from the Wiki:
Planned obsolescence or built-in obsolescence[1] in industrial design is a policy of planning or designing a product with a limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, that is, unfashionable or no longer functional after a certain period of time.[1] Planned obsolescence has potential benefits for a producer because to obtain continuing use of the product the consumer is under pressure to purchase again, whether from the same manufacturer (a replacement part or a newer model), or from a competitor which might also rely on planned obsolescence.[1]
For an industry, planned obsolescence stimulates demand by encouraging purchasers to buy sooner if they still want a functioning product. Built-in obsolescence is used in many different products. There is, however, the potential backlash of consumers who learn that the manufacturer invested money to make the product obsolete faster; such consumers might turn to a producer (if any exists) that offers a more durable alternative.
Estimates of planned obsolescence can influence a company's decisions about product engineering. Therefore the company can use the least expensive components that satisfy product lifetime projections. Such decisions are part of a broader discipline known as value engineering.
some time in the mid to late 90's the powerful people that make decisions at Shimano gathered around a conference table and discussed how their Ultegra 600 stuff was too good, too solid, too timeless and too desireable and how they needed to start making their shit more shitty so they could sell more every year and how they could make people want the new next greatest thing and how that gray 600 stuff was so two years ago.
Shimano 600 is the shit. It's my middle name. It's my next T-shirt. It's the new black. It's my Friday. It's on Ebay. It's walking the walk. Today --- 16 years later. It's on my bike and my other bike and my other bike too. And my wife's bike too. It's for real.
I have a couple sets of dual pivot calipers that have gone from bike to bike to bike with nothing but new pads along the way and they kick ass. And so do the cranks, hubs, and derailleurs.
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