Age of the Upgrade
It’s hard to imagine that just a few decades back, people bought electronic items for the long term. Long term as in years, sometimes even decades! Not just in India, but all over the world. And then manufacturing got outsourced; components shrunk in size, got faster and cheaper; and product release cycles speeded up. To add to all that, as Joshua Topolsky says : “The appetite for the new, especially in the US, was perpetually whetted by bombastic and hyper-sexualized marketing.” Of course, this is no longer just limited to the US. Global product release cycles are not just aligned with US spending holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas anymore; they are also aligned with Diwali and the Chinese New Year as well! Topolsky points out that the Age of the Upgrade started in the early 90’s in the field of, hold your breath, video game consoles! As in: “8-bit was the old version. 16-bit was the "upgrade."” He says the video game’s 16-bit “upgrade” was the moment ...