haha is this a joke? Apple basically forces you to upgrade your phone every two years, by releasing a mandatory OS update that makes older phones slow as dirt.

I'm talking about my mom's 1957 Ford pickup that still runs great today. I'm talking about the Ostrisizer can opener from the 1970s that my family still uses in their kitchen. 5 years lifetime for a $800 product is not "built to last".

I had my MacBook Pro for 6 years before I upgraded, and didn't really need to. Are there many better examples within the computer / smartphone industry than Apple? Capitalism allows $1000 to buy progressively more powerful computers year after year.

Oh but you're talking about pickup trucks and can-openers. Oh ok my bad.

Were those created by socialist / communist economies now?

What are we even talking about here? Did capitalist economies develop these things or not? Does the profit motive not motivate the auto company and can opener company to produce a better product?

We're not talking about capitalism vs. communism. We're talking about capitalism vs. consumerism, aka Planned Obsolescence.

Capitalism _could_ produce products (even high-tech products like phones) that last for longer than 2 years (e.g. swappable chips/boards/screens, etc), but it doesn't, because the rapid, constant growth demanded by investors is antithetical to making products that are built to last.

A 1957 Ford pickup is going to be an absolute deathtrap in an accident. I'm not sure that's a great example.

Not quite that exact combo, but you get the idea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPF4fBGNK0U

1957 Fords were made in a capitalist society under less regulations than todays cars. Cold War era Trabants, Skodas or Ladas that were made under a socialist economy were neither as durable nor as desirable as those capitalist cars made in the West.

Nothing in the profit motive prohibits Apple's success, no. Apple certainly pays attention to its margins and how to increase them, it's just that they're not afraid to do it with price. However, and this can't be the first time you've seen this, but brands and their products are routinely downgraded in quality over time, particularly after acquisitions. Have you seen a Bell & Howell product line lately?[1] See also: Converse Chuck Taylor and Doc Marten shoes.

1. http://bellandhowell.com/