Submitted by shanoshamanizum t3_11bgvlw in Futurology
Initialised t1_j9xv2a7 wrote
If a device is overbuilt and hardened to the point where it is unlikely to fail in your lifetime does design for reparability matter?
shanoshamanizum OP t1_j9xv8tf wrote
In sectors with quick innovation cycles this is quite impossible. It's all about being modular so you can upgrade and repair. In sectors with slower innovation it doesn't matter that much I agree but you can still up-sell with add-ons.
Initialised t1_j9xvegv wrote
If a device is overbuilt and hardened to the point where it is unlikely to fail in your lifetime does design for reparability matter?
lllorrr t1_j9yrai1 wrote
Eh, you can't make a truly modular product with long life in a quick innovation industry.
Take electronics for example. Your modules need some standardised bus protocol to communicate with each other. This is the base of any modular product. The problem is that those protocols are developing also. So any fixed modular architecture will drag your product behind non-modular competitors. Take storage for example. Phones evolved from parallel NAND flash to embedded MMC to UFS. Imagine that your modular product will always be limited to speeds and storage capability that were available 20 years ago.
shanoshamanizum OP t1_j9yrlg0 wrote
We are talking about 5-7 year cycles. My last 2 laptops failed in less than 3 years beyond warranty and repairability. A socketed CPU can easily last 5 years today.
PublicFurryAccount t1_ja01wzw wrote
Maybe buy a better laptop?
My 2012 MacBook Air was used for a decade, five years by me and then five years by a friend after I switched to using the iPad for everything instead for a while.
Nakotadinzeo t1_j9xvyu1 wrote
Yes, for three reasons.
One, is that "unlikely" is still a greater than zero chance. It also doesn't allow for unexpected failure modes, like lightning strikes or solar flares.
Two, is upgradability. Imagine if you had your first car today, would you be happy with the radio it had in 2023? I don't know your age or level of affluence, but that could be anything from an 8-track player, to Bluetooth 1 (which modern phones will not connect to)
Three, is disposal. There's a finite amount of raw materials on this planet, and we just happen to be lucky enough to be able to extract it from the earth. There's a potential of tens of thousands of generations that could come after us, and they will want to make our old crap into new crap. One lifetime isn't really that long, when all matter is as old as the universe.
Initialised t1_j9y2eex wrote
One: that’s what insurance is for.
Two: Upgradability assumes I’m talking about something that is still in development, not a mature technology.
Three: that’s recyclability which is a different attribute.
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