Obsolescence
Obsolescence is the state of being that occurs when an object, service or practice is no longer maintained or required even though it is still in good working order.
Obsolescence often occurs because a replacement is available that has, in sum, more advantages compared to the disadvantages incurred by maintaining or repairing the original. Obsolete also refers to something that is already deprecated, discarded, or outdated. Obsolescence is usually preceded by a gradual decline in popularity.
Types
Obsolescence is the condition or state in which a product is found that has already fulfilled a validity or scheduled time for it to continue working. The recognized types of obsolescence are:
Technical obsolescence: products become technically obsolete from an engineering point of view (the product is no longer state-of-the-art) and from a usability point of view (the product is not convenient to use). When new substitute technologies leave one outdated product in favor of the next, as in the case of the slide rule and electronic calculator, the telegraph and telephone, cassette tapes and compact discs, the VHS video system versus DVD, etc. It is also a direct consequence of the research and development activities that allow, in a relatively short time, to manufacture and build improved equipment with capacities superior to those of the precedents. The paradigm, in this case, is made up of computer equipment capable of multiplying its power in a matter of months.
Ecological obsolescence: products become ecologically obsolete when they pollute the environment according to technical possibilities. Regarding obsolescence we have to consider environmental aspects. On the one hand, obsolescence can help save energy/water consumption and on the other hand, obsolescence leads to higher resource use and more waste by shortening the life cycle of products. This last category is highly related. with greenwashing or corporate "green" facelift.
Economic obsolescence: Products become economically obsolete when their value for money is lower compared to a new product (for example, the total cost of ownership, including purchase, installation, operation, maintenance and disposal costs)
Compatibility Obsolescence: Products also become obsolete when replacement parts are no longer available. Due to the impossibility of finding spare parts, as in the case of automobiles or consumer electronics. The absence of adequate spare parts is due to the increase in production costs as they are short series.
Psychological obsolescence: is caused by the introduction of a new product that is more modern. There are the following subtypes of psychological obsolescence:
- Aesthetic obsolescence: products become obsolete aesthetically when their appearance is no longer acceptable.
- Stylistic obsolescence: products become stylistically obsolete when new styles appear and the consumer has the desire or is forced to be fashionable.
- Social obsolescence: products become socially obsolete when there is a change in social perception.
- Legal obsolescence: products become obsolete legally when the legal requirements do not allow to apply the product.
Planned obsolescence
The programmed obsolescence or planned obsolescence is the determination or programming of the end of a product's useful life, so that after a period of time calculated in advance by the manufacturer or by the company during the design phase of the product, it becomes obsolete, non-functional, useless or inservable by various procedures, for example due to lack of spare parts, inducing consumers to purchase a new product that is a new product. Its function is to generate higher income due to more frequent purchases, which result in continuous economic benefits for longer periods of time for companies or manufacturers.
The objective of obsolescence is not to create quality products, but exclusively economic profits, not taking into account the needs of consumers, nor the environmental impact on production, and much less the consequences that are generated from the point of view of the accumulation of waste and the pollution they carry. For industry, this attitude positively stimulates demand by encouraging consumers to purchase new products in an artificially accelerated way if they want to continue to use them. The programmed obsolescence is used in a wide variety of products.
The programmed obsolescence antonyms are lengthening and durability.Consequences of obsolescence
We are currently facing a paradox whose consequences are still difficult to quantify; In effect, when on the one hand we have the technological capacity to manufacture durable products, we find ourselves in the necessity of adapting to the permanent change of technologies.
This entails the continuous substitution of equipment which, due to its frequent lack of second-hand markets, generates huge amounts of waste, with the environmental problems that this entails.
The response to this problem has been varied; Thus, the industry proposes recycling facilities, with the costs that this entails (energy consumption, pollution, etc.); For example, we have the recent announcement by a telecommunications company of the upcoming sale of a mobile phone with an expiration date, with a one-year use. On the other hand, various humanitarian organizations redistribute these perfectly operational equipment among people, institutions and less developed countries.
The phenomenon of obsolescence is not only limited to the fields described. It is possible to identify it within real estate products. These, due to the inconsistency between the requirements of current life and the architectural programs foreign to them, see their sales speeds affected. Reinterpretation architecture specializes in readjusting a property to new needs.