My favorite example is the cell phone. I have a small side business
repairing these and supplying spares and replacements. None of them
are built to be repaired, so that's a challenge. Yet, the condition
of most of the phones I see are so bad, that were it any other
product, I would claim that the owner was intentionally abusing the
device. With an average lifetime of about 18 months for a consumer
dumb phone, the level of quality need not be much above minimal.

I'm curious. My current cell phone -- a Korean Lucky Goldstar -- is almost
five years old. Never had problems with it, and it's in great shape. (I
rarely abuse my purchases.) What, exactly, are the things you see that
suggest products -- cell phones or otherwise -- are abused?

On a related note... I was talking with a friend who's my age, and owns a
company that makes consumer audio equipment. He agreed with me that pride of
ownership has largely disappeared. Nothing seems to be of lasting value.
Products become obsolete after only a few months.