Every product is designed with a useful life in mind, the span over which it is meant to work and stay wanted. Obsolescence is what happens when that life is cut short: a product becomes outdated, unwanted or no longer functional before it truly needs replacing, and, as the syllabus stresses, this can be planned rather than accidental.
Obsolescence
Obsolescence is when a product becomes outdated, unwanted, or no longer functional before the end of its useful life — often by design.
Products fall out of use by several routes. Some genuinely wear out, but many are pushed aside because a newer model has arrived, a fashion has moved on, or a company has stopped supporting them. Recognising these different routes helps a designer judge which are unavoidable and which are a deliberate choice with consequences.
Designers and companies may use obsolescence to drive repeat purchases, but this can have serious consequences for the environment, the economy and society at once.
Planned obsolescence
Planned obsolescence is when a product is intentionally designed to become outdated or less useful after a certain period. This is done to encourage repeat purchases, or to allow for new technologies or safety improvements in future versions.
Planned obsolescence, also called built-in obsolescence, is a deliberate strategy in which a product is given a limited lifespan so that consumers have to buy again sooner. Manufacturers use it to keep sales strong and stay competitive by constantly refreshing their range. The idea is not new: as early as the 1930s, General Electric boosted flashlight-lamp sales by making lamps that ran brighter but lasted less time.
A design built for planned obsolescence tends to share tell-tale features: low durability, parts that are hard or costly to repair, casings that resist disassembly for maintenance, and a steady stream of restyled or 'improved' models that make the previous one feel dated. Cutting cost this way is sometimes called value engineering, though rising competition can pull firms back towards durability as buyers migrate to brands they trust to last.
There are real trade-offs. New generations bring genuine upgrades and the latest technology, and high sales volumes support jobs and national economies. But the constant need to replace is inconvenient and wasteful, forcing people to give up products whose features they were perfectly happy with, and driving up waste, pollution, energy use and the consumption of raw materials.
Inkjet printers with chipped cartridges: some printers are designed to reject third-party cartridges or stop functioning after a set number of prints, even when they are still usable.
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