My theory is that it's because the end-user is less familiar with how household goods and machines work than in prior generations. With chips in everything, it

My theory is that it's because the end-user is less familiar with how household goods and machines work than in prior generations. With chips in everything, it's hard to tell at a glance what's good and what's rubbish; you can't kick the tires. Even if you could, there have been a couple generations where buying stuff new has been cheaper than repairing it, so knowing how to sew or fix a dishwasher isn't the value proposition that it once was--and that stuff has become as cheaply made as possible as a result.