Modest proposal for iPods

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In an interview on National Public Radio in December, a Wired product editor commented that some tech products seem built to last only until the manufacturer is ready to sell you a new one. Planned obsolescence, of course, is neither a new concept nor a new consumer complaint. But as a complaint, it is undoubtedly exacerbated by the short lifetimes (and warranties) of expensive, though compact and fragile, consumer-electronic products, coupled with manufacturers' unwillingness or inability to repair them.

I have a modest proposal to address consumer concerns and manufacturers' marketing needs. Manufacturers should offer electronic products that come with a firmware-embedded self-destruct mechanism. Manufacturers should, of course, proudly announce this feature on product labels—for example: Congratulations on your purchase of a product that will cease operating in 12 months!

This proposal clearly meets vendors' needs for predictable markets for replacement products. But what's in it for consumers? In the first place, many believe vendors have already adopted my proposal. A recent Wall Street Journal article quotes Matthew Bremner, a founder of iRepair.ca, a company that repairs iPods: "Some people swear there's a self-destruct mechanism” in each iPod, which activates as soon as the warranty is up.

If vendors formally adopt the policy that consumers believe is already in place, consumers will gain three benefits: extended warranty protection (with accompanying peace of mind), more innovation, and lower costs. Vendors should fully warrant their products until the self-destruct date. Consumers will know when to upgrade, and they won't have to worry about trusting their data to a three-year-old laptop (whose extended warranty expired a year ago). Meanwhile, vendors will have to become ever more innovative to beat their competitors in the replacement-product market.

As for price: Some hidebound companies will fail to adopt my proposal. The farsighted ones that do may need to cut prices, but they'll recoup the revenue shortfalls on volume. As you conclude your holiday shopping, which would you rather buy: a $200 MP3 player with an 18-month expiration date, or a $250 model with a six-month warranty and an undefined lifetime? I'll take the $50 now, thanks.

So come on, vendors. Don't just throw together a bunch of marginal components in the hope that a critical one will fail shortly after (but not just before) the warranty expires. Put some teeth in planned obsolescence.