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They were still an anti-competitive cartel.

The Pheobus Cartel wasn't just about bulb lifespan, but also bulb price. They also used their power to increase the price of bulbs. The fact that they converged on a practical trade-off in terms of life span & energy costs doesn't change their anti-competitive nature.

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I agree with you there, but most people bring up the Phoebus cartel as an example of planned obsolescence and rarely being up the price fixing aspect. Besides, the cartel didn't last for very long regardless.

> The fact that they converged on a practical trade-off

Is it even desirable to mass produce at one specific point in the tradeoff curve? Wouldn't society, or at least engineers, appreciate being able to choose where in the curve you land?

Only if the choice is clear and reliable. Right now there seems to be a lot of difference between LED bulb longevity, but it's basically a dice roll if you get a lasting one or not.

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