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Planned obsolescence came from the early 19th century when the economy was still young. Electrical companies over the world created a secret organization called PHOEBUS which aim was to control the production, and the prices of light bulbs. And it decided to set the light bulb lifetime to a thousand hours and this goal was achieved. So even when it has been dismantled and the limitation was lifted, the lifetime didn’t went up and stagnated to a thousand hours. Also, engineers had to become destroyers: tights are a good example. As they were becoming too resistant with the discovery of new fibers, engineers were ordered to decrease the tights’ resistance in a scientific way. So they were decreasing the quality of the object they had just worked very hard on. Finally, the ones that were against this method didn’t impose themselves. The annual model change is an important subject linked to planned obsolescence. Introduced by Alfred P. Sloan in General Motors with the Chevrolet cars in the 1920’s, its principle is to release every year new product with different design and colors in order to create a sort of fashion and a need for the consumer to have the latest version. Without planned obsolescence, the capitalist economy that we know today would probably die because we are in a consumer’s society, and it can’t work without consumption. That’s why planned obsolescence has no legal existence and why politicians are powerless.
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Planned Obsolescence
Does the consumers’ society have promoted innovation ?
Was planned obsolescence part of it ?
Introduction
What is obsolescence ?
And planned obsolescence ?
Different kinds of planned obsolescence
Close relation with economics / politics
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Summary
I. Object-related obsolescence
II. Implicite obsolescence
III. The relation between economics, politics and obsolescence
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I)Object-related obsolescence
Winter 1924 : PHOEBUS cartel
Aim :- control production
- make consumers buy more
1925 : light bulb lifetime = 1000 hours
=> Penalties if not respected 4
a) The origins
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1940 : aim achieved
1942 : PHOEBUS was found out
1953 : Limitation to 1000h lifted, but too late …
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Example : nylon with tights
1940 : new extra resistant fiber for textile⇒ Too resistant => less sales
« a product which refuses to wear out is a tragedy of business »
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I) b) Destructive engineers
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Order to engineers to create less resistant tights
2 groups of engineers but 1 stood up
⇒ Backward innovation …
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Functionnal obsolescence Problem with the functioning
of the object⇒ Printer example
Problem with repairing the object⇒ Ipod example
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c) Nowadays …
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Systemic obsolescence No forward compatibility⇒ Microsoft Office Word example
⇒ Video Game example
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II) Implicite obsolescenceExample : Car industry in the 1920’s
Henri Ford and the Ford T
“Any customer can have a car painted
any color that he wants so long as it is black”
Alfred P. Sloan, head of General Motors10
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II) Implicite obsolescence Annual model change : everywhere
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III) Economical & political situation
Economics :
Consumer society : market saturation => Death of capitalism
In the 1980’s, some companies
from eastern Germany manufactured
products that were more robust.12
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Political situation
Legal warranty : France vs Europe
Common idea : planned obsolescence is a myth !
Jean-Vincent Placé proposed a bill against planned obsolescence.
○ Legal warranty up to 5 years○ Access to spare parts for 10 years○ Proven use of planned obsolescence considered as an offence from
the company
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Conclusion Planned obsolescense started in the early 20th
century
Innovation had to go backwards
Brainwashing and habit to consume
Planned obsolescence is one of the basis of todays’ capitalism
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Thank you foryour attention !
Any questions?
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Discussion1. Here, who is still using the first cell
phone he ever had in his life?
2. As an engineer, how would you react if you were told to lower the quality of the product you are working on?
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3. Do you think that planned obsolescence is necessary for the survival of capitalism ?
Do you have any alternatives to assure continuous sales of products?
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DiscussionEI05 – A13
Sources The Light Bulb Conspiracy, documentary, by Cosima Dannoritzer, 2010,
produced by ARTE
Ipod’s dirty secret, short movie from the Neistat brothers about the impossibility
to replace an ipod’s battery
Debate from Jean-Vincent Placé at the French Senat : http://
www.senat.fr/questions/base/2013/qSEQ13030004A.html
A Century of rivalry between Ford and Chevrolet : http://
hughwilliamson.hubpages.com/hub/Ford-vs-Chevrolet-A-Century-of-Rivalry
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