- #1
Czcibor
- 288
- 132
I've got a coffee machine that just served well seven years with one repair, but now has to be thrown away. I wonder whether it would be possible to produce goods to work longer, I still miss fridge from the Soviet times which served me for 17 years (one repair).
Assuming that I understand problem (as economist):
1) planned obsolescence;
2) consumer sees price now, and not cost of working machine/year, plus suffers from information asymmetry;
3) technical progress in electronics, which makes production of very durable computers pointless.
If from some reasons goods (fridge, mobile phone, car, whatever) were expected to serve longer, how would it change their design?
Look more rugged?
Some parts (batteries) would simply have to be replaced, so the only solution would be to make their replace easy? (provide spare parts / easy access inside)
Different materials?
Uniform plugs, screws, etc?
Would some complexity have to be sacrificed?
Assuming that I understand problem (as economist):
1) planned obsolescence;
2) consumer sees price now, and not cost of working machine/year, plus suffers from information asymmetry;
3) technical progress in electronics, which makes production of very durable computers pointless.
If from some reasons goods (fridge, mobile phone, car, whatever) were expected to serve longer, how would it change their design?
Look more rugged?
Some parts (batteries) would simply have to be replaced, so the only solution would be to make their replace easy? (provide spare parts / easy access inside)
Different materials?
Uniform plugs, screws, etc?
Would some complexity have to be sacrificed?