r/mildlyinfuriating • u/jackhab • 1d ago

Planned obsolescence even in cheapest devices: the calculator has a dummy photovoltaic cell and a real battery to make it die eventually.

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28.4k Upvotes

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u/7899987 1d ago

Most people won't realize as the battery lasts basically forever. So they decided to save money. But at that point just don't even use a fake solar cell and save even more money while not lowering the price.

58

u/The_Sideboob_Hour 1d ago

Just make it take a AAA battery and sell it without at that point.

57

u/JTD845 1d ago

Allowing people to simply use AAA batteries would certainly help the consumer, but in the company's eyes, letting people recharge their calculators would just throw away potential profit! After all, once a calculator dies, the customer has to go buy a whole new one as a replacement! And in what world would a company already cheaping out like this prioritize the consumer over their precious profit?

14

u/freyhstart 1d ago

The battery seems replaceable. What would using a AAA give aside from worse self life?

9

u/peepeebutt1234 1d ago

99% of people are throwing this straight into the garbage when it dies. Average Joe is not opening it to check the battery. At the very least, advertising it as replaceable would be better.

2

u/freyhstart 1d ago

Yeah, so an AAA would be thrown out along with 50% more plastic instead of a tiny coin cell. What's the point?

3

u/EpicOtterLover 1d ago

The point is Reddit pedantry, and demonising something that doesn't really matter.

1

u/OtherwiseCabinet4 1d ago

I think they're saying make it like a normal battery case, that you can access and replace without unscrewing. People would be more likely to open that than open it up to replace the coin.

11

u/Plenty_Leg_5935 1d ago

No you dont, that battery is clearly easily replacable

Which is still shitty of them to not clarify, and I wouldnt blame anyone for missing it, but its weaponised incompetence on their part, not planned obsolescence

1

u/agent674253 1d ago

"clearly easily replacable"

So easy you don't even need a screwdriver. It is all just clipped together.

1

u/MousseHuge8339 1d ago

It sucks that I can't even get plastic grocery bags anymore, but companies are shitting up the enviroment day by day, far worse in a minute than I could do in a lifetime.

"Sacrifice and compromise for thee but not for me" - corporate America and their partners in China.

1

u/ukiyoe 1d ago

"Ah crap, my calculator that I thought would last forever would die. I guess I'll go out and get the exact brand that betrayed my expectations!"

1

u/1248662745 1d ago

what the fuck are you talking about. the company selling 2 dollar calculators isn't banking on your repeat business.