So a little while back @pluralistic discussed the #enshitification of the internet and it has me wanting to remind people that the pioneers of enshitification, from which techbro VCs got their inspiration, was undoubtedly the large home appliance oligopoly.
My parents had appliances thgat lasted 30+ years before replacement.
The appliances I got with my house in 1999 have all been replaced in the past 4 years (that is, they lasted about 20 years)
The average lifespan of such appliances made in the 2010's is apparently a scant 12 years.
But it's more than that...in my observation they are not only less durable, they objectively do an inferior job performing their actual purposes.
My new dishwasher looks spiffy and runs quiet but has a filter that needs cleaning 3 times as often and can't clean hot chocolate residue out of a mug.
My new fridge farts and also has some sort of disposable filter to replace.
My new clothes washer can connect to wifi but sometimes has a hard time rinsing.
...
...
The manufacturers seem unapologetic about this enshittening. It is common for standard comprehensive warranties to be the absolute legal minimum...like one year...then they loudly proclaim they warranty the one part that never breaks (or never should) like the motor or pump or whatever for 5-10 years like they are doing us all a great favour.
Honestly if I were to come into some great fortune I would start a disruptive home appliance maker that built simple quality products with reasonable warranties that were repairable and came with full schematics.
@msh Check out speed queen washing machines
