These are old rumors that we have heard many times before. Ever happened to you that a laptop or a mobile stops working / malfunctions just after the warranty period is over? Well if conspiracy theories are to be believed companies design the product such that they stop working after the warranty expires. Happened to me many times with Apple iPods. This time particularly Sony is being named.
While such rumors about Sony is popular since the 80′s and the term ‘Sony Timer’ is said to be very popular in Japan. A company official accepted in 2006 that they find these claims ‘absurd’ and are ‘making a deliberate and concerted effort to improve Sony’s image’. [more here]
Its a fact that most average technology users don’t upgrade their Mobiles and Laptops (or for that matter even television or cameras) unless the earlier one breaks down. In the tech world where manufacturers are coming out with newer technology almost every few months, it becomes very hard to sell new technology to the masses. If all our day to day gadgets accompany us for 2-5 years, the technology giants would have a big problem. While this is no justification for having a secret kill switch on a hardware, any proof of such a practice can mean disaster for Sony or any other co.
