Planned obsolescence is one of the most infuriating parts of the tech industry. Many companies retire operating systems, cloud services, and applications after a few years, resulting in many physical products ultimately becoming useless.
One Reddit user shared their experience with a now-outdated device at home, posting it to the r/Anticconspiration subreddit.
“It’s too bad that perfectly good hardware was turned into a brick just because the server was shut down,” they said. They clearly saw this as a trend rather than a specific case.
They noted that while all components of the product still work, the company shut down the cloud application programming interface, turning it into “instant e-waste.”
“Turning available technology into garbage simply to save server costs is not only annoying; it should be illegal,” the original poster added.
Commenters mostly agreed, focusing on products like Facebook Portal and the Amazon Glow video calling device. For its part, Amazon is at least offering refunds to all buyers after the online retailer decided to remove cloud support, rendering the devices completely useless. The device initially featured the ability to read and play books and games online through video calls, making it popular with children and family members.
According to the United Nations Environment Program, humans generate 62 million tons of e-waste every year, and lack of e-waste management results in $78 billion in environmental and human health costs every year.
E-waste not only takes up space on the planet, but it also leaks heavy metals and other chemicals into our soil and waterways. Furthermore, abandoning technology prematurely is a waste of labor, natural resources, and energy.
The use of technology is unlikely to decline, placing the blame on businesses. Instead of forcing customers to buy a new phone every year, tech companies should plan to let customers keep their phones for as long as possible. They should also encourage customers to recycle technology to recoup their money rather than throwing it away.
Reddit users sympathized with the OP.
One user shared: “It’s crazy, the SNES and CRT TV my grandpa gave me still work, but the newer devices are dead.”
“I’m tired of this obsolescence,” another sympathized. “I have a perfectly functioning iPod touch and thought it would be cool to give it to my kids.”
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