Planned obsolescence is one of the most infuriating parts of the tech industry. Many companies make operating systems, cloud services, and apps obsolete after a few years, rendering many physical products eventually useless. 

One Redditor shared their experience with a now obsolete device in their house and posted it to the r/Anticonsumption subreddit.

"Perfect hardware becoming a brick just because the server turned off is actually so s***," they said, evidently referring to this as a trend rather than a specific case.  

They noted that while the all the components of the product still function, the company switching off the cloud application programming interface has turned it into "instant e-waste."

"Turning working technology into garbage just to save on server costs isn't just annoying; it should be illegal," the original poster added.

Commenters largely agreed, focusing on how products like the Facebook Portal and Amazon Glow video calling devices. In Amazon's case, the online retailer at least offered all purchasers a refund after making the decision to render the device completely useless upon withdrawing cloud support. The device originally featured books and games that could be read and played online over a video call, popular for kids and family members.

Humans produce 62 million tons of e-waste every year, according to the United Nations Environment Programme, and the lack of e-waste management costs $78 billion in environmental and human health costs every year.

E-waste not only takes up space on this planet, but it also leaks heavy metals and other chemicals into our soil and waterways. Additionally, prematurely discarding technology is a waste of labor, natural resources, and energy.

Tech usage is unlikely to drop, placing the responsibility on corporations. Instead of pushing customers to buy a new phone every year, tech companies should plan for customers to keep their phones for as long as possible. They should also encourage customers to recycle tech to get money back rather than tossing it.

The Redditors commiserated with the OP.

"It's crazy how I still have a working SNES and CRT TV from my grandpa while newer devices are dead," one user shared.

"I'm so tired of this sort of obsolescence," another sympathized. "I have a perfectly functional iPod touch, thought it would be cool to give it to my kid."

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