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  • Em :official_verified:Em0nM4stodon@infosec.exchange
    Nov 14, 2026, 6:14 PM

    I love to keep my devices for a very long time.

    It's cheaper, it's better for the environment, I don't need nor want all these new flashy things, and I'm too busy and lazy to take the time to shop and migrate to new devices every two years.

    The things that always end up forcing me to upgrade is either the software that becomes incompatible or the battery that dies and I cannot change. This is exhausting, and shouldn't happen.

    This is not inevitable. We could build devices and software more resistant to time (some already are, but aren't always accessible in many contexts sadly).

    I am well aware this is part of the planned-obsolescence capitalist scheme. But I'm still going to share my frustration about it and push against it every way I can.

    We could have nice things.

    #PlannedObsolescence #Capitalism

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Replies

  • lilylily@infosec.exchange
    Nov 14, 2026, 6:16 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon same most of my tech is now decentralized and given new stuff has the restrictions... Might as well keep the old stuff until and move after it breaks and the new stuff can be jail broken

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  • Em :official_verified:Em0nM4stodon@infosec.exchange
    Nov 14, 2026, 6:20 PM

    @AlexanderKingsbury I will, after my current phone dies :) I absolutely love those alternatives and we need more of them.

    But we also need software built with the same principles in mind, hardware alone isn't enough.

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  • econadseconads@mendeddrum.org
    Nov 15, 2026, 8:39 AM

    @Em0nM4stodon
    IIRC, fairphone promises 10 years of support for the current one. With lineage you should be able to go quite a bit longer on the older ones too. I changed from my 3 after 5 years, which I don't think is great, but better than a normal phone would be, I suppose.

    @AlexanderKingsbury

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  • AKingsburyAlexanderKingsbury@mastodon.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 10:16 PM

    @stgm @Em0nM4stodon

    I'm unaware of any american telcos that fully support them either. But I use mine on one (and have used it on another), and I deal with the service flaws. People have to be willing to make sacrifices in order to stand up for what they believe in, and "my phone doesn't accept gifs in text messages" is a pretty small price to pay.

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  • Em :official_verified:Em0nM4stodon@infosec.exchange
    Nov 14, 2026, 6:23 PM

    @katrinakatrinka I'm hesitating between a few different repairable phone models but same :) I want all my future hardware to be easy to open and easy to repair. Like it was before. I'm tired of glued hardware.

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  • Micah Ilbery ☕️micahilbery@mstdn.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 6:22 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon When my pixel 9a started having weird issues recently I got myself a Fairphone 6+ because I share this frustration. It's certainly not perfect, but I've really been enjoying it so far. I wish all brands would share the mission of making long-lasting, repairable, fairer devices. The world would be a lot better if they did. *sigh*

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  • Abram Kedge🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇨🇦AbramKedge@beige.party
    Nov 14, 2026, 7:14 PM

    @micahilbery @Em0nM4stodon

    My 2020 Pixel 4a 5G is still going strong. I had the battery replaced a couple of years ago. They said there was a good chance the screen might break when they pulled it out. I thought it was worth the risk - £40 to keep it running, bargain.

    Funny thing, it has a much better camera than the next couple of generations of Pixels!

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  • Saïcandoumbe@dotnet.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 6:46 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon @Ferroxo
    I add the same frustration when my last laptop died and that's why I've both decided to buy a #framework laptop so that I don't have that issue anymore. It allows to upgrade any piece because everything is repairable / replaceable.
    The real issue is that the software should be designed in the same way : being able to last longer without requiring too much resources. But unfortunately, the software ecosystem is not always design to go on that path

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  • FerroxoFerroxo@infosec.exchange
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:19 PM

    @candoumbe Framework is an awesome project and I will most likely make the same move when it's time for me to upgrade.

    Agreed on software support, that's always been the limiting factor in my use of older but still functional devices. For myself, having a phone with 7 years of OS updates from release and ditching Windows on my current laptop have helped extend their lifespans, on top of them both being refurbished units.

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  • MostlyTatoMostlyTato@mstdn.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 7:16 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon
    I keep mine for as long as possible, not always so easy with security concerns. Problem is these days I can't figure out which is more of a problem: potentially obsolete software or all the crap I have to endure/strip out/mitigate against with a new device.
    But I don't need all the new crap. I just need a secure device that does everything the old one did.

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  • Mark Otwaymarkotway@mastodonapp.uk
    Nov 14, 2026, 7:30 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon 100%. I also don't buy the latest £700+ phone. When my phone dies after 6-7 years I replace it with a 12-18mo model. The feature delta between it and the latest is minimal (even for a techy like me) and it's significantly cheaper. Also means I can stick with a £6/mo SIM only contract, so can switch providers if a better deal arises.

    The last time a new phone had features worth upgrading for *immediately* was the Google Nexus. Everything after that is just iteration.

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  • DEY!dey@mastodon.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 7:48 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon I hate the fact that I cant close the bootloader after I install a custom rom. I want my hardware to last specially when there is nothing wrong with it. I hate that software support for a device is so short. Albeit recent years only top end devices get 7 years.

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  • econadseconads@mendeddrum.org
    Nov 15, 2026, 8:44 AM

    @dey
    I think you might be able to now? I thought I saw an optional "if you want to lock the bootloader again" section for lineage and thought oh that's new. Might have dreamed it of course.

    @Em0nM4stodon

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  • MuhammadFree🇵🇸MuhammadFreeSoftware
    Nov 14, 2026, 7:49 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon For smartphones that past for a long time, check out Fairphone. They make modular phones so you can replace the display, battery, cameras and so on

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  • Konradretrocomputing@mastodon.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 7:59 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon The European Union has recently passed a law that requires batteries in devices to be replaceable, from early 2027.
    Unfortunately many exemptions have been incorporated into the final law, but it's still better than nothing,

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  • StoneBear 🎃 :potion_genderqueer:stonebear2@hachyderm.io
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:17 PM

    @retrocomputing You got a tl;dr rundown on the exceptions? Just curious, "no" is a valid answer... @Em0nM4stodon

    The Fairphone 5 I'm currently running has the biggest things people run into problems with - screen, battery, charge port - easily replaceable, along with the camera cluster... be nice if the rest of it were, but *knock wood* I haven't had problems with *those* really at any point... that plus a whole bunch of Android upgrades means I might actually get to keep this thing a while...

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  • Lord Caramac the Clueless, KSCLordCaramac@discordian.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:01 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon In my case, it's usually the built-in flash memory that burns out first. Tablets and smartphones usually last about four years until the memory errors get so bad that the system crashes all the time if it even boots at all.

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  • Sibrosansibrosan@mastodon.social
    Nov 15, 2026, 5:56 AM

    @LordCaramac @Em0nM4stodon

    To avoid this, look to get a device that has ample memory (both flash and RAM). If not much space is left in your storage, and the device often has swap from RAM, then your flash memory will wear out fast.

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  • ShamanRulesBuster@nerdculture.de
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:04 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon that's why regulation is necessary. Instead of creating more and more toxic waste we need to start voting for political parties that have a vision for the future where #EverythingCanBeReused and #EverthingNeedsToBeRepairable. This will not only create jobs but also fight the ongoing #ClimateBreakDown and put money back into the hands of consumers.
    Check out these guys for the time until then:
    ifixit.com/News/all-posts?page

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  • Mark Wyner Won’t Comply :vm:markwyner@mas.to
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:11 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon this is one of the biggest reasons I’m making plans to abandon my 30+ year use of Apple products. It’s the software. Every damn time.

    My 2019 MacBook (not even that old!) was running unbelievably slow. When I converted it to Linux it was like a new machine. It’s fast and clean. But I still can’t easily swap the drive or the ram or the ports.

    And iPhones? Forget it. They’re on complete lockdown. I “own” it, but I can’t do anything with it.

    I’m really getting into the open hardware movement. It’s super exciting.

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  • Morpheus Being - AUSMorpheusB@aus.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:34 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon I agree. Phone has broken screen and failing battery. Estimated repair costs close to $900, and it is 7 years old, does not have satellite sos capability, which i now need as landline is no longer.

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  • Skylar the Ferretskylartheferret@tech.lgbt
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:34 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon I think the best thing to do to appease everyone is to unlock the bootloaders of devices after they are no longer in service. There's a lot to like about an iPad that can run something along the lines of Ubuntu Touch after Apples stops supporting it.

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  • Paul_IPv6paul_ipv6@infosec.exchange
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:35 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon

    same here. i have never had a car less than 10 years (21 years was my longest), i keep laptops and phones until the battery goes. i wish more of this was fixable.

    just got an Una smart watch instead of the new spyware apple watch. you can replace the screen, the battery, etc. it's open source, charges fast in usb-c, can go 2-3 days between charges.

    if i could get a phone and laptop like that, i would. phones are screwed by app lockin (try getting a bank app that's not android/ios) and there is still some audio software i run that needs osx.

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  • Nazonazokiyoubinbou@urusai.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:39 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon This is why I pick my devices VERY carefully. It's a whole heck of a lot more work, but I end up with things where I don't have to do that.

    Honestly though, I feel like this was kind of the case even before enshittification. It was always better to buy a Cowon MP3 player than a RCA for example. Not because the RCA would tear up two years down the road — those probably still work too — just because the Cowon had more features, quality, and general staying power. (I say this because my ≈2007 D2 still works, hah.) It always bothered me that most people didn't do this. The RCA was slightly cheaper, closer, easier, and shiny when they looked at it, so they got it without really looking. Enshittification just took advantage of the way people do this.

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  • dasgrueneblattdasgrueneblatt@wien.rocks
    Nov 14, 2026, 11:00 PM

    @nazokiyoubinbou You can be smug that you don't have to do that, yeah great. But that depends heavily on where you live, what you want to/need to do and how things that are not under your control are going to change in the future. I choose all devices very carefully and prefer secondhand and open standards and everything, but yeah, I've now got a Fairphone that's physically perfectly fine lying in a cupboard because too many apps don't work on it any more. I keep it, because some other apps don't work on my other phone, but do work on the Fairphone. I'm taking about ID and banking and travel apps, and I cannot just move to another country or change where my family lives or just don't have any bank account so I don't have to use those apps.

    @Em0nM4stodon

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  • Nazonazokiyoubinbou@urusai.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 11:07 PM

    @dasgrueneblatt @Em0nM4stodon Don't have to do what? I certainly never meant for any of what I said to come off as smug. It's a lot more work. I said that from the start. You have to research things, figure out options, even perhaps go with methods that involve what are essentially imports. I used to use an international version of a phone because it simply wasn't available in my country. (Actually, it wasn't the software that failed with that one, it was the fact that I dropped it and it busted things...)

    I made sure my current phone has serious OS support. I'm using Graphene and it promises until 2033, but even if it fails, LineageOS and others will support this thing.

    I never buy anything I can't be sure has third party support. But they do support some Fairphone devices.

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  • Steve Gisselbrechtstevegis_ssg@mas.to
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:53 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon

    Testify.

    I only bought a new phone last year because work switched 2FA apps and the new one wouldn't run under any OS my phone would run. It still worked great and kept a charge beautifully. And I would not shut up on here about it (and obviously still haven't).

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  • softproofsoftproof@mastodon.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:57 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon Agreed.

    Put another way: if the path to entropy and the path to progress largely point in the same direction, someone should get fired. At least.

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  • George Bgbargoud@masto.nyc
    Nov 14, 2026, 8:59 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon

    Had to change the battery on my 10 year old laptop last summer. It's just on the cusp of when they started making it extremely hard to do your own repairs and now the clamshell doesn't close right and the plastic is cracked in a couple of places.

    Still going to be able to get another 5-10 years out of it (or until I finally decide to donate it and get an MNT reform)

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  • ThayerThayer@mastodon.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 9:08 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon same. My mobile is nearly 7 years old going strong, my car has finally given up, she's 19, so have bought a new one and gone EV but I hope it's my last, out at least another 20 years :) clothes often second hand, and furniture.

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  • MoonshbiMoonshbi@mastodon.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 9:38 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon
    Hell yeah! My phone is 12 years old even though it's had a crack on it's screen most of its life. My PC is 15 years old and TV is at least 20years. My vacuum cleaner is from before 2010's, a guy who likes to build and pull things apart, said that with care and regular filter change the vacuum will last my lifetime.

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  • Th3G3ntl3m4nTh3G3ntl3m4n@mstdn.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 10:15 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon

    "I love to keep my devices for a very long time.

    It's cheaper, it's better for the environment, I don't need nor want all these new flashy things, and I'm too busy and lazy to take the time to shop and migrate to new devices every two years. "

    I second that 😉

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  • We the People...JaneImber@mstdn.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 10:34 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon I have 2 dvd players and I'm keeping them. My DVD's never vanish from my shelves, never charge me a fee to see them without ads, and I don't have to spend time scrolling through crap to find something I like.

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  • Peter Brownpeterbrown@mastodon.scot
    Nov 14, 2026, 11:10 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon well I was pleased to discover I could change the battery on this Apple phone.
    Which has extended its life considerably.

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  • Nicole ParsonsNpars01@mstdn.social
    Nov 14, 2026, 11:18 PM

    @Em0nM4stodon

    As I arrange to have my 3 year old fridge hauled away to the landfill, I remember my grandmother who had a fridge that lasted 30 years.

    Enshittification as a business model with embedded fascist spyware.

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  • N.P. Thompsonnpt_writes@sunny.garden
    Nov 15, 2026, 12:21 AM

    @Em0nM4stodon This is one of my biggest pet peeves. I hate having to get new devices of any kind. I just want to keep the old ones working, and they should be repairable!

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  • Billw_b@mastodon.world
    Nov 15, 2026, 2:18 AM

    @Em0nM4stodon

    I successfully replaced the battery in my wife's Pixel 4 years. Bought the battery and tools from iFixit.

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  • J_PeregrineJ_Peregrine@mastodon.social
    Nov 15, 2026, 5:26 AM

    @Em0nM4stodon
    What bothers/ frightens me the most is saving my pictures from one computer to the next. I find it amusing the one that lasted the longest was my first computer, a dial-up AOL e-machines...

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