Ken Pillonel criticizes the planned obsolescence imposed by Apple. His videos have 1 million views
Ken Pillonel, 26, in his office-laboratory, where he notably creates prototypes and documents his thematic projects on YouTube. © Charly Rappo
Published on 10.10.2022
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
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Estavayer” “I never imagined it would come to this!” marvels Ken Pillonel, his big blue eyes still incredulous. And yet. It was this young man from Friborg who had just graduated from EPFL who challenged the self-proclaimed masters of the technological hourglass. And behind his shy demeanor hides a stubbornness that would almost make Apple tremble. At the origin of this excitement? A passion: to give a second life to everyday technological objects, like a deus ex machina of “hardware” – material elements of a computer system. With the battle against planned obsolescence as its main concern.
A year ago, the robotics engineering student posted a video where he explained how to “reinvent” an iPhone by equipping it with a USB-C port: a snub to the apple brand, which imposes its own port and charger. The first attempt becomes a masterstroke: in a few days, his video totals a million views. Last July, rebelote. It attacks wireless headphones