History of Tech - Part 6 - Tech Designed to FAIL!

Have you ever heard the saying ''They don't make them like they used to''? That is because in many cases, it's true. When electricity was first discovered in the 1800's, products that used this magical force... were initially built to last. And in some instances, some of the first tech is still running and usable today, without having to replace it. Now however, product manufacturers prefer that you replace that obsolete item every now and then.
After some digging and research, I found a few such products, and the difference in life span compared to the originals is astronomical.

1 – The gaming industry, as you may know, is a multi, multi billion dollar industry and there is one good reason why. With planned obsolescence, not including shoddy construction (cough... Microsoft.... cough) the gaming industry is continually thinking up ways they can squeeze as much cash out of you as they can. Current Games only have a limited amount of playability, so if you want that new weapon, race track or wig, you will have to buy DLC, GTA 5 is the biggest culprit of this that I can think of, but in some cases, they hold of on DLC and incorporate it into the next game instead. With most of the new consoles that come out every few years, they don't allow backwards comparability with older generation games, they also increase the value of new games by, in some cases, 200%, only to dip to a more reasonable price only months or even weeks after release. So if you want to play the latest title, you will have to sell that child who suspiciously looks like Meg to afford them.

2 – In a fire department in California, there is a light bulb that has been on since 1901, nearly 120 years the has been on for, so why are we having to replace our bulbs after only a couple of months use? That's because the manufactures design the bulbs so they 'will' fail by using increasingly fine filaments that will burn through in less that 2500 hours of use. Some are even sold with the life expectancy of only 1000 hours. This is to force you to buy more, maximising profits. However, there are alternatives now that last much longer... I am talking about LED bulbs, they offer from 10 to 100 times longer life than regular ones.

3 – There are cars still running and driving on the roads from the early to mid 1900's, but after the model n' year classification caught on, people started to buy the latest and greatest that was available. This in turn gave manufacturers less incentive to make a quality product knowing it will be replaced anyway. Today, cars are made very cheaply, using plastics and composites in place of sturdy material that would last. You would be lucky if your car reached 300'000 miles with original parts. Most people would now rather buy the latest new car on credit, than spend exorbitant amounts to get their old one repaired.

4 – Originally, an office printer was a huge eyesore, was expensive but it lasted. You would only change the ink if it wasn't printing. Now however, printers are very cheap. So cheap in fact, there cheaper than buying new ink cartridges. Most ink cartridges have a smart chip on them, that lets you know when the ink is low. But thanks to how they are designed, some brands will tell you that the ink is out when only half of it has been used. Some printer brands even have a kill switch to stop the printer from working after its been used as many times as the company deems fit. Want to get it repaired? You may as well by another printer for the cost of repair will be much greater.

5 – Many people love there Apple iPhone, always wanting and waiting to get the next generation just so they can through that last one in the bin. Well thanks to Steve Jobs and how he marketed them, that's exactly what he planned, to create enough hype to make you want a new iPhone. And if you want to keep the old one. Well, Apple is cool with that. So much so, they overload the older models with software updates that effectively crash that phone if they think you've had it for too long. But if you still refuse to buy a new one, the shoddy components and cheaply assembled phone will eventually break and they are not designed to be repaired. Yup. Apple, you are a bunch of fuckturds who like to screw over its very own consumers.

I've always known that apple were cheaply made, but the depths of depravity is disgusting. And it isn't limited to phones, they do the exact same thing with all their products... Wankers... the lot of em.

Thanks for reading.

Stu @TechMojo

Images...
https://www.amazon.com/Caution-Angry-Gamer-Funny-POSTER/dp/B00LE296SA
http://the-biggest.net/centennial-light-photo-online-cam/
http://www.car-addicts.com/consumer-reports/automotive-guide/used-cars-vs-new-cars
http://thewirecutter.com/blog/why-all-printers-suck-even-the-best-ones/
https://techcrunch.com/2015/04/26/hello-nokia-releases-official-statement-denying-reports-it-will-return-to-mobile-handsets/