An analysis on Apple and planned obsolescence

Those who love technology always try to be up to date in terms of gadgets that we like, we are interested more or devices we need for our daily activities and daily work. We all like to change our iPad for the top model at the time that hits the market, the camera has changed offering new functions or by phone that we just released this year.

I always remember my elders, saying that if something works for you, what you are going to change to something new, you do not know how you will respond. One example that was put in my house was always the Renault 12, a car that you changed the wheels when spent, when it came to oil (sometimes not even that) and I forgot about car trouble. To mark it acknowledged were “wrong” with that car.

Today we have very much meaning; especially in technology is planned obsolescence, which wikipedia defines as:

”Determination programming or end of life of a product or service, so that after a period calculated in advance by the manufacturer or by the company during the design phase of the product or service time, it becomes obsolete nonfunctional, useless or unusable”.

If we return to what we had at home, and that I do not have very advanced thirties, I remember my grandmother a washer that all life has been running and has never given any problems. Remember the same television ITT that worked without rest for more than 15 years and almost changed because someone who has bought a new tells us not the color looks good, what nod puzzled not knowing whether you believe it or not.

But let time 30 years ago and back to the present, where the washers last five years and lasts for a year has been a very good washing cars at three years are beginning to bear any problems, and if they do not have a will awesome car, and mobile phones have a life of approximately two years, roughly the duration you stay in the phone companies that you would “give away” their pricing plans.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 went on sale in Europe in late May 2012, i.e. two years yet has it been on the market and the company has decided that it will no longer support the latest operating system Google, a move that has angered many, because they can not benefit from the innovations that have this KitKat 4.3.3 two years.

Following this news start comments like Google did the same with the Galaxy Nexus, or that the road should follow Samsung could be as Nokia devices with Windows Phone that supports most devices in their latest versions. HTC also comes out with their new models and policy.

But soon leaves people criticize Apple, another company that has played with the obsolescence of their devices, but I think differently, according to their interests and market, but otherwise. The issue is that when any brand and especially with operating system Android is attacked, leaves out Apple because they always do so poorly. I just want to leave here a few data from devices of the Cupertino, so that each interpret things as you want, I am not going to value the opinion of anyone in this article, because it is not my task.

The first generation iPad

IPad 1 or first generation was introduced in the month of January 2010 and as we all know, has been a revolution in the tablet market, up there all right. iOS 6 was the operating system that Apple made it not support this model of iPad, which was introduced in late September, two years and nine months later. Nor did support iPod Touch 3G that was in iOS 5 as iPad 1.

iPad second generation

The iPad 2 was released in March 2011, almost a year after the previous model. This iPad has been available until a few months ago, Apple decided to change it and by the fourth generation iPad. Three years later, sold as others.

iPhone 3G

The iPhone 3G was launched in early June 2008 and its latest firmware 4.2.1 have been found on today. Came with iOS 2.0 and endured two other subsequent revisions until the end of 2011 (two and a half years later) no longer allow updating to iOS 5. Apple confirmed that the iPhone 3G did not have enough power to support new features such as video or GPS location on this device, so decided not to upgrade to iOS 5. Maybe that’s the model that Apple has played dirtier and has dethroned in less time.

iPhone 3GS

The latest supported version of the iPhone 3GS has iOS 6 is the latest device not upgraded to the current version iOS last year 2013 7 this since come out in 2009, almost four years ago. Four years of iPhone upgrades 3GS after the first generation iPad and the iPhone 3G pay the duck as new devices Cupertino. Even after removing iOS 7, Apple upgraded the iPhone 3GS with a specific version for them, 6.1.6 with improvements, and few businesses would.

iPhone 4

The iPhone 4 has been introduced in the market in 2010; four years ago and a few months after Apple released the white model after several problems. It has been almost four years available for purchase since September and yet Apple is updating it to the latest versions. While it does not add all the features of iOS 7, the remarkable thing is that four years old is still a phone that looks to users, along with the iPhone 4S came out a year later with camera improvements.

After data like this, do not know how people always have to get Apple to light when talking about planned obsolescence, when Samsung does not respect one of its flagships S3 or two years of life or even operating system with Google Nexus models. Needless to say, we are confident that the S3 will still work perfectly with a lower version of firmware as does my iPhone 3GS and five years old now that will in October.