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Bose totally did this with their MIE line of headphones. I bought a pair right when they were introduced. They seemed very well made and I loved them. Sadly, th
by hyperbovine 10y ago
Bose totally did this with their MIE line of headphones. I bought a pair right when they were introduced. They seemed very well made and I loved them. Sadly, that pair got stolen. The next pair was the same but... different. Several pieces just seemed flimsier, cheaper. The cord was a bit thinner, the plastic remote was creaky, earbuds felt were less substantial, etc. Melted that pair on a radiator, unfortunately. On to pair #3. Everything feels cheap, which is annoying when you spend $120 on a pair of earbuds. Cord leading from the remote to the earpiece is approximately the thickness of dental floss and breaks inside of 6 months. No more Bose for me.
- wpietri 10y agoThis gets at an important point in the Lean Manufacturing philosophy. The typical business chases profits and works to reduce costs. But Lean businesses focus on delivering value while reducing waste. For your headphones, somebody was cutting costs without regard to value vs waste. I think one of the reasons this is so common that anybody can cut costs. ("Your budget next year is 10% lower. Make it work!") But it takes thoughtful experts to discover and eliminate waste.