Re:People expect technology to suck because it sucks
by webmaven on Sunday September 27, 2020 @09:49AM
(#24606592)
> Worth noting that there wasn't some big price reduction happening from solid appliances 20 years ago to crappy ones today. Price remained roughly fixed, but appliances started to suck more and more.
First, the "solid appliances" weren't 20 years ago, but more like 25-30.
And though there wasn't a big price reduction in the interim:
- Refrigerators are more energy efficient.
- Refrigerators have larger internal volume for a given size.
Equivalent improvements have been made to other appliance types such as washers and dryers, but not stoves, as far as I know.
Those improvements are largely orthogonal to declining design and build quality, but it should be noted that there are at least some ways in which newer appliances have been getting better (that aren't just gimmicky features) while prices remained the same.
First, the "solid appliances" weren't 20 years ago, but more like 25-30.
And though there wasn't a big price reduction in the interim:
- Refrigerators are more energy efficient.
- Refrigerators have larger internal volume for a given size.
Equivalent improvements have been made to other appliance types such as washers and dryers, but not stoves, as far as I know.
Those improvements are largely orthogonal to declining design and build quality, but it should be noted that there are at least some ways in which newer appliances have been getting better (that aren't just gimmicky features) while prices remained the same.