Quitting Fast-Tech
What is keeping us from using a phone for 10+ years? And: EU's antitrust laws keep scoring wins for consumers.
Nokia’s 3310 cell phone is nothing short of iconic. Playing off the fact that it’s practically indestructible from daily use, internet memes of this ugly (but sturdy) phone have been around since the early 2000s. If these phones are likely still functional shoved into junk drawers around the world, why aren’t people still using them?
Working to drastically lower the 176 pounds of e-waste that each U.S. household creates a year will take more than design choices and access to parts. Almost everyone in the U.S. (97%) has a cell phone, but the average person will only keep their phone anywhere from two to five years—despite sturdy phones like the 3310 that stand the test of time.
Unfortunately, having a durable or repairable phone, even something like a Fairphone, will not stop our cycles of buying and dumping electronics year over year. Despite more repairable phones coming onto the market, the Nokia 3310 is a reminder that having a phone that can’t break doesn’t stop us from upgrading.
Repairability doesn’t fix e-waste
Instead of a company selling the same product for a number of years, there is a growing emphasis on a model of constant upgrades to features which allows companies to capture more revenue year to year. Barrages of marketing from advertisers coupled with faster and faster roll-outs for new products are contributing to our e-waste problem. Just think, do you remember the major differences between the iPhone 11 and 12?
The solution to e-waste seems simple though, right? Just repair the phones. But while repairing phones offers a possible solution, its important to remember that a small minority of people are repair their phones themselves or at repair shops. A Consumer Reports survey from 2021 found only “16 percent of Americans who had a phone break in the past five years say that the most recent time it happened, they fixed it at home or got it repaired professionally”. Electronics right to repair laws will certainly increase access to repairs, but it remains to be seen that it will increase the number of people who would repair over upgrade.
Software plays a huge piece to the equation as well. There are companies that have been caught outright using software to make user experience worse (see: batterygate), forcing them to upgrade. Beyond user experience, even safety features are being paywalled in phones and cars.
Supporting long-lasting products isn’t especially lucrative, and in a global economy driven by showing profits as soon as possible, there isn’t much incentive to build a business model that creates devices that last forever. These economic incentives are why the problems of software, planned, and psychological obsolescence extend far beyond phones. And as more of the objects in our lives become computerized—there is more opportunity for devices to fail and continue fueling our habit of tossing electronics en masse.
As the news around e-waste gets worse and worse, there is a pressing need for this model of fast-tech to change. Rethinking our collective approach towards consumption of electronics will take a holistic reversal of software supports, control that companies have over features following purchases in addition to calls for parts and access to information.
Other News
Apple announced changes to its iPads after the EU passed its Digital Markets Act for owners in Europe. These changes will include software updates from selecting your own search engine to allowing companies to create alternatives to ApplePay, cutting down on the ability for Apple to lock out competition in the marketplaces they dominate.
Vermont is considering an agricultural repair law that would force manufacturers to give more access for owners to independently their equipment. However, the bill has been watered down after a year of standstills, with a change that now makes any legal action against companies breaking the law go through the Vermont Attorney General’s Office. Vermont’s story reminds us that not all right-to-repair bills are built the same, and that the details matter.
Connecticut is trying to pass right-to-repair electronics law as part of a broader consumer protection omnibus bill. Consumer Reports cites that in addition to the bill are clauses on “creating a broadband affordability program, ensuring network neutrality, eliminating deceptive marketing around prices and fees, and even allowing consumers to receive prorated rates when canceling streaming services.”
Rising demand for electronics repair services is the topic of a new report that says growth in the repair market is being driven by sustainability initiatives, technological advancements, and consumer preference for extending device lifespan over replacement.