Planned obsolescence and LED lighting

LED lights are about more than just energy efficiency. The new bulbs are meant to last for a very long time--25,000 hours. The average light bulb is estimated to be used about 1.6 hours per day. At that rate, LED bulbs can last up to 42 years!

This story from the New Yorker discusses an incandescent light bulb that dates to 1901 that is still burning today (it is left on at all times). It goes through the history of light bulbs and how this was the first time that an industry went through deliberate efforts to "break" their products prematurely in order to create turnover in their markets.

New Yorker: The LED Quandary