Abstract
What can we learn from product design and consumer behaviour that might enable products to defy obsolescence? This chapter considers a range of product attributes, consumer behaviours and societal factors that feature prolonged product life-spans. Examples are mostly drawn from the consumer electronics sector, which is of particular interest due to rapid obsolescence. The life-spans of many such products (notably personal computers and mobile phones) are getting shorter and a significant proportion of these products are still in functional order when discarded Many of the examples presented are informal responses to impending obsolescence. They are often not planned or anticipated by the designer or manufacturer. The chapter concludes by considering new and collaborative approaches, between designers and users, in meeting the challenge of effectively engaging with obsolescence in fast-moving technological sectors such as consumer electronics.