Posted by Nate
Posted on 07-22-2008 under Business Operations, Office Nonsense

The other day I was berating my 4-year-old iPod for once again dying on me before heading out to the office.  Now, the iPod was almost fully charged and has been treated very well thus far in its lifespan.  Technically speaking, it should work just fine.  But alas, problems arise frequently with my portable music box.

Usually when it craps out, I have to ‘restore’ it to its original status, meaning all my songs have to be re-loaded back into the iPod.  I’ve had to do this a dozen or so times over the years.  This is more of an annoyance than anything else, as it technically still operates, but I’m left wondering how much longer the device will last.

There have been numerous reports of iPod’s and iPhones biting the dust shortly after purchase but because these are slick products that have great features, consumers like myself still put up with the negative feedback.  A friend of mine is on his 6th blackberry-type cell phone in less than a year because they keep breaking.  X-box 360’s have the dubious honor of being one of the most problematic electronic devices since the video game system debuted in late 06’.  So much so that the console manufacture, Microsoft, was forced to issue a 3-year warranty to quell the building uproar of its more often than not defective product.  I understand that these modern devices with all their high-tech innards are complicated to develop, but I do wish that the reliability of these products was held in a higher regard than they are now.

The problems with my iPod, though relatively minor at this point, and experiences with other electronic devices got me thinking about a term I learned back in my college days: Planned Obsolescence.  Planned obsolescence is the intentional and often deceptive practice by manufactures to build products in such a way as to expect them to become non-functional, thereby forcing the consumer to purchase another similar product after a certain period of time.  And it seems that these timed product life cycles are getting shorter and shorter.  Cell phones in general seem to be highly susceptible to planned obsolescence as no one seems to be able to keep a functional cell phone for more than a year or two.

The standard one-year warranty that comes with most products seems a little insufficient in lieu of all these shoddily made electronic devices.  Of course you can purchase the ‘extended’ warranty, which I’m quite sure is part of the planned obsolescence business model, but it just seems to me that a two or three standard warranty should be imposed for any electronics’ purchased that exceed $100.

Just a thought.

Here’s hoping my iPod holds out for another year.

[image]