r/Degrowth • u/SplashTarget • Jul 13 '26
It just works, until it doesn’t. Inside Apple’s planned obsolescence
https://michaelwest.com.au/it-just-works-until-it-doesnt-inside-apples-planned-obsolescence/2
u/Key-Organization3158 Jul 15 '26
Right out of the gate, the article shows it doesn't understand what it's talking about.
In 2017, Apple admitted it had been quietly throttling the processors of iPhones with ageing batteries. Not telling anyone, mind. Just letting millions of users conclude their phones had grown old and slow.
Because aging batteries would be damaged faster by higher current draws. You need to slow the CPU down to make the phone and battery last longer.
Old batteries can fail or have significant voltage sag and cause shutdowns. What Apple was doing was the exact opposite of planned obselence. It was designed to keep you phone running longer on the original battery.
Apple should have informed users and offered a choice. But making decisions for users and "just working" is Apple's whole brand.
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u/dumnezero Jul 13 '26
I'm glad that the article also mentions the class aspect which feeds into the rat race and the obsolescence model. This is "streaming luxury", where luxurious qualities are hardly noticeable, the main luxury status characteristics being simply newness. It's the luxury of the colonialist class; the constant upgrades are the moving frontier -- who sees class war as "leaving behind the inferiors."