Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/01/28
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I don't think that the Japanese were responsible for the idea at all, the UK,France,Germany,Belgium and the USA introduced it in the most lucrative industry of all. I left out the USSR, their philosophy was completely the opposite. Planned obsolesence is something that started up after WWII in the arms industry, "new rifle - new calibre" kind of idea,or aircraft and vehicle spares made deliberately in very short supply. I know the British Army and Airforce cannibalise old vehicles and aircraft to keep others running, the Bundeswehr in Germany does it , and I wouldn't be at all surprised if the US-Army does it too. Also, hardly any new weapons systems today are compatible with their predecessors or, as an example, indeed with the weapons used within the various armies of the NATO Allied forces, and only recently have the transport and logistics vehicles been built on standard platforms again. Strangely enough during WWII most countries did build hundreds of variations on standard chassis, Sherman tanks, Bedford QL,Austin K-series, GMC CCKW353/StudebakerUS6, German Opel and Ford "Einheitsdiesel" and Japanese Toyota trucks. The arms business lives from constant planned obsolesence, most systems are planned to be phased out within a 5 year period (if not sooner) and most of these are even obsolete when they are put into action, eg the Tornado Low Level Strike Aircraft, used to destroy airfields, ran out of bombs during Desert Storm, nobody had thought of stockpiling munitions for it. Of course this machine was not compatible with any of the other weapons systems available at the time and could not be refitted at short notice. Douglas Karen Nakamura wrote: >> >> This "planned obsolescence" was introduced by the Japanese >> after WW II and in > > > I don't think you can blame the Japanese for planned obsolescence. Just > take a look at anything made by Kodak (except the Kodak Retina series). > And Japanese cars do tend to last much much longer than American cars. > Most Asahi Pentax Spotmatic cameras and Nikon Fs are ticking along just > as well as their Leicaflex brethren. > > Not to get off track, but just defending my fellow country men and women. > > > Karen Nakamura > http://www.photoethnography.com/ClassicCameras/ > http://www.photoethnography.com/blog/ >