Programmed Obsolescence

Manufactures have often been accused of making products that were designed to fail after at a given amount of time.. The concept is called planned obsolescence.

Today there is a new concept, programmed obsolescence. A product that tells you when it is no longer any good, whether it is or not.

Printers
I own a photo printer from a major printer manufacturer.
While printing a set of photos a warning came up that my light cyan needed to be replaced to maintain optimum performance. I continued to print anyway. The photos were perfect. I printed even more copies and after more than forty prints another message popped up stating that light cyan was now out. I decided to see how many more prints I could make before it was out. Twelve photos later the colors started to look a little off. The cartridge was replaced and the very next photo printed normal.

The black cartridge rarely runs out, so the company has employed a new strategy. Several weeks after the above incident, a message popped up stating that my black cartridge had expired and needed to be replaced or I was going to void my warranty. Now I don't have a warranty so I pressed the OK button and continued. The cartridge lasted another two hundred and fifty prints.

There are two types of bulk ink cartridge for my printer. One that comes with black and one that does not. The one that does is nearly twice the price. I'm guessing that is the reason behind the messages and not the manufactures concern over my printer or the quality of my prints.

I understand that different photos have different amounts of color applied to them. A picture with a lot of blues would have drained the cartridge quicker. The trend of warning me long before replacement was required continued with all the colors.

Water filters
I own a modern refrigerator with many of the newest options. One of the options that I feel fall outside the realm of usefulness is the water filter monitoring system. A display alerts you to the number of months left before you have to replace the filter. Once it hits zero, your suppose to replace the water filter. Initially I was under the belief that the refrigerator monitored the water flow or some other value to calculate the time left. This is not the case, the system simply counts down from six months to zero. It doesn't take much to figure out that a family of two does not consume the same amount of filtered water as a family of six.

With this method, both families would be replacing their filters at the same time. This didn't make sense. So we continued to use the filter after it hit zero. After about a week the ice maker stopped producing ice. I looked in the manual and it indicated among other things, that the filter may need to be replaced. I moved onto the filter section. In that section it instructs the owner to replace the filter when the counter hits zero or "diminished performance" is observed. My first thought was that the filter was clogged and needed to be replaced. When a filter is replaced, there is a reset procedure that is required to be performed. I decided to try that first, with out replacing the filter. Instantly my ice maker started working again.

The manufacturer programmed the refrigerator to stop producing ice cubes after a specific time after the timer reached zero. I phoned the company, and their customer service department explained to me that it was to protect the ice maker from being damaged. When I asked about the two person family vs the six person family idea they had no answers. They simply repeated what they had already told me.

I wonder if the fact that a water filter cost $50.00 has anything to do with it. The reason I ask that is; The filter does not have a bypass. If it becomes clogged it simply stops passing water through it and the ice maker would stop making ice. The user guide tells you to change it if "diminished performance" is observed. I would consider the refrigerator turning off the ice maker diminished performance.

Razor Blades
I recently tried a new style of disposable razor. Once I got it home and looked at it a little closer. It apparently has a strip on it that changes color when the razor needs to be replaced. Don't you normally replace a razor when it stops shaving right? I tried the razor the next morning and it worked very well. In fact it worked better than my previous disposable. But like other products, I was able to use it satisfactory for several days past the time it indicated to replace it. If a person had a lighter beard (I have a fairly heavy one) than myself, it would have lasted even longer.

I emailed the company and they explained to me that it was meant to be used as an inductor as to when you should consider replacing it. Replacement was always optional. I've seen ads on TV regarding the razor and don't quite get that message. Maybe it's me.


All of this comes down to, whether a company means well, or is merely trying to make a buck (only the company itself knows for sure). Use common sense when using a product and don't spend money on it if you don't have too.