Replacement Therapy: Why Our Gadgets Can T Wear Out Fast Enough

In “Replacement Therapy: Why Our Gadgets Can’t Wear Out Fast Enough”, Rob Walker presents the idea that many consumers want/need a reason to buy the newest and the best items on the market. Walker believes that it is wasteful to replace an item that does not need replacement. He gives an example about how is iPod is slowly getting more problems but not to the point of unusable. When certain products get this way, many people can only hope that it will soon come to an end. One even “described himself as ‘delighted’ when his wife accidentally dunked his old iPhone in the Atlantic, ‘giving me the excuse I needed to get a 3G’” (Walker pg. 156). Walker challenges the idea that companies are creating products that don’t last, but also includes a woman's findings that some designers intentionally weaken gadgets. From personal experience I can say that my iPhone has malfunctioned too many times to count. One of the main reasons I believe that iPhones are meant to breakdown is because all of the problems are caused by updates. Whenever a new update comes out for an iPhone, it will remind you almost everyday to …show more content…
This short story was written in 2011 and I believe that technology has drastically changed since then. It seems outdated because current phones are not as they were six years ago. Every new model is more expensive, and buying one new phone doesn’t compare to buying one seven years in a row. Walker does show the importance of recycling your old phone because most of the time those parts are wasted. Many companies have figured out new ways to force people to buy their new products like changing certain accessories (chargers, headphones). I think that although it is irritating to buy and replace electronics, companies are justified in pushing forward new technology and