Made to Break: Pt.1 of 3

I really enjoyed the first third of Giles Slade’s Made To Break: Technology and Obsolescence in America. The first half mostly consists of a few examples of the history and coming of technological obsolescence in America. Typically I don’t much enjoy the history portions of the books we have read for this class so far - I prefer reading about modern day examples, they are somewhat easier to relate to. This, however, was a bit different. I thought it read very easily and was quite interesting; I particularly enjoyed the stories of the first disposable products and the competition between Ford Motor Company and General Motors. Henry Ford prided himself for his cars’ durability, saying “We want the man who buys one of our cars never to have to buy another.” As Slade writes, “He was adamant in his determination to provide America car buyers with more than fair value, and they responded with enormous brand loyalty.” (Slade 32) Though this was admirable, it was Alfred Sloan of GM’s use of obsolescence and style marketed towards women that made their cars tremendously more popular than Fords’. While Ford continued to innovate in safety aspects, GM’s style eventually forced Ford to switch to a model of planned upgrades to a car’s aesthetics every year to three years.
This type of obsolescence continues today, and is pervasive in near-any product the average American customer buys every day. It is still true of cars, as well as every electronic, from laptops to headphones. Also true is the idea of different classes first introduced by Sloan in GM cars - when your electronic dies, you are likely to want to “upgrade” to a better model than your last. I’m sure I’ll learn more about more modern examples, which I am excited for; Slade’s style of writing lends itself to easy, fun reading.