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Kristen Lopez Professor David Alfieri Comp II 20 October 2011 Planning and Perceiving Obsolescence Technology todayits 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? Dont 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 dont buy a new iPod just because you want the updated model, then its 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 isnt 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 years 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 dont have to replace a product that would still be working if it wasnt 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 dont 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 grandmothers 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 Ive 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. Its 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 Americas 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 dont 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-plannedobsolescence-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. Martins, 2003. 217220. 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.