I don't think this is deliberate, but it seems that one of the big things that has changed as a result of the shortening of consumer product development cycles

I don't think this is deliberate, but it seems that one of the big things that has changed as a result of the shortening of consumer product development cycles is that it sort of eliminates any feedback loop that might incentivize manufacturers to engineer for reliability. Why build a device that's designed to last for 10 years, when consumers are going to buy themselves a new one every year or two, regardless of whether the old one is still functional and meeting their needs?