> The Maytag Centennial series of washers and driers sell themselves on being simple, robust designs that last forever.

> freezers on the bottom but ice makers up top, dishwashers with hidden control panels, washing machines that can do 16 pairs of jeans, etc.

The bottom end of the market for the most part doesn't look like either of these. Maybe that Maytag line is an exception.

The bottom end of the market is cheap junk made of low-quality plastic parts, with junky levers, hinges, and buttons, and questionable UX around those buttons. Dishwashers with plastic tubs that warp in the heat and dish racks where the coating wears off and they start to rust after a few years of use. Refrigerators with plastic trim that cracks and isn't replaceable except without ordering a $50 all-in-one shelf unit. Etc.

And there is no middle tier of anything anymore: it's all bifurcated into "cheap junk" and "luxury".