Blog Post 10

Giving Consumers Something To Complain About

Businesses today are being attacked for “planned obsolescence” of their products, or in other words, causing their products to become outdated before they actually need replacement. Products are breaking before they should, just so you have to go buy the newer updated version of the product. Also, companies are being charged with perceived obsolescence. In this case, consumers are accusing companies of continually changing consumer concepts of acceptable styles to encourage consumers to buy the modernized version earlier than actually needed.

http://phys.org/news/2014-09-chinese-buyers-iphone-global-debut.html

One example of this is the ever-changing IPhone. It seems that once you are comfortable to the newest version of the IPhone, Apple comes out with a new software update or an entirely new phone. This makes your now old version of the IPhone seem… well, old. Consumers’ perspective on this is perceived obsolescence. However, think of this from the business perspective. If Apple stopped making newer models of the IPhone, then competing companies would come out with a newer and cooler phone. Consumers would then desire that phone over the outdated IPhone. Companies are constantly improving their products becau

se consumers want the latest high-tech innovations FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS.

https://fau4u2.wordpress.com/2014/06/01/big-news-apple-rumor-
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To address the accusation that for example, Apple plans on having their phones break so we buy the newer model IPhone. This is just simply not true because if they planned on having their products break then they would lose customers to competing brands. I, for one, do not take care of my IPhone. I have spent well over $500 on fixing broken screens, replacing the phone all together because of damage, etc. (which for the record is not something I am proud of). Just this past week, I spent $115 on a brand new screen after dropping it and my screen completely fell off. As I am on Amazon buying a new case, I happened to hit my newly fixed phone off my counter onto my nice tile floors. The 115 dollars lasted a solid 6 whole days before I shattered my screen. The IPhone as I learn the hard way is a high-tech piece of technology that cannot be thrown around, dropped, kicked, etc. How you treat your technology is a determinate for how long the piece of technology will last. By dropping the IPhone for example, you are rattling the insides and shaking technology that is not made to be. This will in turn cause the phone to have a shorter life span.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ijustine/3025807213/

An example of this phenomenon is the contrary to my IPhone sob story. My Mother (Beth, she’s a great lady) has had the same IPhone for four years now and has never shattered or needed to get it replaced. (You can only imagine how the phone calls go when I tell her I broke my phone again.) She has a protective case and never drops her phone. The phone has never had issues, has never had a glitch and barley has a scratch on it. Her phone is lasting better against time compared to my phone because she takes care of her phone more than I do.

Companies do not plan on having their products become obeslete, they are constantly innovating their products and coming out with new models to please their customers. They are taking into consideration the feedback they get from consumers and putting that directly back into their products to please no one else but us. They are giving the consumers what they want and what do the consumers do in return? They either go out and buy the new product, or complain about how their phone is now outdated. You either make the customer happy or given them something to complain about.