this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2024
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Depends what kind of ownership you're thinking about. When it comes to electronics, "ownership" is just subscription with a longer period between payments. Your existing phone, tablet, TV, dishwasher or what have you will last a finite time and then you have to buy a new one.
If there's something that will last a lifetime, that's a different discussion. But those are rare. Almost every purchase you make is a commitment to a recurring cost.
That's an interesting perspective, and it makes sense for certain objects.
I also disagree with something you're implying. If you build a proper headphones it will last forever. It's a symptom of a broken system to create headphones that break every 3 years. That applies to many objects that I can think of right now.
I agree that the current system is broken. So let's say that instead of paying $300 for a pair of headphones that last three years, you pay $8.33 / month for renting the headphones. Now, if the headphones break after three years the manufacturer has to produce new ones for you. That's an undesirable cost for them.
It is now in their best interest to make headphones that will last a long time and that they can repair if something breaks. But also, since you can easily cancel the subscription at any time, it is in their interest to offer you something that is competitive. They might even upgrade to better technology over time or add new features to the bundled app to keep you as a customer. Or alternatively, lower the subscription cost over time to reflect the relative value of the headphones.
For you, there's also the benefit that there's no high upfront cost that you can't reverse. You're paying for what you can afford in your current situation. If you lose your job you can stop paying for the headphones at a moment's notice. I imagine that this would leave fewer people in credit card debt.
Or we could fix the system and I have the right information as customer to be able to purchase a headphones that lasts long and can be repaired.
I'd argue we need a market that provides more useful information to the customer.
For example I'd like to know what environmental impact my products have. How long I'll be able to get replacement parts. Longer guarantees perhaps. The ability to upgrade. I'm not an expert on the details.
At the moment I'd prefer to own rather than to rent. Quite frankly what you're imagining sounds dystopian to me because you lose power.