And then there’s the subscription model. Where you don’t own or even license software. You just continually pay rent.
this post was submitted on 05 Feb 2024
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Not just software anymore, increasingly physical products too thanks to the whole IoT nonsense where every appliance you buy has to connect to the manufacturer to work now.
Yeah, that part is super fucked up. I have IoT in my ceiling fans. I had to call their support line to have them remotely turn off the beeping that accompanies a button press.
The feature can’t be deactivated locally. I literally had to have my ceiling fan join my Wi-Fi network so that support could remote in and disable a beep that no one could possibly want.
Oh yeah, my oven has Wi-Fi. What possible reason could there be for my oven to have network access? It’s beyond ridiculous.
Crazy how we're basically losing the right to personal property under late stage capitalism.
I insisted my dad on buying a Moser last week, the best corded electric hair trimmer that has ever existed. Why? It never fails. Easy to repair. German technology.
The new fad is already making portable electric trimmers with non-replaceable batteries and horrific ways to prevent repairs. No brand is safe – Philips (Netherlands), Braun (USA), Xiaomi (China), whatever you pick. Picked a Braun for daily use as it was the best compromise, and better than any brand these days.
Same way, bought a Victorinox Swiss knife. Could have bought the cheap Chinese ones, but most of them break or become non-functional in few weeks or months. A Victorinox lasts a lifetime. Swiss craftsmanship speaks volumes.
Same goes for smartwatches that die in 2-3 years. Invented planned obsolescence. I bought a steel Casio 15ish years ago for about $120. An absolute monster and a beauty I use everyday.
Oh, while this is the topic, let us not forget about cheap earbuds versus IEMs with replaceable 2-pin or MMCX cables. Last month replaced a cable for $10 on IEMs I got 3 years ago.
And let's not forget the $1 Staedtler mechanical pencil I have since school days, that still works to this day. It does not even have metal parts, which is better to have. Picking a Pentel P205 this month since it lasts a lifetime.
I can rant about this for ages. Repairability, user serviceability, common service parts and common standards are the real key to sustainability of this planet and us creatures, and only "traditional" companies/brands stick to it.
This dynamic illustrates how capitalism goes through different stages. Early on, companies compete on quality trying to attract customers with better products, and you end up with quality things that work well, last a long time, and so on. However, eventually you get to the point where the same volumes of the product are no longer needed, and that's when you start seeing things like planned obsolescence creep in because the logic of capitalism is that you have to keep selling and growing indefinitely.
Alwyas try and get products that last long and are user repairable, with easy third party parts availability. Some things like smartphones may be a lost cause for now, but most things are not. Smartphones have stagnated, so eventually we will see progress in this direction.
Capitali$m is on its last knees anyway, so I am not too worried about this intermediate turbulent phase of shitty products we will go through.
I very much agree, this is just a crazy period we have to live through, but sanity will return.