Why Do Our Gadgets Break So Quickly? And How the Repair Movement is Growing

🔗 The Guardian article on electronic waste and product lifespan

Ever noticed your phone slowing down or your laptop dying just after the warranty expires? You're not alone. Many gadgets we use daily don't last as long as we expect.

Here's why.

Image: Iberdola
🔧 Some Products Are Built to Break
This practice is called, planned obsolescenceWhen products are intentionally designed to wear out, lose compatibility, or fail, forcing you to buy a replacement.

How Often Do Gadgets Fail?
Different types of gadgets have different failure rates. Here are some examples:

📱 Smartphones
Some phone brands develop problems within the first three years:
Apple: 8%
Samsung: 9%
Motorola: 12%
Honor: 11%
Source: Which?

💻 Laptops
About 1 in 3 laptops fail within three years. Netbooks tend to break even more often.
Source: Jottacloud

🎮 Game Consoles
The Xbox 360 once had a huge failure rate. Some reports say over 50% of them stopped working.
Source: Wikipedia

📺 Televisions
About 1 in 3 households had problems with their TVs within 5 years.
Source: LocalCircles

♻️ The Environment Pays the Price
All of this creates electronic waste, or e-waste. It’s one of the fastest-growing types of waste in the world. Old gadgets often end up in landfills, leaking harmful materials into the soil and water.

🔗 Global E-Waste Monitor 2024 – UNITAR

🔗 Electronic Waste – WHO fact sheet

Repairing Isn’t Always Easy
Many devices are hard to fix. Companies often don’t sell parts or manuals, which means we have to buy a new device instead of repairing the one we have.

This is why the Right to Repair movement is growing and good things are happening:

🔗 Right to Repair – The Repair Association

US PIRG Campaign on Repair rights

The Right to Repair passes the House with bipartisan support

Britain’s repair shops are cutting waste and giving devices a new lease of life

✅ What You Can Do

Buy from reliable, repairable brands (like Fairphone or Framework)

Support Right to Repair laws in your country or state

Take care of your devices—clean, update, and protect them

Reuse and recycle electronics responsibly

📣 Final Thought
Gadgets shouldn't have such short lives. With smarter choices and better laws, we can push for longer-lasting products that are kinder to both our wallets and the environment.

The next time you shop for a gadget, ask yourself, ‘Will this last or end up in a landfill?’