Upgrades and obsolescence [08/25/2010]

[This is an excellent example of the kinds of abandoned, nearly finished blog posts sitting around in my drafts folder.  This was essentially a fully formed, fully edited, and formatted blog post that was relevant at the time.  It’s hilariously still relevant in a world where electronics are less user-upgradeable and user-repairable than ever.]

I mentioned my experiences owning a first generation Rio PMP300 MP3 player.  I liked that model because it was “upgradeable” – I could pop in a new SD chip for an additional 64 Megs of space. ¹  This brings to mind different kinds of “upgradable” products:

1. Limited upgrades. My Rio could only be upgraded with a maximum of an additional 64 Megs.  This made it comparatively insignificant to other market options fairly quickly.  There’s just no reason why the Rio needed to limited to maximum SD card upgrade.  It had great battery life and was a little bit hackable – I’d still be using it today² if I could upgrade it in the 4-16Gig range.  Limit a consumer’s upgrades and you basically guarantee they’ll be a consumer again in the future.  Just not necessarily for that same company.  ;)
2. Planned obsolescence. Perhaps it was Rio’s plan all along to create a product that would be useless as soon as a 128 Meg chip became widely available.
3. Scheduled updates. Antivirus software, antispyware software, and firewall software.
4. Service and subscription plans. Why would I update the maps in my GPS now that my trust ‘Droid has Google Maps?
5. Abandonment/lack of support. Any closed source/proprietary consumer product that gets abandoned is put in a tough spot.  Perhaps if Rio had published the source for their firmware I could go back and use my old Rio.  We’ll never know.  Once most companies have moved on to a new product, there’s no reason for opening their old source code.  In fact, they probably think of it as proprietary³ when really it’s just a festering chunk of old code that’s useless to everyone.
6. Expensive upgrades/refills. This is some of the worst kind of upgrade nonsense.  Inkjet printer cartridges and razor refills are prime examples of offering a loss-leader/cheap entrance price in the hopes of sticking customers with expensive refills.  This business model is specifically designed to trap the unwary.  One of the most annoying side effects of this business model is the original product, the printer for instance, is only just barely more expensive then the refills.
7. Unique upgrades/proprietary connectors. This list just goes on and on.  You must use their special batteries, special film, special applicator, unique power adapter, special charger, super special speedy charger or you’ll void the warranty.  My personal favorite of the above is the “super special speedy charger.”  Why would you make a slow charger, if not for the sole purpose of selling a better charger?  Why not just charge a little more for your product and include a good charger??
   
8. Lock-in. Inkjet printer cartridges and razor refills are prime examples of offering a cheap entrance price in order to lock the consumer in with expensive refills.
9. Lack of future compatibility. It’s easy enough to make a product backwards compatible.  You have all the information you need, namely existing products, in order to build backwards compatibility into your newest products.  However, there’s precious little reason for most manufacturers to do so.
10. No upgrades. Can you imagine a product that could include an “upgrade path,” but doesn’t?  Yeah, you can.  They’re called the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.  Why can’t you install a new battery, more memory, larger hard drive?  Why doesn’t it have a USB port or expandable memory?  I’ll tell you why.  So that you have to invest in a more expensive model initially.  This forces the consumer to choose between overspending initially on something they may never need and buying a product that will become useless too soon.

1. The Lost Blog Posts
2. Plastruder! [Draft 12/25/2009]
3. UNTITLED [Draft 12/25/2009]
4. Preparing to print [Draft 12/27/2009]
5. More prints [Draft 01/04/2010]
6. Prototype Pricing [Draft 01/19/2010]
7. MakerBot tuning [Draft 01/20/2010]
8. Plastic Screw Anchor [Draft 02/02/2010]
9. Magic [Draft 02/03/2010]
10. How are you printing with PLA? [Draft 02/16/2010]
11. Rebuilding my extruder [Draft 02/16/2010]
12. MY robot [Draft 02/18/2010]
13. more things i learned [Draft 02/20/2010]
14. First commissioned piece! [Draft 02/22/2010]
15. MakerBot: Toy or Tool? [02/25/2010]
16. Idea for Skeinforge settings… [Draft 03/27/2010]
17. RepRap and MakerBot alternatives [Draft 04/05/2010]
18. RepRap Parts for Sale [Draft 04/07/2010]
19. Where is the Othercutter? [Draft 06/08/2015]
20. Mendel Parts – Printed, Cast, CNC’d, Lasercut or Injection Molded? [Draft 04/12/2010]
21. MakerBot Operator’s Manual [06/04/20210]
22. MakerBot on CBS! [07/07/2010]
23. New Print: Soft-Pawed Albino Stoat of South Wales Cookie Cutter [07/07/2010]
24. House calls [07/11/2010]
25. Digital assistant? [08/05/2010]
26. MakerBot + Junk = Stuff! [08/06/2010]
27. Design choices in RepRap, Goals of RepRap [08/14/2010]
28. Upgrades and obsolescence [08/25/2010]
29. Dear Anonymous [08/25/2010]
30. The ultimate in customer service [08/26/2010]
31. Open Source Makes You Smarter [08/27/2010]

1. It’s amazing how insignificant that seems now.  I routinely carry more than 100 times that in my pocket on a regular basis and more than 250 times that amount in my phone. [↩]
2. Probably. [↩]
3. Even if it is now behind the times. [↩]