the business model where your phone dies the same week the new one ships.
means deliberately designing products to fail, degrade, or feel outdated within a set timeframe so people have to buy replacements.
from coined in a 1932 pamphlet by real estate broker bernard london, who proposed the government legally assign death dates to products to fight the depression; industrial designers just skipped the legal part and did it anyway.
iphone batteries — apple throttled older models in 2017, sparked global lawsuits.
phoebus cartel — 1925 alliance of bulb makers shortened lifespan from 2500 to 1000 hours.
printer chips — epson printers halt after a set page count via embedded counter.
nylon stockings — dupont deliberately weakened fiber strength in the 1940s to boost sales.