“Abandonware” is a term used to describe software or hardware that has been “abandoned” by its original creator and can no longer be found for sale through any official channels.
A popular example of this practice can be found in early generations of the iPhone, albeit with a more aggressive tone due to their discontinued manner of making their products obsolete to sell newer models.
Another example that can be likened to a proper lifecycle of software or hardware ending would be the updates to computer operating systems like the Windows system and video games like Pokémon that release new titles but stop production for their older titles even if consumers desire them.
However, even if consumer opinion wants these products to be reintroduced to the market, companies have to make decisions that best benefit the advancement of their technology and overall products.
“One major factor is the release of new versions with improved features, better performance and enhanced security. Once a new version launches, support teams shift focus to maintaining it, as continuing to support all versions would strain resources, impact customer experience, and increase costs.” – Lance Hundt, UNG Manager of IT Systems Operations and Engineering
Lance Hundt, the Manager of IT Systems Operations and Engineering at the University of North Georgia, shared that companies prioritize the advancement of their software and simply do not possess the necessary manpower or financial funding to continue maintenance on older programs.
Hundt said in his own personal experience that the reason most software gets put away is due to vulnerabilities found in their code or simply that the limitations for it have been clearly pushed. After this it is up to the company to replace its programs if they become less profitable at the cost of potentially losing clients to competitors.
He generally expects “a lifespan of five years before component failure rates increase significantly. Beyond that, maintaining support becomes less viable.”
However, Hundt’s words were primarily referencing non-physical technology and were not able to take into account the fate of hardware that needs somewhere to go after being made obsolete.
Kaylee Todd, the Chemistry Lab Manager at UNG, shared her colleagues’ run-ins with the issue during their careers.
Hardware such as their “nuclear magnetic resonance instrument,” “AA” machine, and many others suffer from companies discontinuing production on parts even if their lifespans were relatively short.
While some of it is properly recycled and is repurposed for the production of newer models, there is the constant concern of e-waste in landfills around the world.
Due to the high level of certain metals found in e-waste, such as lead and mercury, soil pollution has become a serious problem around the world as well. Since most e-waste is left to rot for years, some decades, the metals heat up over time when exposed to the sun and seep into the ground, making the soil toxic and dangerous to the environment.
The latest reported metric of e-waste in global landfills was in 2022, where it was concluded by the World Health Organization (WHO) that an estimated 62 million tons was produced with only 22.3% of that total being recycled.
WHO is currently working to combat these numbers and to limit the amount of e-waste generated in the future, though the amount of abandonware generated is dependent on the advancement of technology, with e-waste slated to increase by 32% by 2030.
