On Tue, 15 Feb 2005 22:53:17 GMT, "Jim Conley"
wrote:

Hello,

I'm a journalist writing a story for Mobile PC Magazine on the decline of
quality in consumer electronics. I sent Sam Wasserman an e-mail regarding
this topic this morning and he recommended posting to the newsgroup. I'd be
interested in the thoughts of sci.electronic.repair readers about whether
the quality of electronics is genuinely on the decline and if so, why?

Here's some of the questions I hope to answer with this article.

Has there been a quantifiable decrease in the life span of consumer products
over the last fifteen years?
What segments of consumer electronics seem to be hardest hit?How long are
consumer electronics meant to last?
Are they any documented cases of electronics being intentionally crippled to
reduce shelf-life?
Does the concept of a manufacturer's warranty mean anything anymore or has
point-of-purchase warranty become expected of consumers?

I appreciate your input.

Jim Conley

Jim,

Unlike the other Jeremiahs here I hardly ever expect anything I buy to
ever fail.

I'm surprised if anything does actually fail. Most of the stuff I buy
just works and works without any trouble.

I've had the odd VCR fail on some functions, but not after 1-3 years,
more like 7-8 years. Otoh others I own (and I own quite a few) are
still going fine in every respect. I use them regularly.

Presumably all the posters feel cars are way worse too? Not in my
universe. Car repairs used to feed lots of families, they sure don't
do that now. I have a cheap Hyundai car. It has done 130,000Km over 9
years with only normal services. Nothing on it has broken or burnt
out. Great car, in my book.

Of course, most of this stuff won't resist serious useage abuse. I
keep my electronic stuff clean or stored properly, and I don't load it
with dirty or dusty media. I also service the car regularly, which
services aren't needed very often these days, and I don't belt the
living crap out of it when driving it.

Ross



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