Sure, I could have opened it up and done a Heath Robinson installation of a new battery, but the device was quite obviously not designed to make this an easy exercise.

Since then, I've watched the market fill with other devices that seem to be designed with planned obsolescence in mind. In no particular order (because I'm on a roll here), there are all of the subsequent iPods, the iPhone, the iPod Touch, the Zune and all of the other spendy digital music devices. And while Apple is just the most visible of the sinners in this particular ring of technology hell -- the iPad is next up -- let's be clear, it isn't the only one.

What got me thinking about this was the Bluetooth headset market. Hardly any of these products have batteries that can be changed! My friend Tony has a first-generation Aliph Jawbone which he loves, but it is getting on (I this device when it first came out), and Tony's annoyed that if the battery dies something that works perfectly well will become useless.

I have since of the Jawbone and they are all outstanding except for that one thing: If the battery fails and you're out of warranty (which is one year), you are SOL.

Similar warranty terms apply to products from Apple, Microsoft, Sony, Motorola, Plantronics … it's a long list. Buy high-tech devices from any of these manufacturers and within days of your warranty expiring you could have landfill on your hands (or in your ear).