I think you (and most of the other replies below) miss the point. The newer the device, the shorter the lifespan. You year 2000 device was built to last much lo

I think you (and most of the other replies below) miss the point. The newer the device, the shorter the lifespan. You year 2000 device was built to last much longer than the average equivalent device built today. Planned obsolescence is a staple of consumer society, you have to have a guaranteed reason to replace the item. Breaking down will do that better than anything else. 20 or 40 years ago most people expected their devices to last a lot longer than today. Now if you TV breaks down after 5 years most never bother fixing it and just think "I was due for a new one anyway".