Is Apple Guilty of Planned Obsolescence? To prevent users from opening their devices, Apple is switching to a new tamper-proof screw.
It's planned obsolescence, says one critic. Apple’s increasing use of tamper-resistant screws is a form of planned obsolescence, says one critic. As previously reported, Apple is using proprietary five-point security screws in the iPhone 4 and new MacBooks Airs. The special screws were first used in the 2009 MacBook Pro to stop users from replacing the battery. The screws are unique to Apple and serve one purpose only: to keep users out. The plan, says iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens, is to force customers to upgrade their gadgets sooner than necessary.
“It’s a form of planned obsolescence,” says Wiens. iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens Planned obsolescence is an industrial design strategy that encourages customers to upgrade their products sooner than necessary. According to Wiens, the special screws prevent owners from upgrading or repairing their machines themselves. Apple didn’t respond to a request for comment. Apple’s Latest ‘Innovation’ Is Turning Planned Obsolescence Into Planned Failure « iFixit Blog. We’re accustomed to planned obsolescence.
New models come out every year—faster, shinier and just plain better. But before the iPhone, cell phones without user-replaceable batteries were almost unheard of. Apple realized that they could sell more phones if they built the phone with an integrated battery, prompting users to upgrade once the battery wore down. A phone isn’t very useful once you can’t take it away from the charger for more than an hour—which is guaranteed to happen with every iPhone. We’ve written extensively about Lithium-Ion batteries in the past—they’re wonderful technology, but they have a finite life of 300 to 500 cycles. Charges are cumulative, and you do not have to completely discharge the battery every cycle. Imagine if rather than shipping inkjet printers with replaceable ink cartridges, HP forced you to buy a new printer every 400 pages. Apple defends themselves by claiming that you can always pay them to replace the battery.
iPhone 4S Disappoints, Underscores Apple's Planned Obsolescence Strategy. Screengrab via Gizmodo videoThe iPhone 4S.
Apple's latest. Everyone who cares about gadgets was waiting on pins and needles to hear about the release of the the latest, newest, ooooooh-est iPhone from Apple. And nearly everyone was disappointed by what was actually released. If anything, the iPhone 4S is proof, yet again, that Apple could give a _ _ _ _ about the environment in the larger scheme of things. iPhone 4S Disappoints With Old Design, Few New FeaturesThe iPhone 4S was a let-down for many.
It has a faster chip, better camera and voice activated personal assistant software. The Register notes, "Apple has always made up for technical caution with overwhelming style and awesome design, but the 4S takes its design from its predecessor and the technology it's using is going to date quickly. " From BuyMyTronics, "We were getting ready for the announcement, trying to tell the world that BuyMyTronics was a good place to sell old iPhones. Apple's Planned Obsolescence: Customer Revolt Brews - Global-cio - Executive insights/interviews. Short term, Apple will make more money.
Long term, it will annoy, and lose, even ardent device fans. This just in from Apple: "MobileMe ends June 30. Although there are good standards-based ways to make your contacts and calendars available, we will arbitrarily disable those features in OS/X until you upgrade your operating system and, we hope, purchase new hardware from us. " OK, maybe that's not the way Apple put it, but that's the message I hear. In my personal life, Apple is starting to drive me crazy with planned obsolescence. As the headline writers pithily put it on a recent David Thier blog on Forbes.com: "Every iPhone Accessory You Own Just Became Obsolete. " The typical knowledge worker who relies on a smartphone has a charger in the car, at home, and at work. And don't think you'll be able to get inexpensive equivalents of accessories such as car chargers. Global CIOs: A Site Just For You Is innovation really supposed to work like this?
Planned obsolescence plus mass consumption equals full landfills. Apple announces the iPad 2 and immediately original iPads land on virtual chopping blocks.
Who wants the crummy original when there is a shiny upgrade for sale? It’s called planned obsolescence and it’s not unique to Apple. All industry players rely on the relentless upgrade cycle to power profits, as slightly older but still useful products are sent to landfills when owners pursue the latest and greatest. “Even [with] the most energy-efficient, toxin-free, closed-loop recycled product, buying a new model every year has implicit environmental costs,” said Greenpeace IT analyst Casey Harrell. “Ultimately, we must question how much we need. Or, more to the point, are the latest versions necessary? Self-Repair Manifesto.