Kill Switch – Death after warranty is over
Have you ever had an electronic device that broke just after the warranty expired? Could it be a coincidence? Or is something more sinister involved?
Many people believe in the existence of a “kill switch” – an internal mechanism in electronic devices that stops products working after a certain time.
1.) They are convinced that the products are programmed to break as soon as the warranty expires. This is the myth of the “kill switch” or the “product timer”. Rumours have even emerged that the timers are controlled remotely, and set off just when a new product is ready to come out on the market.
One company in particular is at the centre of this debate: Sony. Sony is renowned for its top-quality electronic goods. 2.) They produce everything from video-cameras to DVD players to games consoles. But many people believe in the myth of the “Sony Timer”. The rumour has been around since the 1980s. But recent incidents seem to have confirmed it. In 2006, about 4 million Dell laptops were recalled because of faulty Sony batteries. 3.) It was a disaster for Dell, but also for Sony as the incident put the myth into the public arena.
But there were other cases. Many customers complained about their Sony VAIO laptops, claiming that they broke after about a year of use. 4.) This was followed by another incident involving E-Series Bravia TVs. A bug in the TV’s internal system meant that they would only last 1,200 hours before refusing to power on or off. This adds up to about 3 hours watching per day for one year, the exact period of the television’s warranty. Sony was forced to issue a software patch to fix the problem.
Of course, Sony insists that the myth of the timers is totally absurd. There’s no evidence to back up the claims. 5.) And, of course, millions of users are extremely happy with their Sony products. “I’ve had a Sony MP3 player for five years and it still works perfectly,” said Elsie Barrows, a market researcher. “And I’ve got a Sony Walkman from 15 years ago and that still plays cassettes!” she added. Meanwhile, will you be renewing your warranty?
