We Pay More for Less, for Things That Last Less Time and Are Almost Impossible to Repair
Display? Check. 1400 RPM? Check. 8KG capacity? Check.
But like in grocery stores, they charge more for less now:
Down to 1200 RPM, 7KG capacity, no display anymore.
A week ago we wrote about "Technology Not Meant to Last" in relation to dryers and washing machines (some of many examples which exist out there). This was discussed again yesterday afternoon in IRC.
Technology - especially in the appliance space - is being made to last a shorter period of time (because of choice of materials that make up flaky components which degrade due to external factors) and the environment bears the toll. From what I can gather, perhaps due to the rising cost of microchips, many of the "budget" dryers and washing machines no longer come with a display, only a dial (and fewer and/or smaller dials), and there's more plastic in them. Things will fall apart and it's hard to open anything in order to repair (I can install and repair such machines, but just like laptops, they're made increasingly harder to service - some require very specialised tools/instruments). It's part of a trend. The common advice given is, dispose of... and buy a new one. Some of them barely last a year or two (only enough time for the manufacturer's warranty to expire); you're be lucky to make it to 5 years irrespective of the well-keeping, care, gentleness. There are no workarounds.
Ever noticed how "modern" or "smart" TVs come with dumber and dumber (worse) controllers? Some of the Samsung "smart" TV have only a single button for menu navigation, with two "modes" for that button: press or hold down. It's not only cumbersome to use, it's also harder to learn.
They don't simplify things by reducing the number of buttons (an Apple mindset satirised by The Onion approximately 2 decades ago). The old remote controls with lots of buttons on them were simpler and faster to use. You could, for example, just enter the channel number with a single click (no scrolling). How far have we come along? And no, "apps" are not remote controls and lots can go wrong with skinnerboxes, set aside security considerations. Most people cannot cope with such gadgets except if helped by a well-meaning relative/friend.
This means that modern "computer-based" appliances got worse. They will continue getting worse. They're harder to use, they don't last long, and repairs cost over half the price of a new replacement (sometimes more than a full replacement).
As we like to put it, newer is not always better. Most of the time newer means less desirable. There's no standardisation in cars either; a lot of the swappable features went missing (detachable stereo/tuner, lighter slot, and so on). It not only drives up costs, it makes repairs hard and sometimes impossible.
It feels like customers or the interests of consumers got abandoned entirely. █
Earlier this month: Storage and Memory Prices Are Rising Not Because of High Demand (Production Can Match Demand), It's Partly Because of Price-Fixing (Same as Food Price Increases)