Your gadgets are designed to die

Why new products go off like milk.

The Washington Post has highlighted something we all know but rarely like to acknowledge - the ephemeral nature of technology.

We all know that products and gadgets these days are made to die, because company profits rely on increasing consumption, and at some point everyone already has a blender and a smartphone. But it’s still slightly shocking to see the death dates put on products so starkly with Apple AirPods given only two years to live and Nintendo Switches getting three.

Back in our grandparents’ days, you’d see people spending their weekends working on their cars, or fixing their radios.

However, with the convenience of the computerisation of everything, has come the ability of companies to know when you’ve tried to fix something yourself, or make it impossible in the first place.

This not only means they can sell more doodads, but they can also control who can repair those gadgets and what it costs.

Publicly traded companies have a duty to their shareholders to make as much profit as possible, not to make environmentally products that last. The Right to Repair movement around the world is lobbying for laws to be introduced to level the playing field a bit more so things aren’t as stacked against the consumer.

What are the problems

There are many problems with the current state of technology life spans.

The first is non-removable, rechargeable batteries. While they’re a step up from the AA batteries toys used to chew through, rechargeable batteries can only recharge so many times.

A good rechargeable battery can be recharged somewhere between 100-2000 times (depending on the size and quality). The best-case scenario for this is that the battery is then easily removed and replaced by the user, and recycled as best they can. The next best is being able to inexpensively take it to a repair centre to have it replaced.

However, smaller devices tend to have everything soldered or glued together, making it not only impossible to repair, but impossible to recycle any of the rare earth and critical materials used. It’s why most pairs of true wireless headphones are inevitable garbage, because they’re so small and the components are so glued that you can only use them for around two years before they die and are sent to landfill.

It's not just smart phones and headphones that are the problem, either, it’s tractors and electric cars.

Teslas are notoriously expensive and difficult to repair and the company was fined last year for throttling older batteries. Not to mention farmers who can’t repair their John Deere tractors in their paddocks, costing them valuable time and money.

Another problem is that companies make it harder to use longer-lasting version of products. By removing the 3.5mm headphone jack from phones, companies all but guaranteed a reliance on Bluetooth headphones which have a much more defined death date and fewer repair options than good quality wired headphones.

What are the potential solutions?

The best way is the most difficult one: pass laws saying that batteries have to be user replaceable, that devices have to be easily repairable, and mostly recyclable. That level of revolutionary change would likely take a resolution by the European Union, much like the implementing of USB-C as the standard charging port.

This would involve redesigning things like iPhones, AirPods and laptops to be more user-friendly (like they used to be) and remove the ability for companies to put software locks on cars and tractors.

France has already taken the step of forcing companies to advertise a repairability score with all tech products sold, which is encouraging manufacturers to put a little effort into that space to be competitive.

In Australia, a 2021 report from the Productivity Commission has made recommendations to bolster consumer rights, promote competition for repairs and improve product information and e-waste management.

However, it stopped short of suggesting an actual “right to repair” which is what many advocates worldwide have been working towards. Part of this could be because Australia alone doesn’t have enough power to change the offerings of tech giants.

In 2018 the ACCC fined Apple $9m for giving misleading advice that contradicted Australian Consumer Law when the company told people that they couldn’t get their device repaired under warranty after having repairs done by a 3rd party repairer. This opened the repair ecosystem a bit more to make it more affordable to hold onto smartphones longer. Now, Apple provides access to tools for self-repair, which is a huge step forward.

The other solution is people power: only buy items you know can be easily repaired.

This isn’t always easy, but when the choice is there, vote with your wallet.