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Nobody is going to sabotage them, but they’re also not going to spend money making them list one minute longer than they really have to. If you’re focused on th

Nobody is going to sabotage them, but they’re also not going to spend money making them list one minute longer than they really have to. If you’re focused on the short term or think reputation isn’t a big driver of your sales, then your product really doesn’t have to last very long. I think it gets worse as time goes on, because manufacturers gain experience with the lifespan of their components and learn exactly where they can cut. If you’re not quite sure how long something will last, you’ll probably err on the side of caution and engineer it to last longer than needed in case you got it wrong.

lotsofpulp 8y ago
A competing manufacturer can always offer a product that last longer and warranty it, and people might choose to purchase it depending on the price. However, as the article notes, people may not be interested in paying a premium for a product that lasts 10y instead of 5y or 20y instead of 10y, since the tech can change or maybe it’s susceptical to other kinds of degradation.
- brlewis 8y ago
  For bulbs that are really cheap, people won't keep their receipts and warranty information. I think it will be hard for bulbs to differentiate by warranty.
  - nerfhammer 8y ago
    yea if it fails after a year (vs. a few days) very few people are going to bother with or even remember there was a warrantee
  - Dylan16807 8y ago
    The advantage of buying online.
    - rootusrootus 8y ago
      Or Home Depot. Give them your email address and attach your cards to it and then you will always have the receipt.
  - electrum 8y ago
    If you buy at Costco, you can return them at any time in the future without a receipt. The return desk will lookup past purchases using your membership card.
- Dylan16807 8y ago
  But when that estimate is based on 3 hours a day, and you actually use the bulb 9 or 12 or 24, the balance shifts significantly.
- olyjohn 8y ago
  I can't even trust that the company will be around in 5 or 10 years. Or that they won't come back with some BS why they won't honor the warranty, and how it's my fault the bulb is bad. Long warranties are basically worthless anymore.

lotsofpulp 8y ago

A competing manufacturer can always offer a product that last longer and warranty it, and people might choose to purchase it depending on the price. However, as the article notes, people may not be interested in paying a premium for a product that lasts 10y instead of 5y or 20y instead of 10y, since the tech can change or maybe it’s susceptical to other kinds of degradation.

brlewis 8y ago
For bulbs that are really cheap, people won't keep their receipts and warranty information. I think it will be hard for bulbs to differentiate by warranty.
- nerfhammer 8y ago
  yea if it fails after a year (vs. a few days) very few people are going to bother with or even remember there was a warrantee
- Dylan16807 8y ago
  The advantage of buying online.
  - rootusrootus 8y ago
    Or Home Depot. Give them your email address and attach your cards to it and then you will always have the receipt.
- electrum 8y ago
  If you buy at Costco, you can return them at any time in the future without a receipt. The return desk will lookup past purchases using your membership card.
Dylan16807 8y ago
But when that estimate is based on 3 hours a day, and you actually use the bulb 9 or 12 or 24, the balance shifts significantly.
olyjohn 8y ago
I can't even trust that the company will be around in 5 or 10 years. Or that they won't come back with some BS why they won't honor the warranty, and how it's my fault the bulb is bad. Long warranties are basically worthless anymore.