Product Cannibalization a model in Planned Obsolescence where you have one product line eat the other. Typically you use a new edgy and better 2.0 version to swap off the old and established successful product.

It’s not as simple as replacing the crystal skull,

And what companies end up doing is they end up making their old products shittier and shittier in hopes to make you jump on their new products. They’ll cheap out on material, stop pushing software support or updates, and overall just stop supporting repair parts and stuff for the old product line.

This is a way to make the old product obsolete.

And the idea is that they’re new and arguably shittier product (that no one asked for), will eat up the market share that is alleviated by the old product.

Think of it- Like a controlled forest burn, in which you Cull the old herd of trees to provide nutrients and growth for the next line in secession. It’s like that but with products, except consumers usually get upset and are the ones footing the bill for shittier products.

If you look at any classic products in food industry or even technology, you’ll notice either a degradation of support or quality. And that’s pretty standard for most product lines.

Why fix what isn’t broken?

How much can we cheap out to profit?

I mean, how many people in the drug business uncuts their drugs? Who is out there taking in spliced and low cut drugs and refining them to sell up-quality drugs? I haven’t heard of anyone doing it. The majority of people are doing what greed normally entails, cut the product and sell it. Make it cheaper and sell more. Profit.

In Closing,

Yea, this was a small blurb to educate you on one of the terms that floats around during a discussion of Planned Obsolescence. Where things being phased out or a viable product line is intentionally ‘killed’.

Kinda reminds me of that old Saturn photo;

Lmao- Enjoy

*Not Valid Financial, Legal, Life, or Any Advice