Every time we buy a new electronic product, the fear of obsolescence starts ticking at the back of our minds. The fear reaches its peak when we buy a mobile phone. Be it the cheapest 2G variety or the costliest 4G one, the inevitability of obsolescence far outweighs the momentary thrill of possessing a brand new mobile phone. Impending obsolescence of mobile phones has become something like the inevitable death of human beings. There is no way we can overcome it except for the risk of being labelled as an oldtimer.
But why the inevitability of obsolescence for a simple instrument which is used only for convenience? It is nothing but the greediness of market forces that has made it so. Many of the multinational companies have become greedy beyond tolerable limits and the only reason behind many of the world’s humanitarian tragedies is precisely this greediness. Otherwise why can’t they spare atleast the basic necessities of mankind from their never ending profit motives. Communication is as important and inevitable for humans in twenty first century as air, water and electricity.
The world bodies for common good and multinational companies must arrive at a consensus to start manufacturing some form of a communication instrument for ever (phone4ever). There must be a mobile phone whose hardware will need no upgrade for atleast two decades. Software upgrades are reasonable and often meaningful. In the emerging world of ubiquitous wifi free of cost, software upgrade is not an issue at all. But the need of a phone4ever is all the more important and has become a bare necessity in today’s world.
