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Kristen Lopez

Professor David Alfieri

Comp II

20 October 2011

Planning and Perceiving Obsolescence

Technology today—it’s ever-changing, always evolving, and forever being improved

upon. The one thing that remains the same throughout all this transformation is the irritation that

these new products bring. You know that fancy new iPod you just bought? Don’t get used to it,

for you will most likely succumb to the pressure of buying the new version they release next

year. This method of marketing is called perceived obsolescence. Companies and corporations

lead you to believe that the product you just purchased from them last year is now out of style,

and sucker you into buying their often touted “new and improved” product they just released. If

you don’t buy a new iPod just because you want the updated model, then it’s probably because

the one you have now died far too quickly. This is called planned obsolescence. Companies are

more than able to create a product that can last a long time, but why would they when they can

trick you into buying their product again year after year? That is how they make money. It is

these tricks and methods that manufacturers use to take the money out of your wallets and put it

into theirs.

A perfect example of both planned and perceived obsolescence is indeed utilized by the

Apple Corporation. In the article “iPhone 4S Disappoints, Underscores Apple's Planned

Obsolescence Strategy,” author Jaymi Heimbuch discusses how the company is quick to come

out with a new product that will draw in consumers and have people buy their new product.

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However, the newest iPhone they have come out with is barely any different from the previous

one and has disappointed buyers around the world. Heimbuch claims, “It is a move that boils

down to taking advantage of customer loyalty and consumer buzz in order to make more profits.”

They were previously supposed to come out with the iPhone 5, a brand new phone with

awesome new features for fanboys (and girls) to giggle at and get excited for. They promised the

public a new phone and continuously pushed back the release date. Instead, they proceeded to

rush out with a phone that was purely a way to make people waste their money on something

they already have.

Although companies today are seemingly addicted to planned and perceived

obsolescence, this isn’t a recent development. Fifty years ago, a newspaper article titled,

“Planned Obsolescence Object of Open Disdain,” highlighted the fact that this method is “an

integral part of the American economy” and “is being condemned as manipulated waste by a

majority.” Then, in 1958, obsolescence expert Brooks Stevens proclaimed, “We make good

products, we induce people to buy them, and then next year we deliberately introduce something

that will make those products old-fashioned, out of date, obsolete. We do that for the soundest

reason: to make money.” During this time, and despite this absurdity, companies like Maytag

and Volkswagen boasted how they kept the same model year after year and that their products

could be counted on for their durability. Can we say the same today? How often do you see

commercials advertising the same thing year after year? There is always a new and improved car

out on the market replacing the previous year’s model. Their methods lead the average consumer

to spend way more than they have to in order to replace perfectly working products, in addition

to making people spend money they often don’t have to replace a product that would still be

working if it wasn’t built to fail.

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When I was in the seventh grade, I received a shiny new iPod for Christmas. I was so

excited that I got the most recent addition to the Apple family, making all of my friends jealous.

Just a few short months later, Apple came out with a new set of iPods that were smaller, colorful,

and equipped with more memory. Naturally, as a child I was mad that they came out with what I

perceived as a cooler gadget and I wanted to buy the new one now. However, my parents told me

there was no reason for me to replace what I already had because it still worked perfectly. This

was a lesson I was frequently taught by my parents growing up. Even though there might be a

new pair of shoes in style or a new laptop that has cooler features than yours, you don’t waste

your money and you wait until you need to replace them. This basic principle is something that is

not practiced by everyone and certainly not endorsed in this economy. Sure, buying something

new every year is a great way to stimulate the economy and support businesses, but how will that

be beneficial to us when all the money in our pockets found its way into theirs?

As time goes on, planned obsolescence continues to grow as a method as well. My

mother bought a Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988 that we still sometimes play at my

grandmother’s house today. My brother got a Super Nintendo in 1990 and a Nintendo 64 in 1996

that are both still fully functional. Five years ago I bought a Nintendo Wii and this past summer

it just stopped working. In order for me to fix it they wanted me to pay $75. How is it possible

that the same company who had created so many durable and long lasting gaming systems put

out one more that seems to break so easily? I know other people who have had similar problems

with their Wiis as well; this is not a coincidence. What about the computer my family has had for

ten years and is still working, but I have gone through three laptops since I’ve been in high

school? Manufacturers just do not make their products with the same good quality anymore.

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They want to build a product that provides us with just enough sustainability to gain our trust,

and then have it break so we will want to buy a new one (Leonard).

Kalle Lasn, author of the book Culture Jam, writes feverishly about the economy of

America and the plight of consumerism. In it he captures what our country has become,

claiming, “America is no longer a country. It’s a multitrillion-dollar-brand” (xii). A major

component of assuring the consumer that they need to buy new “stuff” is advertising. In recent

years, the amount of commercials and advertisements flooding the media has increased

exponentially. The actual number might shock you, considering that, “Every day an estimated 12

billion display ads, 3 million radio commercials, and more than 200,000 TV commercials are

dumped into North America’s collective unconscious” (Lasn). Whether we are walking to the

store and spot a billboard or sitting on the couch watching television, we are bombarded with

images telling us what we should buy or how we should look. Once upon a time, in a land far, far

away, manufacturers had very little ways to show everyone their products. Now we do not need

to leave our houses to have this thrust upon us. Even something as simple as doing a Google

search yields a dozen or so ads that are so commonplace we barely notice anymore.

It is a sad reality that we are so easily manipulated and fooled by marketing techniques

and thrust into this consumer cycle. We waste our money and continuously buy computers and

clothes and cars to obtain the newest in technology or keep up with current fashion trends. I

don’t know about you, but I know plenty of people who do not wish to be caught wearing out of

style clothes or shoes. As a nation, and even as a planet, we are being told what we should be

buying and how frequently we should be doing so. The companies are full of greed, and are

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perpetuating an endless cycle of production, consumption and waste that is unnecessary and

harmful to the environment, to the economy, and to ourselves.

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Works Cited

Heimbuch, Jaymi. "IPhone 4S Disappoints, Underscores Apple's Planned Obsolescence

Strategy." Treehugger.com. 5 Oct. 2011. Web. 11 Oct. 2011.

<http://www.treehugger.com/files/2011/10/iphone-4s-disappoints-underscores-apples-planned-

obsolescence-strategy.php>.

Lasn, Kalle. “Hype,” in Signs of Life in the USA: Readings on Popular Culture for Writers,4thed. Sonia

Maasik & Jack Solomon, Eds. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 217‐220.

Lasn, Kalle. "Culture Jamming." Introduction. Culture Jam: How to Reverse America's Suicidal

Consumer Binge. New York: Quill, 2000. Xii. Print.

"Planned Obsolescence Object of Open Disdain." St. Petersburg Times 15 June 1951: 18. Print.

The Story of Stuff. Dir. Annie Leonard. Perf. Annie Leonard. Storyofstuff.org. Allegheny College, 22

Apr. 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2011.