have a label indicating whether they are easy to repair: This is the repairability index.
4、 Repairability index
Repairability index is a new mandatory ecological index formulated by the government. This indicator aims to raise consumers' awareness of planned obsolescence and encourage the repair of faulty products. stay Anti waste method adopt circular economyManufacturers now have an obligation to inform consumers of the repairability of the equipment they sell.
Therefore, every electrical and electronic device must have an indicator, whether sold in stores or online. The repairability indicator is displayed in the form of a 10 point scale and a color logo. The highest rating (closest to 10 points) and the green mark mean that the equipment can be easily repaired and there are many spare parts. The lower the score, the more difficult (if not impossible) it is to repair the equipment.
At present, only 40% of electronic and electrical equipment can be repaired. The government aims to increase this figure to 60% within five years. The target equipment are mainly household appliances, laptops, smartphones, lawn mowers and televisions.
The repairability index of the above equipment is based on five criteria:
- Availability of files
- Availability of spare parts
- Spare parts price
- Accessibility and detachability of equipment
- Standards specific to the equipment category.
5、 Make the right choice
Therefore, the government is trying to solve the problem of obsolescence in the plan and encourage consumers repair Their products, rather than systematically buying new equipment.
Therefore, as consumers, we have the responsibility to empower ourselves and ensure that the purchased equipment and machines have a long service life. But most importantly, it must be ensured that it is repaired where feasible. It's not just a matter of saving money, because it's a real problem Ecological behavior.
If it's not easy, choose Durable and Repairable Products It is time to simplify, especially through mandatory repairability indicators.
