Managing technological obsolescence
Nothing gets out of date so quickly as a piece of electronic hardware. I used to give talks on how to buy a computer and a standard line was that any PC you buy is underpowered and overpriced two weeks after you buy it. We all tend to end up with hardware that we no longer want or that we want to replace.
This is both a financial and an environmental problem. There is usually still some value present in aging hardware but realizing that value can be a lot of work. Selling things on eBay is one possibility but many people don’t know how or don’t have time to go that route. Another problem is that electronics can’t just be dumped but need to be disposed of in an environmentally friendly way. Some companies will help you recycle their products and stores like Staples may provide a place to dispose of unwanted hardware. But most disposal plans will not let you realize the monetary value of obsolete electronics.
An interesting PC Magazine article discussing the problem of what to do about the cycle of technological obsolescence is Ownership 2.0: Managing Technology Lifecycles. It describes a new approach:
I suspect that for most of our readers this issue of having old PCs, laptops, MP3 players, and so on hanging around gathering dust is familiar. Recycling them is, of course, the best option. I recently discovered a program that may take recycling to the next level for some of us technology buffs.
It’s called Ownership 2.0, and it represents a new association that brings together innovative companies to help manage what they call the “technology ownership cycle.” This is an industry group whose business models help customers manage the complete ownership cycle of their products through offerings like subscription services, temporary ownership, and fractional ownership of tech products.
Today, a consumer buys a product, owns it for a length of time, and then when it is no longer needed, it is stashed away, added to the overall household clutter, or (ideally) recycled. That’s Ownership 1.0. The goal of Ownership 2.0 is to help consumers establish a new mind-set that has them using their products for a limited period of time and then “recycling” them in an innovative and extremely cost-effective manner.
Some of the companies leading this movement are TechForward, Bag Borrow or Steal, Bookrenter.com, and Simply Audiobooks. All of these companies are appealing, but since I am mostly interested in tech products, TechForward’s program holds the greatest appeal for me.
What TechForward offers is a unique buyback program. Let’s say that you are going to buy a new LCD television for under $1,000. If you buy it from one of TechForward’s partners, such as TigerDirect or Amazon, you get the option of purchasing the TechForward Guaranteed Buyback program for $79. What does this buy you? Well, if you decide to return it within six months of purchasing it, you receive 50 percent of the purchase price. Return it within six months to a year and you receive 40 percent of the purchase price. Return it within one year to 18 months and you receive 30 percent of the purchase price. And return it between 18 months and two years after your purchase and you will receive 20 percent of what you paid for it.
The latest print version of PC World also has an article (no link available yet) about the program called “Guaranteed Buyback” from TechForward.
If you tend to keep PCs and electronics more than a couple of years, you may prefer another approach but for the frequent upgrader, these guaranteed buyback programs look promising.
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