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Design & Prototyping
In 1994 telecom vendor Ericcson came up with a method for headphones and mobile phones to wirelessly communicate. By 1998 other telecom companies were interested in the technology and formed a special interest group which is now known as “Bluetooth SIG”.
Design and prototyping was done under the Bluetooth SIG. The foundation of Bluetooth SIG was rapid and members grew to 400 by the end of 1998. In July 1999 Bluetooth SIG released a 1.0 standard version which was a draft version of the Bluetooth standard and 1.0a which was a first published version of the Bluetooth standard. Toward the end of the year in December 1999 the 1.0b was released which was a small update to cure minor problems and issues of 1.0a. By February of 2001 a first useable 1.1 is released which was used by the IEEE for their standard IEEE 802.15.1. (Radio-Electronics 2012) During 2001 the technology came to market with a mobile phone, PC card, and Bluetooth headset were shipped.
The design team consisted of both genders, but was most likely male dominant since it was a tech industry growing in the early 2000’s. The design and testing team was from Bluetooth SIG and at the time compiled from five companies. (Bluetooth SIG 2012)
Manufacturing & Production
Manufacturing and production were done by many member companies under the Bluetooth SIG group. The original companies included Intel Corp, IBM Corp, Ericcson Mobile Communications, Nokia Mobile Phones, Toshiba Corp. Currently, interested companies can submit their application to use the Bluetooth technology. After the establishment of the Bluetooth SIG group companies such as Microsoft and Motorola took interest in using the technology for their own products. (Bluetooth SIG 2012)
The Bluetooth SIG has member companies who manufacture, market ready Bluetooth products for consumers and/or business users. I will use member company Samsung and discuss their manufacturing practices and materials used. Samsung employs Chinese workers to manufacture their products. Workers in these factories vary by gender and depend on the skill desired. Male workers are wanted for longer, more physically demanding hours and work. Females are wanted in tasks that require smaller hands and roles where they’re more cooperative than their counterpart. Samsung has also been known for child labor and not long ago it wasn’t uncommon many of their workers were under 18 years old. (SwedWatch 2013)
Working conditions are not adequate or meet China’s government working standards. Samsung carries out their own standards within these places, but the rules aren’t followed by management. Cancer rates are higher among these assembly workers and birth defects are high in pregnant workers. (The Center for Public Integrity 2015)
Samsung supports conflict free materials and recognizes the issues surrounding raw material mining and natural resource scarcity. The main metals used during product manufacturing are tin, tungsten, gold, and tantalum. Samsung phased out plastic in most products for stability purposes. An increase in metal use has brought the attention of conflict free materials which is a major concern. (Samsung Electronics 2013)
Marketing
Bluetooth technology products are marketed to both genders. Its market does focus on teenage consumers and above. Some toys, and electronic devices children use do have Bluetooth in them, but they aren’t the target market. Communication devices utilize Bluetooth technology the most of all devices. (Bluetooth SIG 2012)
Sales
Bluetooth is sold by many companies for multiple purposes. The Bluetooth technology is used in a wide spectrum of products and devices which include but not limited to: government, medical, and consumer electronics. Bluetooth is in devices sold by computer manufacturers, telecom, and audio companies. The uses for Bluetooth technology is versatile and it reaches beyond those types of companies. (TechRadar 2014)
User Support
User support is offered by the parent product and Bluetooth doesn’t offer support for their products. The member companies from the Bluetooth SIG are those who manufacture Bluetooth technology in their products. (Bluetooth SIG 2016)
Maintenance
Depending on the product the maintenance may be some or none at all. Bluetooth devices are most likely running on batteries from the host device and batteries need to be charged to run Bluetooth signals. Some Bluetooth products are waterproof and/or shock proof and they’re more robust with little to any intervention. An expert is needed for repair and the parent product’s company should be contacted. (Control Engineering 2013)
Recycling & Disposal
Recycling and disposal depends on the product the Bluetooth technology is used in. Bluetooth technology is commonly used in smartphones, which can be recycled after use. Bluetooth headsets can also be recycled. In the United States of America these devices can be recycled by a local recycling facility or dropped off at a local Bestbuy electronic store. But other items such as a Bluetooth pregnancy test cannot be recycled and need to be disposed of. (PC Mag 2016)
