

DRM; or How to Make 30,000-Hour LED Bulbs 'Last' Only One Month - nkurz
https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150317/08091030343/drm-how-to-make-30000-hour-led-bulbs.shtml

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aesthetics1
They could also just sell a new model every year with modest spec bumps,
update the old ones over the air, and effectively brick them because they
can't handle the new software.

Might get sued by a multi-billion-dollar tech company for stealing their idea,
though.

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astrodust
"So we're already charging $30 for $1 worth of parts. What else can we do to
make even more money off the people gullible enough to buy this thing in the
first place?"

"Make it run out after a fixed number of uses? They'll have to buy another
one. We'll sell them on subscription."

"That's so stupid it's brilliant. Do it."

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kw71
I have to say that I find the artificial shortening of life of otherwise
durable hardware to be disgusting. We have enough trash in our world.

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tracker1
Do these products sell in Germany? I'm pretty sure they violate some
conditions on recycling and product responsibility somewhere in the EU.

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fuzzywalrus
It all started with light bulbs... [http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-
life/history/the-great-lightbu...](http://spectrum.ieee.org/geek-
life/history/the-great-lightbulb-conspiracy)

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woodchuck64
Wait, aren't they inviting competitors to... oh, right, patents.

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jackjeff
Is it not the kind of stunt that the DMCA (and similarly inspired legislations
elsewhere) is supposed to render illegal?

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higherpurpose
That takes planned obsolescence to a whole new level.

