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Obsolescence

NS.95620 -  
epango Posted messages 37195 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   -
Hello,
How can I tell if there is a planned obsolescence date on my PC?

4 answers

  1.
    Pierrecastor Posted messages 10830 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   4 215
     
    Hello,

    Except for exceptions, there is no planned obsolescence. However, there is what is called component sizing, which means manufacturers cut corners to lower prices and the materials therefore become more fragile.

    But there is no "date" recorded when everything will crash.

    --
    Light a fire for someone and they will be warm for the rest of the day. Set a man on fire and he will be warm for the rest of his life. -Terry Pratchett-
    2
    1. NS.95620
       
      Thank you .. I’m trying to prolong the life of my PC. The free space on the hard drive is 40% after deleting everything personal... photos / videos / pdfs.. I have the cleaner software and I regularly do "free space wipes" but the updates from Windows and the antivirus are going to wear out my ASUS PC.
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      1. Pierrecastor Posted messages 10830 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   4 215 > NS.95620
         
        Uh, we are talking about two different things. I was referring to hardware, here it's about software.

        And I don't see how software updates could "overcome" (whatever that means) a computer.
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  2. epango Posted messages 37195 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   Ambassador 4 270
     
    What a question! First of all, aren't you indicating which computer you have? And if there were planned obsolescence, do you really think they would tell you the exact date when your computer is going to break down?

    --
    Misnaming things adds to the world's misery (Albert Camus)
    1
    1. NS.95620
       
      not nice of you to respond like that, I’m just asking for help not for a lesson
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      1. epango Posted messages 37195 Registration date   Status Member Last intervention   4 270 > NS.95620
         
        Everyone can have a bit of common sense. You have it.
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  3. Anonymous user
     
    No date, but a PC can be calibrated with hardware that is not very durable and/or that makes simple and inexpensive repairs difficult.
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    1. Pierrecastor Posted messages 10830 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   4 215
       
      Yes, indeed. But behind that, the research and development office does not ask the question in the form of "we need to make a non-durable, poorly repairable PC so that it breaks down and we can sell more."

      It’s more like: "How can we save on components and materials to lower the price and/or increase the margin."

      And repairable equipment with spare parts also comes at a cost.

      So yes, for the consumer, it doesn’t really change much, but the approach is not the same. ;-)
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  4. Pierr10 Posted messages 13848 Registration date   Status Moderator Last intervention   5 849
     
    Hello,

    According to Wikipedia: 
    Planned obsolescence is, according to French law, "the set of techniques by which a market provider aims to deliberately reduce the lifespan of a product to increase its replacement rate."

    This is obviously prohibited, hence the sensible (and certainly somewhat blunt) response from epango.

    For the rest, the lifespan of the computer will be linked to:

    1) the components that age more or less well. This is hard to predict. We can only hope that a fairly expensive computer will have better quality components than an entry-level computer.

    2) upgrade and evolution possibilities: memory increases, acceptance of OS updates. For example, I am currently writing on a computer that is 10 years old. I have increased its memory, changed the HD to an SSD; I upgraded from Win 7 to Win 10. I have reached the limits of possible upgrades: this computer will not accept Win 11.

    So for your computer, you indicate in summary that you no longer have space for your documents and the Windows updates. The usage of your hard drive is your responsibility, not the manufacturer's. The only possible solution is to change the hard drive for a model with a larger capacity (possibly cloning it).

    --
    What one understands well is clearly expressed,
    And the words to say it come easily.
    (Boileau)
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