I'm seeing the reverse of that in some categories, such as desktop and notebook computers. Back in the 1980's and 1990's personal computers had pretty limited useful life spans. I used three different desktop PCs at my workplace in the 1990's. 20-30 years ago each new generation of CPUs was a big leap above the previous one. Today the gains are more incremental. Most computing tasks require only so much "horsepower." I have a new PC on order to replace my current work desktop, which is 9 years old.
And yet some computers purchased a year or two ago don't qualify for the "mandatory" specs for Win 11. With the original preview build, some were able to still install it, but I think they had issues with the "official" Win 11 release. That's the type that I am referring to. It's not necessarily the components themselves that are failing quicker rate compared to yesteryear (although for some things that is definitely true, I'm not thinking desktop/laptop related), but it's the arbitrary requirements that are put on newer ones that limit even moderate young devices to still be used. Even though resource wise, they can handle the newer software.
Today it is not difficult to squeeze a decade of productive use out of a desktop PC or even a notebook. It doesn't require a top of the line, high end product to achieve that kind of product life span either. My old 2011 Dell XPS 15 notebook lasted me 10 years before I bought an Alienware X17 as a replacement. A couple years ago I replaced the original hard drive in the XP5-15 with a 1TB SSD and I bumped the RAM from 8GB to 16GB. Lately the keyboard was acting up. That was a clear enough clue the notebook needed to be retired. Plus the newest versions of Adobe and Corel software ran way too slow and was even limited on some GPU-enhanced features, like animated zoom in Adobe Illustrator. I held out long enough before finally upgrading.
Oh sure, could get a decade of use, probably more if didn't update it (certainly not a 10 year old computer updating to Win 11) or it's software. Kept it off the internet for most things (I would argue for all things). Production machines can last a long time. Even more if one goes with something that allows you to fix things (even on laptops) that wouldn't necessarily be so easy on your mainstream OEMs. Downside is that the cost to performance may take a hit. But if the OS is actually optimized for the hardware that one is using, can get away with different specs and don't need to shoehorn something thru bruteforce of just pouring on the RAM to it etc.
However, the constant updating of the device, at some point that device isn't going to get the latest upgrade (and that actually did happen to some Win 10 computers that got on Win 10, but could only go so far) and it's more likely going to have to be retired. Because devices are all now becoming more or less IoT devices, always connected (mainly because the software that one uses always has to be connected as some feature (and for checking your subscription status) has to be connected to be used), it's always got to be updated, otherwise it's a security issue. And this isn't even getting into the quality of said updates and what those updates actually deliver to the device.
I think the same cycle is starting to happen with smart phones. People are holding onto those longer. Maybe one reason is the ridiculous prices of the phones. Who wants to drop $1000 or more on a phone and get rid of it in 2 years?
That's why I love the Pine Phone. Not as expensive, has a true OS on it and even though the performance isn't at the same numbers (just looking at numbers on a spec sheet), because that OS is tailored for the hardware, it runs incredibly well (compared to Android that is). There are other benefits, not having a product from the big two OEMs of mobile is a big one in my mind, but others may not find that as such.
In an industry-specific market like signs, we are vulnerable to different kinds of walled gardens and planned obsolescence with devices made just for this industry.
It doesn't have to be an industry specific. This type of "culture", if you will, has permeated thru everything. It's become normalized to where people think that it is a good thing (security, convenience etc) when it really isn't. When people continue buying the products, things continue on the same lines. Now it isn't as easy to switch if they all do it, but if one doesn't get push back on something, the others follow suite.
There are certain companies, if you were to watch and see if they get clapback on something or not. If they don't get it in any significant numbers, the others will follow eventually. May not be right away, but they will follow eventually. The irony is, those same companies that held back, used to run ads that mocked those changes and just a few short years later, they are doing the same thing.
The fact that ownership and what it means to own the hardware that we use has changed drastically, that also allows for far less control for us. And it isn't just in the sign industry.
And some of this, I think at least tangentially bleeds into Johnny's observation. It's just getting people on new things, thinking that the new thing is better. When it's ultimately just the same ole same ole, just less end user friendly with a worse EULA (the thing that most people don't bother reading).
