When does old stuff become obsolete.

[BoldonLad]

That's precisely my point Matticus, I have loads of stuff that works perfectly well for the task in hand, but alack my Betamax tapes are no longer of any use ,the player gave up the ghost long ago, same as C90 cassette tapes, where can yo buy them now? I had to give away my tape deck as I could not find cassette tapes, mind you I have been using CD for a while, but that is now going out the window, tho still can use that technology , but it now is more convenient to download as purely digital rather than put on a disc.
Old before my time !

If you haven't thrown away you tape deck yet, you can still buy C90's on EBay: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185327776014?hash=item2b2665710e:g:3CMAAOSwkapg4cWn

 

[Dogtrousers]

C30 C60 C90 Go!

 

[HarryTheDog]

I work in telecomms and kit is going obsolete all the time. Uusually forced onto us by the manufacturer, ie management systems have to be within 3 releases or they are not supported. Kit is labled as EOL (end of life) and any problems dont come running to us. I am dealing with a tech problem at the moment where we lost comms to loads of kit because of a OSPF routing crash. Well turns out a load of the controllers were EOL, manufacturers supports attitude is well you brought in on your self but we will help you out of the goodness of our hearts ( plus we spend a lot of money with them) .
We do have some kit which went EOL years ago but we just take the risk on it as it hasn't gone faulty yet and we have a warehouse of spares.

 

[freiston]

My general position is that something becomes obsolete when you cannot get the consumables or parts to repair/replace because the manufacturers no longer produce them. Also, there is the question of inter-dependability and protocols - which was a big issue for companies using Microsoft OS and Office software a few years back, where whole hardware & software systems were having to be upgraded just because Microsoft stopped providing security updates for the old software (when there was no other performance or requirement issues for the end-user).

That model of planned obsolescence/enforced upgrades seems to become a default position where there are inter-dependabilities and protocols and a dominant "system" employed by end-users. Even when there are multiple dominant systems, this occurs (for example to varying degrees: Microsoft/Apple, Shimano/Campagnolo, Canon/Nikon) and as well as the upgrade route, end-users will consider "converting" to another system.

Ultimately, the companies that make stuff ensure that the people that use stuff need to keep replacing it - not when it becomes no longer fit-for-purpose but when the companies decide they need to get people to buy more (which is pretty much all the time).

Sometimes this bears the fruit of innovation and improvement but, imho, this is not the driving force and not the ultimate goal - it is more often a marketed justification for the enforced "upgrade", creating desire and confirmation bias within the customer base (often pushing the consumer base into a narrow rather than broad church because a broad church is harder to manage thus) but occasionally there really is a genuine and worthwhile improvement. imho, this has to be tempered by the "green" desire for minimising waste and maximising product life.

Rant over

 

[Once a Wheeler]

For me, there are two scenarios:

• Repair twice, replace on third breakdown.
• Replace when incompatible with more recent equipment which you judge you need.

Otherwise, like my 35-year old Anglepoise lamp, just keep on using it.

 

[MichaelW2]

My broom is as good as new after more than 4 decades of use.

 

[Fredo76]

Floppy disks are obsolete. Hand-made bicycles from the 20th century will be ridden in the 22nd, if we are around to ride them, that is.



My loudspeakers would be obsolete by these definitions. But they still play music from my phonograph records, which evidently are not, yet!

 

[grldtnr]

My broom is as good as new after more than 4 decades of use.

Yeah,but how many new heads & handles has it had?

 

[HumpTdumpty]

As thread title.....not specific to cycle equipment ,but anything, for instance Cameras,
I have had several over the years, now digital equipment makes most of the old stuff past it , heck you now have mobile phones that have far better resolution than equipment 5 yrs back, without the bulk, but old skool film can offer far better low resolution than digital ever could.
Likewise cycle equipment, things now seem progressing to Hydraulic disc brakes, electronic gear shifting, yet we still rely on that old tech of a bushed roller chain and toothed gear & cogs to drive the bike along.
So does my bike of 50 yrs ago become unusable ,if it still has friction changers, & old style side pull brakes?
I don't think so, I still relish the chance of changing gears by feel and grabbing a big handful of brake and hoping that I can still stop before that downhill junction at the bottom in the pouring rain.
Makes you feel alive !

Related to everything cycling in my house - never

 

[TheDoctor]

A cyclist becomes obsolete when they start riding ebikes.

 

[slowmotion]

........when even a bodge is impossible......

 

[Ming the Merciless]

View attachment 634453

Did your e bike break down?

 

[TheDoctor]

It's fine, thanks! It did have a moment after some heavy rain, I think the switchgear got a bit soggy...

 

[freiston]

Floppy disks are obsolete. Hand-made bicycles from the 20th century will be ridden in the 22nd, if we are around to ride them, that is.

View attachment 634437

My loudspeakers would be obsolete by these definitions. But they still play music from my phonograph records, which evidently are not, yet!

Quad Electrostatics? Looks like a Marantz amplifier under the turntable?

 

[Fredo76]

Quad Electrostatics? Looks like a Marantz amplifier under the turntable?

Yes, Quads. I thought folks on this site might recognize them. One of three pair brought back from the UK by the seller's father in the 70's, after serving overseas. Stored for decades and not even dusty. Can't say that now, though! The Marantz is an SACD player. A Chinese 12 watt class A SS amp is driving the the Quads, since my tube amp is busted. There's another item that is not yet obsolete - vacuum tubes!