France has one such law, making it a crime for a company to intentionally shorten the lifespan of a product to encourage consumers to upgrade to a new model. So are companies really slowing down older phones to trick consumers into buying new models, or are other, less insidious factors at work? The argument for planned obsolescence.įirst of all, planned obsolescence is enough of a possibility some countries have laws preventing or punishing the practice by companies. Is planned obsolescence in cell phones really a thing? Plenty of people certainly believe their older model phones slow down when new models are released: The New York Times reports between September and November of 2017, when the iPhone 8 and iPhone X were released, searches for 'iPhone slow' jumped by 50 percent. Many credible websites are claiming that you have got the greedy companies profiting off the common consumer, the believable-sounding motive that devices are designed to fail with every new phone coming out, and anecdotal proof it must be true (My grandfather still uses the same toaster he bought back in '65 - They made products to last back then!). Planned obsolescence has all the earmarks of a great conspiracy theory. They are sticking it to the little guys, and it is just not fair.' Their products are designed to self-destruct just after warranties run out or new models come available. You know what this is, right? It is planned obsolescence on the part of the big tech companies. Here's one of many alleged claims: 'With the newest phone coming out, my old phone suddenly started slowing down. But is this a conspiracy by phone manufacturers and distributors to drive sales - or something else? New upgrades and old phones don’t always mix due to lack of storage.

Does your phone company purposely slow down phones? Mobile service providers or carriers are certainly not going to do this.

Many smartphone users complain about new phone upgrades slowing down their phone. Cell Phone Speed Conspiracy: Is your software upgrade a ploy to slow down your phone?

How long does sony update their phones