Do you remember those wrist watches and maybe a fountain pen which was old but still used to work!?
I used to love taking my dad’s ‘automatic’ watch which used to beat like magic! All you had to do was wear it for some time and it will be RECHARGED!
He also had this amazing fountain pen which he used to keep in his special brief case which we used to open once in many days or years and marvel at how it used to write!
Most houses had things which used to be in the family for generations and more! It could be an old box or even some TV! A tea or coffee set or even a cutlery box!
Always kept for special occasions (which never came!) or for special guests (who did not bother!).
The again the blog is not about that! It is about something called PLANNED OBSOLENCE!
Notice how you phone gets slow when a new version is released!? It is not your imagination! It is an industry trick!
Planned obsolescence is a business and industrial design strategy where a product is deliberately designed or marketed with an artificially limited useful life!
There were times when bulbs and phones used to last for ages! While now they slowly die!
Even an average printer apparently has a limited number of print after which it literally stops printing!
There are many types of Planned Obsolescence and the most industry especially the service industry use them for getting more and more profits!
The first is called the Functional Obsolescence! In ths parts are engineered to wear out, break, or fail after a specific period, making the whole device unusable!
Then you have the Perceived or Aesthetic Obsolescence! These are Minor styling or design changes make older models look unfashionable or outdated, even if they still work well! You simply make minor tweaks in the design so that the new product might look a little different or new or even have a new colour making the OLD one obsolete while in fact it still works well!
Then you have the latest type of obselence called the Incompatibility Obsolescence which is a familiar term for the software folks! Here software updates, dropped manufacturer support, or changing digital ecosystems make older hardware slow or incompatible! It is a common way to SLOW you down!
Finally nowadays you hardly seen any REPAIR shops! This is because one whole industry works in the Prevention of Repair! This is achieved by so many methods like Products are glued shut or soldered so tight that it is impossible to OPEN them without damage! Then you have companies using , use proprietary screws which either need special tools to open or would not open at all! Finally you have the most common lack of replacement parts, making repairs more expensive than buying new items!
All modes of making your products (and for that matter; you!) obsolete!
Then again there are some things which would not get obsolete! Like the wit and humor of R K LAXMAN and his common man!
A humble sketch dedication from one of his biggest fans who is hoping not to get obsolete!
SHubh ratri!
