Acceptable lifetime of a smart device?

[Anonymous]

Many of the Internet of Things (IoT) devices are pretty much completely dependent on cloud services to allow them to connect with apps on your mobile/tablet or for their core functionality such as the Echo and Google Home devices.

Most of this stuff is curremtly provided free as the companies can easily afford to pay for the cloud hosting because they either run it themselves (such as Amazon and Google) or are making so much profit from the products or other activities they don't need to charge.

But what happens when due to product development they stop supporting the product or if the company cannot pay the bill for the  hosted services anymore?

How long should you expect a smart device to last and should you have a remedy (refund of a purchase price) if the product stops working within say 6 years?

[liggerz87]

True I'd think refund but then again it got used so it's hard to say

[Cleoriff]

I suppose it depends on you and what you want out of your phone

I had a Note 3 5 years ago. It wouldn't update after Lollipop (I think) It didn't bother me in the slightest. It did everything I wanted it to do. I did get a Note 4, and now have the Note 8. Both the Notes 3 and 4 are still going strong as they were passed on.

[Anonymous]

@Cleoriff

I'm really thinking more of the kind of stuff that is completely reliant on the cloud.

Unless something radically changes (like O2 closing down the platform that supported the old Philips Diga U phones) or the shut down of the TACS/ETACS networks a mobile is usually going to continue to work.