Made to Break, Giles Slade, Part 1

The book Made to Break by Giles Slade brings up the idea of planned obsolescence. It is a business model, a way of life, and a uniquely American invention. The idea behind planned obsolescence is that products in the United States are made to break, made to be broken after a certain time. What that means is that objects are made so they break and consumers will need to buy new products. This is born from our Capitalist economy. The manufactured goods are limited in durability and are used to stimulate repetitive consumption. This can be seen in the clichéd look on how goods, such as televisions and toasters, always break down after the warranty expires. In this case, the planned obsolescence is that the durability of the good expires after the warranty ends, and as such, the consumer would need to buy a new television or refrigerator.
Another look at planned obsolescence  is in the idea of annual model change. This idea first introduced in 1927 by General Motors. Under the guidance of Alfred P. Sloan, GM made important innovations in marketing, specifically a hierarchy of brands and continual change in the form of the annul model. I doing so, spurred competition with competing car manufacturers, such as Cadillac. By releasing annual models with additions, manufacturers hope to gain a competitive edge over competitors. This planned obsolescence is an American idea, and the car production was America’s flagship industry. The lessons of obsolescence will soon be quickly copied in all other areas of manufacturing. This is seen throughout history, and extends into the present and even into the future. In today’s economy, cars are continually being produced with annual models, with little difference between years.  Usually with some small added features that are new as technology advances, such as blue-tooth or mp3/i-pod jacks.
Personally, I don’t need any added feature or such, just a vehicle that works. My 1993 Toyota Corolla is old and out-of-date, but it has served me for the past 5 years fine and possibly for another few years. However, the car is breaking down, and now has trouble starting in cold weather.  Here, I can see obsolescence as I will need to buy a new car once the car completely breaks down. As implied in the title of the book, goods are made to break after a while and not to last the tests of time.