THE TERMINATOR GENE IN OUR EVERYDAY PRODUCTS

In the new era of consumerism, marketers try to make you keep replacing products. Consumers must have the option of extending the life of what they own

- HARISH BIJOOR

MY smartphone is 10 years old. My car is 15. The pair of denims I am wearing is 15-plus years young. I have absolutely no desire to replace any of them all too soon. They are well maintained. Yes, they don't look very new, but each performs to an extent. The important point is that I don't want to replace things that are performing well enough. I can stretch the life of what I use. Why clutter Earth?

It's good and positive idealism, one would say. But there are challenges. Many issues as you and I grapple to extend the lives of what we use and wear every single day. Many of these are items that gobble up big, one-time expenditures. Let me explore some of these challenges.

For a start, my phone is performing less and less. Every three years, it has gotten slower than before. Software updates from the manufacturer have stopped. Many apps just don't work. The battery needs to be charged more frequently. But when it comes to basic calling, all is good. When I bought this model, it was the latest. It cost the world. Today, it is possibly among the oldest running ones and has no monetary value.

A whole world of consumers have been enticed to upgrade with every passing new model launched. Every new model has of course added exciting bells and whistles. Every new model is more expensive than the last. Data from the developed markets of the world indicate smartphone replacement cycles to be all of 21 months today.

Mobiles in the old days had two distinct parts. One was the device, and the other was the replaceable and rechargeable battery. When one battery expended its life, you could replace the same with a new one, and at least in terms of power, the phone was as good as new. As the days passed, manufacturers decided to merge the two together.