Planned obsolescence: that's the reason

You have probably already fallen victim to planned obsolescence - even if you may not have heard the term before. We will explain what is behind it.

What does planned obsolescence mean?

A deliberate reduction in the lifespan of products such as washing machines planned by the manufacturer is called "planned obsolescence.
Understandably, the planned obsolescence is not made public by the manufacturer.
Neither the term nor the idea is a recent invention. The American merchant Bernard London published the essay "Ending the Depression Through Planned Obsolescence" in 1932.
The planned obsolescence is a product strategy that deliberately incorporates weak points into a product. The aim is that the product will break or can no longer be used in full. The customer is then forced to buy a new product, which in turn means sales for the industry.
The planned obsolescence is unfortunately not verifiable. The concepts are sophisticated and knitted in such a way that they cannot be differentiated from normal wear and tear.

A washing machine used to last for decades. You can no longer expect that from today's products.

Theoretically, you can repair almost any defective device - then you wouldn't have to buy an expensive new device. In the course of the planned obsolescence, the device does not simply break.
It is also deliberately designed so that repairs are often difficult. So many devices are no longer screwed together, but glued. This not only makes opening but also closing a challenge. You know a typical example of this: Fixed batteries in smartphones can hardly be replaced on your own and repairs are expensive. The result: The customer buys a new cell phone when the battery stops working.
From printers and printer cartridges, you are probably familiar with another popular trick used by manufacturers - the use of so-called counter chips. These record the service life of a device. The manufacturer specifies a period of time after which the product then reports that it is no longer functional. In truth, it still runs like clockwork.
There are other tricks to lead a device to the defect as quickly as possible. For example, heat-sensitive capacitors are deliberately installed in particularly warm places.

If your home appliance stops working, read our article on Warranty for electrical appliances - how long is it?