Why does everything get worse over time? Like, things that are meant to get better, or they’re in a better position to get better with time, they don’t. And I’m not talking about material things like gadgets and properties, these things definitely get worse with time, whether you’re making use of them or not. Once you’ve bought them, they begin to deteriorate in quality and value just as you walk them out of the store. That’s normal, and it’s also something that we’ve come to accept. Which is why we favor taking care of our stuff so that the rate of deterioration will be reduced greatly.
But that’s not what I’m talking about, I’m referring to the systems that produce these gadgets. It’s as if with every new model of a product that comes out, they get more flashy and more inferior. The more they garner the trust of their customers, the less concerned they are about quality and more about quantity, and even more importantly, profits!
Have you noticed how new establishments usually have the best and highest-quality products? When a brand is new and still trying to make a name for itself, everything it put out is almost always top quality. It’s really strong and durable, enough to reel the customers in. However, once they’ve gotten the customers, quality starts to drop, and the focus becomes more about getting you to buy what they give you than it is about actually providing what you want.
No matter what it is, when you consider some products from 10-20 years ago, you’ll see that they were much stronger and more durable back then. When Androids first came out, the screens were way tougher. You could still manage your phone with a cracked screen. There was a difference between the touch and the screen itself. They’re independent of each other, and one can be fixed without touching the other.
But now, that’s impossible. Just a bad fall, and your phone is basically ruined. If your touch has a problem, you’d have to change both the screen and the touch. The same happens if your screen becomes the problem. Should I also talk about the change in batteries and how they sealed it all in so only professionals can actually do something as basic as switching a phone battery.
Yeah, these new models come with a lot of new features, but it seems like they come with so much risk that didn’t use to exist. There are phone brands that the owners have to pamper like eggs because just the simple act of putting it into your pocket the wrong way could destroy the screen for you. And even worse, these days, many people don’t like fixing their phones because once it develops a fault, and you fix it, it keeps developing faults every few weeks from then on.
And this is not just about phones, whatever it is that you can think of. They were more durable in the past, when they first came out, but with time, they got more features and became slightly inferior. You’ll see a car that came out in 2004, and the same model that came out in 2024, but the latter is always having engine issues, or whatnot, while the former is just cruising along. Does 2004 have all those sweet gadgets and tech? No. But the driver would have more peace of mind than the driver of the 2024.
And the annoying thing is that we just don’t have a choice, because whether we like it or not, we have to use them because it’s what’s available. It’ll be hard for you to buy a smartphone that was first introduced in 2016, because production would have stopped for it, and even if you do see it, getting the parts would be hard, and if anything happens to it, you might not be able to fix it. So, whether we like it or not, we’re stuck with the new and not-so-improved versions.
Well, that’s humans for you. At first, people go into business hoping to provide a service and make a difference. But that sweet money is very intoxicating, and soon enough, the money is all they see. So that’s what they pursue. After all, if I make a phone that can last you for ten years, why the hell would you buy the new models as they’re released each year?
It’s always been about money, and the system has always been rigged against us, the consumers. Too bad.
