August 24th, 2009
Consumers to vendors: It's too easy to throw out technology
A study conducted by researcher Ipsos on behalf of printer vendor Lexmark International finds that 78 percent of people don’t expect their technology to last more than five years. What’s more, about 60 percent think that gadgets and devices should be made out of better quality material.
Both of these things make it a whole lot easier to throw things out, which perpetuates the e-waste problem. Although they might feel guilty about it, almost half of the people surveyed said they would throw out a damaged or malfunctioning product if it was out of warranty. Brand and disposability also are closely linked: Close to one-quarter of the survey respondents said they would switch brands if their device failed.
The thing that changes perceptions about a product, however, are the length of the warranty. The longer the warranty, the more confidence that consumers have in the device, according to the research.
Here are more data from the survey, which was conducted in March and April among more than 10,500 individuals in 21 countries.
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Heather Clancy is an award-winning business journalist in the New York area with more than 20 years experience covering the high-tech industry. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations. See her full profile and disclosure of her industry affiliations.
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