Several related terms describe more precisely a product's life, from the point of manufacture, storage, and distribution, and eventual use.
Predicted life is useful such that a manufacturer may estimate, by hypothetical modeling and calculation, a general rule for which it will honor warranty claims, or planning for mission fulfillment.
The middle portion of the bathtub, or 'useful life', is a slightly inclined, nearly constant failure rate period where the consumer enjoys the benefit conferred by the product.
After installation, there is a not-small probability of failure which may be related to material or workmanship or even to the process for mounting the tire which may introduce some small damage.
After the initial period, the tire will perform, given no defect introducing events such as encountering a road hazard (a nail or a pothole), for a long duration relative to its expected service life which is a function of several variables (design, material, process).
[6] It may be difficult to obtain reliable longevity data about many consumer products as, in general, efforts at actuarial analysis are not taken to the same extent as found with that needed to support insurance decisions.
An example is the collection of estimates for household components provided by the Old House Web[7] which gathers data from the Appliance Statistical Review and various institutes involved with the homebuilding trade.
One of the most common factors that cause smartphones and other electronic devices to die quickly is physical impact and breakage, which can severely damage the internal pieces.