built-in obsolescence
Designed to expire
Built-in obsolescence is the deliberate design of products to fail, wear out, or become outdated after a limited time, ensuring consumers must replace them.
Manufacturers might use components that break easily, stop providing software updates, or introduce incompatible new versions: The phone's battery can't be replaced—classic built-in obsolescence.
Also called planned obsolescence.
- profit maximizationPursuing greatest possible gains
- software updatesReleased improvements to programs
- market manipulationArtificially distorting asset prices
- resource depletionExhausting available materials gradually
- product lifecyclePhases goods pass through
corporate responsibility · material fatigue · subscription models · pricing strategies · brand loyalty · competitive advantage · moral hazard · impulse buying · e-waste · decision fatigue · consumer electronics · landfill · fast fashion · supply chain management
built-in obsolescencedurability
Resistance to wear
built to last · heirloom quality · longevity · repairability · modularity
built-in obsolescencesustainable design
Minimizing environmental harm intentionally
circular economy · quality over quantity · craftsmanship · anti-consumerism · stewardship
built-in obsolescenceright to repair
Legal ability to fix purchases
repairability · modular design · sustainable design · circular economy · upgradability
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