Steven Foley

It never fails. You buy a new computer that works and you are very happy with it. After a few years, you decide to upgrade the RAM, add a bigger hard drive and maybe some new peripherals like an ergonomic keyboard and an optical mouse. Little did you know, technology has morphed and changed and the new keyboard and mouse you bought won’t even plug into your computer because the connectors are now different. The hard drive requires an external adapter that also won’t plug into your existing computer. In order to enjoy the new hardware, you really need to buy a whole new computer. And by the way, the existing operating system and MS Office suite you have is no longer supported either and may not work well on the new computer or the new peripherals. So you need new software too.

This reminds me of and is very similar to cars of the past. If you kept your car past 50,000 miles, be prepared for a major overhaul and don’t even bother if the car reaches 100,000 miles as it will fall apart around the rebuilt engine and transmission anyway. It’s called planned obsolescence. A dirty little strategy to keep the consumer buying entirely new products because they have to and not because global ingenuity can’t figure out how to make standard computer connectors, compatible software and hardware configurations or a car that lasts a lifetime.

In actuality, the core marketing strategy for new computing equipment, and phones too for that matter, surrounds innovation, functionality, speed and quality. Even though it is only until the next updated version or technological breakthrough arrives and your existing computer or phone is considered to be junk, becomes incompatible, and is no longer supported. Like a mobius loop, consumer demand for faster and better gadgets drives technological advancement, new manufacturing and new products needing new marketing, new sales and a consumer need for even faster and better technology.

The value proposition of faster and more functional that we get from marketers regarding technology should have caveats. For example, “The new Macbook Air – The next generation of Macbooks (Until next week when the generation after this one is released)” or “Microsoft Windows 7 (Valid and supported until version 8 is released and Windows 7 self corrupts automatically) would be more forthcoming, honest and realistic.

At the end of the day, if all this technology is disposable and has a short planned life, how can it truly be of innovation and high quality?

Graphic Credit:
Animationfactory.com