006 - Planned Obsolescence - A growing threat to mankind

In the hunt for ever growing monetary profit, companies (and individuals that control them) goes to extreme lengths to use and misuse the trust of human kind by plan product obsolencence, or in other words; intentional limiting a product life cycle.

Few people - me included a couple of years ago - think not much about how service and maintenance is performed on a new product. We don't really want to think about how to service something we barely have liberated from the clever packaging, let alone started (if that is possible that is).

A couple of years ago my dream computer was released – Microsof Surface Pro 3. It had everything on my initial list of functions for a small portable computer, transforming to a tablet (or vice versa) with long battery life, super high resolution and a built in stand. My inital impressions was good but not for very long. And now, 2 years later, my list of things I wished Microsoft would have thought of, or simply just planned for - is ever growing - like obnoxious pest spreading on an otherwise perfectly trimmed garden. Because, this list has grown to utter dismay on how companies in a larger number is attacking our freedom of choice for the ONLY purpose of chasing short-term profit.

01. You can't upgrade or service anything.
Microsoft has either recruited staff from Apple, or they have copied the Apple business model all together because a Surface Pro can't be upgraded or serviced - AT ALL. You scratch the screen, and it is beyond repair. Upgrade hard disk? Forget it. Change battery? Dream on. Of course, engineering could have solved this - But because serviceability and upgradeability extends the lifetime of a product with many years, this has been cut short. And because warranties is only 1 or 2 years, they coldly expects you to change product every 2 years. At a maximum. So much for quality arguments.

02. Annoying fan noise for anything you do.
Because it is impossible to open up the Surface, I can't replace the more and more annoying fan noise from the Surface. The fan goes on for simple thing like chatting with someone over webcam. The noise transplants through the microphone so we both here this whining noise that refuses to stop. The reason for the intensive fan is because of another "feature" Microsoft and Apple is adopting - poor thermals. Well, to be fair, Microsoft don't want poor thermals, but they want a device that is slick in design so wenting has been compromised for the ability to cover all sides. To be honest, I don't "REALLY" know if this is a part of a planned obsolescence, but I know for a fact that a broken fan is a broken surrface. Which is ABSURD.

03. Poor battery life
The device has much shorter battery life than one would expect from a 44Wh battery. I can play full screen video for about 5 hours and then it is on 10%. Now, if I just "surf" or write documents, it ´lasts longer, but the feeling that battery life is limited is psychological so I am obsessed with charging the Surface at any time I get the occasion. Compare that to my Ipad 4, Lenovo W550s or P50 or the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 - I never think about this during an entire day of work and play. And then the W550s is faster, larger and brighter in every regard.

I leave the Ipad for a couple of days and it has lost a couple of % in the battery bar. Do the same with the surface and I'm happy I have 30 minutes left - disregarding previous battery charge level! I say this is not an inherent fault with the device, but probably the way Windows 8 works with the Surface power management but still an annoying problem.

04. A single USB port
So, they have ONE USB port. I have never realized how many ports I actually use. Using a USB-attached mouse is out of the question because then you have basically occupied the only port available and must always resort to the keyboard (which I only use when I have to). For example, copy a file from one USB stick to another is now a cumbersome task of first copying it locally, then do it but in reverse to the other stick. Why couldn't Microsoft fit in another USB-port? There surely is space for it. I tried the Microsoft Arc Bluetooth Mouse, but that one just happens to sleep to conserve battery I presume, so there is this second of delay every time you start up the mouse after 30 seconds of inactivity. I know, a modern world problem but it is a modern world computer.

05. AND - All subsequent iterations of Microsoft hardware products are forced Windows 10 only
This wouldn't be much of a annoyment if Windows 10 was a good OS. It isn't for me and will never be unless Microsoft changes their attitude towards user benefits versus snooping agendas. I stick to Windows 8.1 to the end of days or just skip using computers all together if Windows 8.1 would ever die out. I have tried to use Windows 10 in four different occassions on three different computers and it only survives a couple of hours until I basically give up. It is THAT bad. I completely understand how other people love Windows 10. They just don't work they way I do. But,

• I refuse to upgrade an operating system unless I have to, based on user needs
• I want recent folders UI, which is eliminated in Windows 10
• I want to be able to delete software I don't use, such as onedrive and xbox live.

Apart from the last topic, all other issues is a strategic way for Microsoft to plan product obsolescence. It is frankly idiotic. No, it is immoral. It is wrong in so many ways it hurts my heart when I think about it. It would have been so easy; Make products serviceable to extend product lifetimes. We owe this to this planet.

Instead, we chase short term profit for long term destruction of the way we use nature. So, you see my point? Planned obsolescence by companies like Microsoft, Apple, HP and many many many other is an imminent threat to mankind.

We simply can't survive conducting our business in this fashion or Mother Earth will simply kick us out. Probably we are already on our way out.