Back Market Launches the Ugly Computer, as "Device Patina" Becomes a Point of Pride

Back Market, a leading marketplace for refurbished technology, generating over $3.5 billion in annual GMV and continuing to grow globally, today announced the launch of the Ugly Computer, a fully functional laptop with visible wear, such as sticker marks, that serves as a symbol of a broader shift toward valuing function over newness and usefulness over appearance.

"Over the past decade, consumers have increasingly come to value function over newness, and usefulness over appearance. The Ugly Computer is designed to create that lightbulb moment where people realize they don't need a new device every two years for tech to work for their lives."

— Thibaud Hug de Larauze, co-founder and CEO of Back Market

Introducing the Ugly Computer

In an age of AI-generated, uncanny valley perfection, consumers are rediscovering the value of imperfection. We cherish worn-in t-shirts, seek out vintage furniture, and hold onto objects that carry history or provenance. Now, devices with visible wear are starting to do the same, signaling a shift toward valuing function over newness.

The Ugly Computer embraces that shift, treating visible sticker marks not as flaws, but as proof that a device has been used, not used up - and increasingly, as a point of pride.

"We're seeing a clear shift in how people think about their devices. For years, tech was about having the newest thing. Now, it's about whether it works for your life. People are starting to question why they're replacing devices that still do everything they need."

— Joy Howard, Chief Marketing Officer at Back Market

The Ugly Computer follows Back Market's partnership with Google to provide ChromeOS Flex USB keys, extending the life of existing machines rather than replacing them. Together, these efforts help give a second life to fully capable devices, including the estimated 400 million computers impacted by the end of Windows 10 support, many of which risk being unnecessarily pushed out of use.

Most devices are not replaced because they stop working. They're replaced because they stop "feeling" current, or because consumers have been conditioned to believe that incremental updates are essential to daily life. Back Market challenges that idea directly.

Back Market Sparks Cultural Dialogue with "Downgrade Now" Campaign

Back Market's current Downgrade Now campaign, including out-of-home creative highlighting retro and single-use devices, has sparked widespread conversation around "zero screen time" and the desire for simpler, more intentional tech.

As the largest pure play refurbished tech marketplace, Back Market data shows demand for devices like iPods and digital cameras continuing to rise, not as collectibles, but as everyday tools. A clear signal that consumers are prioritizing function, focus, and joy over constant connectivity and incremental upgrades.

More broadly, a shift is already underway across the industry. As software, services, and artificial intelligence increasingly move to the cloud, innovation is moving off the device. The pressure to replace hardware on a fixed cycle is beginning to weaken. Devices are capable of lasting longer, the system around them just hasn't caught up.

Consumers can explore the Ugly Computer on Back Market, alongside tools and resources designed to extend device life and keep existing tech in use longer, and out of landfills.

About Back Market

Back Market is a leading global marketplace dedicated to professionally refurbished technology. Back Market’s mission is to create a world that does more with what we already have by prolonging the lifespan of electronic devices through circularity and repair. Founded in Paris in 2014, the company has grown by double digits year over year and to date has 18 million customers across 17 markets, avoiding more than 2 billion Kg of carbon emissions*

*Back Market calculation based on Ademe 2022 study