Hi Jim,

I am a technical writer, and publish a daily free newsletter on the
telecom industry.

I fully support your claims that the average life of consumer
electronics is declining. I am an electronics gizmo freak and have
repaired quite a few things on my own.

Remember a TV/Audio/Radio/Fridge bought 10 or 20 years ago may still be
running allright with minor glitches. However, the average life of a TV
has been reduced to not more than 7-8 years today. Same is the case
with other equipment. I think the worst decline in quality has come in
case of AUDIO players with CD/DVDs. They normally develop a defect or
problem within a year itself.

Another problem with these sophisticated devices is that they are very
costly to repair. So, the companies earn profits on two counts. 1)
Initial Sale and 2) Spare parts.

The following factors can be attributed to falling quality levels:

1) Global competition
2) Sustaining profit margins
3) Curbing a fall in sales ( A TV built for 20 yrs life will ultimately
affect the future sales/profits of a company)
4) Procuring supllies/spare parts from low cost countries, which do not
adhere to strict quality standards or are not technologically well
equipped
5) Meeting huge demand in less time
6) Launching new models without much prior testing

Just to give you an example. My TV set has got a damaged IF block,
according to a company authorised service center. Also, the switch set
is not working. If I total up their estimate, it comes to $170, at
which I can buy a brand new TV set. This clearly shows that these
companies work on a strategy where the customer would either get a
product repaired at huge cost, or buy a brand new TV, boosting their
sales.

Thanks