Yeah, I think globalization has made products so commoditized, its more economic... | Hacker News

Hacker News new | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submit

login

aswanson on April 7, 2017 | parent | context | favorite | on: Dr John Goodenough’s story suggests some people be...

Yeah, I think globalization has made products so commoditized, its more economical to throw them away than fix them. 4k 55' TVs for less than a grand; in the 80s that purchase would have been a projection TV for several thousand dollars (in 80s dollars!) and would have been kept for a decade or more. Now, it's toss it and upgrade. Same with PCs, etc.

pbhjpbhj on April 7, 2017 [–]

Isn't that in large part due to income disparity. The place where it needs to be fixed has wages far higher than the place where it's made.

Also that companies design stuff to break, and design things to be hard to fix.

Legally mandating long warranties and long term parts availability would probably help?

Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact