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Isn't this largely driven by consumer demand? The prices of appliances has dropped dramatically in the last few decades. Building a long-lasting appliance oft
by tomlock 10y ago
Isn't this largely driven by consumer demand?
The prices of appliances has dropped dramatically in the last few decades.
Building a long-lasting appliance often requires even marginally more expensive materials - many of which are highlighted in this article.
If consumers are primarily price sensitive at the time of purchase, they may choose the $50 cheaper appliance even if it lasts 40 years less. What I mean to suggest is that price sensitivity at time of purchase often trumps long term gains - which is why you often see things like payday loans being used. When a person is paycheck-to-paycheck they probably aren't thinking about their financial position in 50 years, simply out of necessity.
Another reason might be that the Nokia 3310's of the world have been basically prototypical products - they are overdesigned. When the user has a perception that a phone is fragile, what's the threshold? We might not need a phone that can be run over by a truck to think a phone is tough. If the split of material cost -> price point and consumer perception is optimal at a certain point - companies will try and design to that point.
- harperlee 10y agoCompletely agree. There are niches were quality is paid for, where appliances no not self-destroy after a couple of years. Cases in point: Kitchenette, Thermomix. But outside these niches, it is a race to the bottom.
- autokad 10y agopart of the issue, and I'm surprised the author didnt mention it, is that in the last 10 years most devices have switched from mechanical to electronic. when i bought my speed queen washer and dryer, the person selling it said they only had mechanical, which some consider an advantage. I tend to agree.
- chrisseaton 10y agoWhy's mechanical better? Mechanics stick, break, become worn out. A circuit generally doesn't, does it? I know capacitors burst but they're easy enough to change. Do components like ICs ever just stop working? I would have thought solid-state would be better for endurance.
- autokad 10y agotouch pads have high failure rates. if they don't go, the control board does. and if neither, the connection between them. as for easy to change, replacing the mother board on my refrigerator would cost 600$ without installation fees. guess who bought a new refrigerator? :(
- chrisseaton 10y agoI know it happens, but how does a mother board just die? I mean it's a piece of plastic with durable metal channels on it. The channels don't wear or burn out. Everything's just inert. I know some components like capacitors do die, but they can be tested and replaced. How can a mother board just stop working?
- autokad 10y agosome kind of short? kitchens are damp places, the door is opened and closed many times a day, huge power fluctuations, etc. I dont know why for certain, its not my field. I do know that it happens a lot, as I started googling what could be wrong with my fridge when it went haywire. as for touch pads, contacts fail all the time.
- angry_octet 10y ago1. Corrosion 2. Electrolytic caps. 3. Vibration. 4. Flexing due to thermal cycling. 5. Electronic designs operating near their limits, resulting in increased failure rates. It used to be everything in a hostile environment (hot/wet/corrosive) was potted (dipped in epoxy) and in an enclosure. Now they have bare boards. Electronically controlled motors and very limited protection circuitry for the ICs. Just not built to last. No commonality in circuit boards so parts are very expensive (possibly by design; they only need parts for warranty repairs, after that they don't care about cost/availability).
- jamesbowman 10y agoYes, ICs age. Fissures in the subtrate expand with each thermal cycle. Delamination is a similar effect. That's how manufacturers prematurely age their parts -- by endless cycles in the oven. The biggest culprit is flash memory. It's in almost everything, and has a much shorter life than the 10 years most manufacturers claim.
- MichaelBurge 10y agoAround 40%[1] of the population rents, which means 40% doesn't make the purchasing decision for many appliances. We can sanity-check your argument with this: That reasoning should predict no change in the quality of commercial appliances used in apartment complexes and laundromats, since these customers are used to making spreadsheets with a capital expenditures budget that they pay into for 30 years. [1] http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/02/the-rise-of-renting-in-the-us/462948/ http://www.citylab.com/housing/2016/02/the-rise-of-renting-i...
- tomlock 10y agoMy perceptions in most coin-op laundries has been that they use different brands to consumers! Additionally, at least in Australia, my perception has been that most renters are required to bring or purchase their own washing machines and refrigerators.
- lacampbell 10y agoAround 40%[1] of the population rents, which means 40% doesn't make the purchasing decision for many appliances. Do all rental properties come with appliances in the US? Here in NZ that's the exception rather than the rule.
- Merad 10y agoKitchen appliances are usually included. If the house/apartment has washer/dryer hookups it's usually up to the renter to buy them.
- user5994461 10y agoUSA is notorious for having fully equipped kitchens. In Europe it varies by country. From the same, to having only a bare sink with a tube for the gaz.
- ajdlinux 10y agoHere in Australia, my apartment came with a dryer (required by law), a dishwasher and an oven. We had to buy the washing machine and the fridge, though.
- vvanders 10y agoYeah, somewhat related when we purchased our first tractor we were shocked that a 30hp tractor can go well north of $30,000. A large part of the reason is they will run for 50 years with minimal maintenance. We ended up picking up a '81 29hp tractor that was still ~6k. Sure there's planned obsolescence but there's also the cost factor as well.
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- TeMPOraL 10y agoIf consumers are price-sensitive, then companies locked in a race to the bottom will end up producing utter crap, that honestly shouldn't even exist in the civilized society. I don't think we can keep blaming consumers; the goal here is to ensure a minimum quality standard.
- tomlock 10y agoI don't really intend to blame consumers more than I want to blame a society where people are forced to make compromises to survive to the next paycheck!