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FROM PLANNED OBSOLESCENCE TO THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY IN THE SMARTPHONE INDUSTRY: AN EVOLUTION OF STRATEGIES EMBODIED IN PRODUCT FEATURES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2021

Mário Barros  and
Eric Dimla
Mário Barros*
Affiliation:
Aalborg University
Eric Dimla
Affiliation:
Vietnamese-German University
*
Barros, Mário, Aalborg University, Department of Architecture, Design & MediaTechnology, Denmark, mbar@create.aau.dk

Abstract

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Planned obsolescence can artificially increase sales by stimulating desire or perceived need. This can be done in many ways and some companies are releasing newer models sooner than necessary or engineering the product to fail after a certain amount of use. In recent years, we have observed a change in the pattern of planned obsolescence strategies employed by technological companies, shifting from aesthetic to technological obsolescence. The reaction to this model comes from social enterprises and grassroots movements addressing the circular economy and repairability. This paper illustrates these relationships in context, taking the mobile phone industry as a case study. We focus on product architecture and product features, as a reference point to discuss the embodiment of strategies, and the degree of control the consumer is given for repairing the product. Using netnography as a method to collect data in a digital-mediated environment, this paper highlights how planned obsolescence strategies are embedded in product characteristics and summarises their evolution. It concludes by opposing planned obsolescence strategies to circular economy principles to discuss more sustainable pathways for the smartphone industry.

Keywords

Product familiesSmartphonePlanned obsolescenceCircular economyDesign process
Type
Article
Information
Proceedings of the Design Society , Volume 1: ICED21 , August 2021 , pp. 1607 - 1616
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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