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The bewildering phenomenon of declining quality

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Re: The bewildering phenomenon of declining quality

#211

Post by bluescrn »

raspasov wrote: post #43

"Following his reasoning, it cannot be stated in absolute terms that an iPhone 15 is of “better quality” than a 2003 Nokia." This statement suffers from either viewing the past through rose-tinted glasses or from total cultural relativism in the most pejorative sense. I'm not sure about 2003, but around 2009, I owned a Nokia N900, which was arguably the flagship Nokia phone at the time. I can confidently state that c…

> I can confidently say that today's flagship iPhones (or even Androids) are significantly better quality than the N900, in every way possible.

Until you need to replace the battery.

Battery replacement has been intentionally made not just a pain, but actually dangerous, by using excessive amounts of adhesive to hold in batteries that may spontaneously combust if physically damaged while trying to remove them.

Replaced a battery in a Nintendo Switch not too long ago, and what an absolute fucking pain that was to get the old battery out, IPA, dental floss (to try and get under the battery and cut through the glue), and still needed a worrying amount of levering out.

(It's not as if these batteries have any significant space in which to move around, why do they need adhesive at all, and not just some foam/rubber pads to hold them in place?)

Re: The bewildering phenomenon of declining quality

#212

Post by inglor_cz »

bamboozled wrote: post #207
xattt wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

E.g. the race to the bottom of the Billy bookcase. In the last 5 years, IKEA has started using plastic fasteners to secure the backing.

I break this promise from time to time, but every time I buy an IKEA product lately, I vow never to do it again.

Interesting. I rarely have problems with IKEA products, but I had quite many problems with bespoke wooden pieces of furniture.

Re: The bewildering phenomenon of declining quality

#213

Post by throwaway2037 »

Rotundo wrote: post #77
esperent wrote: post #4

> clothes are unrecognizable after the second wash What clothes are these? I don't buy any kind of expensive brands. I don't take any care when washing. I don't own a lot of clothes so I wear each item weekly. And my clothes last me for several years at least. The dyes have gotten noticeably better than when I was a child - when was the last time you had colors run in the wash?

I've got a pack of seemingly nice quality t-shirts that got a lot shorter and wider after first wash. I tried stretching them back to their original form but that doesn't work. Used to be the cheap "three pairs for 10 euro" socks lasted a couple of years. Now I get, maybe, a year out of them before the holes get too obvious. And price is not a reliable indicator of quality. Buying expensive can be just as much as a g…

Do you have Uniqlo where you live? Cost performance is excellent.

Re: The bewildering phenomenon of declining quality

#214

Post by weinzierl »

bluedino wrote: post #187
weinzierl wrote: post #160

People fall largely in two categories: Those who condemn the past and those who glorify it. Of course the reality is between. Whenever something experiences mass adoption, of course quality will decline, e. g. airplane seats with mass adoption of flying. But so, so many things improved dramatically in quality. I could give you endless examples but just think about cars. Despite anecdata to the contrary the reliabilit…

Cars still rust what was solved? These days the bigger problem with cars is one piece breaks and it isn't made anymore so you total it when 90% of the rest of the car is still good. https://youtu.be/e7c2_JMxR0s?si=diMVZ_YBXtW48LOy

Galvanized steel and zinc coated steel were only used from the 80s on in cars. Electrophoretic plating was mass adopted only in the late 80s. Before that the slightest scratch meant you could literally watch the rust build up.

Re: The bewildering phenomenon of declining quality

#216

Post by IronyMan100 »

layer8 wrote: post #176

Many comments here are arguing that quality has actually gone up over the past decades. However, a common experience for me is that I own something of good quality from 5/10/15 years ago and now buy the successor model from the same brand, but the product has gotten worse, being cheaper made. And I have a hard time finding a replacement that matches the quality of the old version. It’s a regularly reoccurring frustra…

I had the same impression when buying clothes. I often buy the Shirts Form H&M. I have some old Shirts and the quality IS a Lot better. No loose Threads, the colors did Not wash out for and after washing they stayed how they are. Today all of that is not the Case anymore.

Re: The bewildering phenomenon of declining quality

#217

Post by lwkl »

forgotusername6 wrote: post #108
raspasov wrote: post #43

"Following his reasoning, it cannot be stated in absolute terms that an iPhone 15 is of “better quality” than a 2003 Nokia." This statement suffers from either viewing the past through rose-tinted glasses or from total cultural relativism in the most pejorative sense. I'm not sure about 2003, but around 2009, I owned a Nokia N900, which was arguably the flagship Nokia phone at the time. I can confidently state that c…

I owned a Nokia in 2003. The battery lasted a week and they were virtually indestructible. The phone never crashed or reset, the keys were so reliable and well placed that I could text without looking at the screen. The phone did not get slower with age. None of these things can be said about my current smart phone. Granted it does a lot more, but the quality of the things it does do is much worse.

Phones of the past also died when exposed to a little bit of water. Back then it was common to hear someone say their phone died because of water damage but it has been years since I‘ve heard that about a smartphone.

Re: The bewildering phenomenon of declining quality

#218

Post by ptsneves »

moffkalast wrote: post #199
nfriedly wrote: post #188

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm not saying that a high price label guarantees high quality, just that the spectrum of cost vs quality has broadened, even within big name brands. I think this needs to be repeated. People tend to think more expensive equals higher quality (I want this to be true!), and I think brands frequently take advantage of that to increase margins without significantly increasing quality. For example: I've been through th…

Along that line of thought I've noticed this recently: I can buy an expensive tool for say $200 that will last me 10 years. Or I can buy a cheap tool that costs $20 but will only last me two years. But if I want to use that tool for the duration of 10 years it then makes more sense to buy five of the cheap tool and save half in costs. Which one is really providing more quality over time? For some things this doesn't…

Very good perspective but I think that there is also a cost or loss of value in the inconvenience of a tool of good stopping its function at the wrong time. The opposite can also be true, that it is sometimes convenient that something breaks down because I actually wanted this new model anyway but could not justify throwing away a perfectly fine good.

Re: The bewildering phenomenon of declining quality

#219

Post by nradov »

zkmon wrote: post #112

I live in a developed country. People buy a new home here, and find the kitchen counter top surface bulges up easily when a hot plate is placed on it. Turns out that the surface is a laminate that is not heat resistant. Family business houses used to invest in long-term success through brand, reputation and durability. Startups or hired CEOs focus on short-term goals and invest in creating superficial perceptions tha…

They don't have granite counter tops in your country?

Re: The bewildering phenomenon of declining quality

#220

Post by Spooky23 »

JKCalhoun wrote: post #169
simianparrot wrote: post #149

Airplane tickets used to cost a lot more for economy class, even adjusted for inflation and fees. To get the equivalent service and quality today you simply have to pay more, you just have the choice of paying very little for very low quality because there’s more flights and more planes. https://www.aei.org/carpe-diem/even-with-fees-the-miracle-of... Same can be said for most electronics and even clothes. I’m not say…

I don't disagree with your point, but I suppose my wish then is that there were not low-quality (low-cost) everything in the world right now. I'm not unsympathetic regarding the poor, I grew up poor myself. And my single working mother raising two kids got by on hand-me-down furniture from her mother (probably, as you and the article suggest, of decent quality though). Having the option for (new) inexpensive everythi…

> One wonders what the Great Depression would resemble in the 21st Century. Would we still have the latest, but crappy, gadgets and such

Think Star Wars. Live in a hovel, but have some magic gadgets.

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