July 18, 2007

Can We Design Gadgets That Age?

by Piers Fawkes

 Technology Iphone MichaelnagleapBobbie Johnson has some interesting thoughts in his column on The Guardian where he wonders why we can’t appreciate aging gadgets like we might appreciate vintage clothes or your cast-iron skillet. He says:

One thing technology manufacturers don’t do is design for deterioration. Of course, that’s not the same as obsolescence; it’s simply the concept that you can improve an item through wear and tear. With clothes and many other objects, we appreciate the value of aging. Leather, for example, is one material that gains character as it gets older. Denim too: hence the prevalence of pre-faded jeans on the high street these days.

Partly this must be because technology is increasingly seen as disposable - but then so are clothes, or kitchen utensils. But given the high cost of many electronics, there must be an intrinsic value to a design which improves with age (even if it runs contrary to the “Newer! Bigger! Faster!” mantra of the industry) - especially when we’re becoming hyper-aware of excess consumption.

Can we design gadgets that age? from Guardian Unlimited: Technology

Article categories: Electronics & Gadgets, Environmental, Telecom

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