I love technology. That’s exactly why I think it needs to slow down.
Every year there’s another phone, another laptop, another smartwatch, another must-have upgrade. The presentations get bigger, the marketing gets louder, and we’re told this year’s model changes everything. Most of the time, it doesn’t. The improvements have started feeling incremental while the pressure to upgrade keeps increasing.
What’s interesting is that these same companies are also talking about limited resources, supply chain constraints, and sustainability. If that’s true, why is the solution always to make another version of the same product instead of asking whether we’re making the right products in the first place? I’d rather see a company spend three or four years building something genuinely different than release four devices that are only slightly better than the last one. Innovation doesn’t have to mean faster release cycles. Sometimes innovation is knowing when to stop and rethink the process.
The other part I don’t understand is what happens after we’re done with these devices. Trade-in programs are fine, but they’re rarely a great deal. A phone that cost over a thousand dollars a few years ago suddenly has a value that barely covers dinner. If you don’t qualify for a trade-in, your options become even smaller.
If a company designed it, manufactured it, and profited from it, I think it should have some responsibility for what happens when that product reaches the end of its life. Not because consumers shouldn’t recycle, but because manufacturers are in the best position to recover materials, refurbish components, and design products with their own supply chain in mind.
We keep hearing that the future is about sustainability. If that’s true, then sustainability shouldn’t end at the checkout page.
The next big innovation doesn’t have to be another camera lens or a thinner phone. It could be a product that stays useful longer, is easier to repair, and has a clear path when it’s finally retired. That’s progress. Not just another product launch.