Contradiction 2

The lifespan of technology

The second contradiction that I chose was the lifespan of technology. By this I mean how Iphones for instance usually last for around 2 years before they start having problems arise.

Research

Also known as built-in obsolescence.

In 2015, statistics shows that the lifespan of smartphones was only 2 years.

Technology scales a lot because there is always new innovations and things that can be improved.

A company needs to know how much profit they will make out of how long their product will stay on the market.

Since there is a lot of new innovations within technology means they are more vulnerable to shorter lifespans.

There are 4 stages for technologies lifestyles:

Research and development-

This is where the company will invest into products and decide if they will get a good return on the product. Then development will begin.

Ascent phase-

This is the stage where the product is released, and the popularity starts to raise, and it will be the newest innovation.

Maturity stage-

This is when the new product is normalised and accepted by the general public. The rate at which it is being bought has now slowed down a lot as it is seen as normal and not new and innovative anymore.

Decline phase-

This is where people start to not buy this product, as it is no longer new and there are other competitors that are better than your product. The decline eventually reaches the zero-sum zone, where the company is no longer making a profit off of this product.

Advantages

1.   The consumer is always going to have the newest and innovative technology.

2.   The company is going to have a steady flow of money as people are almost guaranteed to buy the newest product every couple of years.  

Disadvantages

1.   The consumer is going to have to pay a lot of money for the newest products.

2.   There is a chance that the product will not be that popular, which means the company may not get their investments back.