planned obsolescence

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

planned obsolescence

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."

by pokemoneuro August 22, 2017

Planned Jobsolescence

Term describing the pre-meditated set of accumulated difficulties with Apple devices over time. These difficulties include increasingly insensitive buttons/touch screen, as well as an inability to make use of new network capabilities. Devices inevitably become extremely frustrating to use just as the next generation device comes to market.

The home button on my iPhone 4 crapped out just as the sweet new 5 came out. Planned Jobsolescence has compelled me to donate more money to Apple.

by ursus maritimus July 16, 2014

planned obsolescents

What perfume manufacturers create by constantly pedaling their newest aromas.

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