Planned obsolescence

• Some manufacturing companies plan or design products to have a short useful life. They do this so they will become obsolete i.e. that they will become unfashionable, or they will no longer function after a certain period of time
• When the product becomes unfashionable or no longer works, companies then produce new and improved products at short intervals
• Companies use planned obsolescence for a variety of reasons:

  • Because of technology improving
  • To keep sales at a steady level
• Planned obsolescence is very wasteful. It impacts the environment and creates disposal issues
• Apple is an example of a business that uses planned obsolescence. With each new model of their iPhone, they change the connections, meaning that people have to buy new leads, chargers and headphones alongside their new phone