by morgamic August 1, 2005
Get the obsolesced mug.A process which involves a manufacture to develope a product (such as a car, video game console, TV) with the intentions of making it obsolete and/or non-functional after a certain period of time in order to sales and profit. It has benefits for a producer (repeat purchases) but disadvantages for the consumer(waste of time and money).
Man, I have to go to the store again; my toaster broke and it would cost more to fix it than to buy a new one. Freakin' planned obsolescence.
by Yza January 11, 2009
Get the planned obsolescence mug.A more heavy-handed version of Planned Obsolescence usually employed in the high-tech industry, especially software. Consumers of a product are forced to upgrade through some new technology rendering an old one literally unusable, usually through unnecessary incompatibility issues.
Porting a game from the 360 to the PC, rewritten to require DX10 when DX9 was used originally and clearly runs the game, can only be Enforced Obsolescence.
by Digital Watches May 26, 2010
Get the Enforced Obsolescence mug.A business strategy where a company plans the obsolescence of a product to encourage the purchase of a newer version of a product. This can be done in several ways, ranging from bad engineering to breaking updates. Apple most famously uses this strategy to slow down iPhones and iPads of 1-2 generations back to encourage people to buy a new more expensive iPhone.
Person 1: "My iPhone is slow! I can't believe it, I have an iPhone 6 which is only 1 generation behind!!!"
Person 2: "Yeah, Apple slows down the iPhone a lot via updates to try and get you to buy a new one. That's called planned obsolescence."
Person 2: "Yeah, Apple slows down the iPhone a lot via updates to try and get you to buy a new one. That's called planned obsolescence."
by pokemoneuro August 22, 2017
Get the planned obsolescence mug.(adj.) Something recently acquired that, due to inferior construction, breaks before you can use it, making it useless, e.g. cheap bin liners, corporate gift pens, etc.
A: Hey, this pen I was given when attending that workshop is really shiny but it doesn’t write.
B: Yeah, that’s because it’s pre-obsolescent.
B: Yeah, that’s because it’s pre-obsolescent.
by W. T. Figo November 21, 2010
Get the pre-obsolescent mug.Essential oils never go out of style, so you can use them to smell awesome and never worry about planned obsolescents.
by QuacksO December 20, 2025
Get the planned obsolescents mug.The claim that socialism and communism are outdated ideologies from the 19th century, while capitalism is presented as timeless, natural, and permanently relevant—despite capitalism also being a 19th-century ideology that has changed dramatically over time. This fallacy arbitrarily declares one set of ideas expired while granting another eternal freshness, based on nothing but preference. It's like saying horses are outdated but cars are forever, ignoring that cars will also be obsolete someday, and that the criteria for "outdated" are entirely made up. The arbitrary obsolescence fallacy allows capitalism's defenders to avoid engaging with socialist critiques by simply declaring them old, as if age determined validity rather than, you know, evidence and argument.
*Example: "In the debate, he deployed the arbitrary obsolescence fallacy: 'Socialism is a 19th-century idea that failed everywhere it was tried. Capitalism is modern, dynamic, the future.' She pointed out that capitalism was also a 19th-century idea, that it had also failed many people, and that 'modern' was just a vibe, not an argument. He responded with 'but look at the stock market.' The fallacy held strong."*
by Dumu The Void February 15, 2026
Get the Arbitrary Obsolescence Fallacy mug.