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Comment by pif | Hacker News Reader

Nice idea, if you want to go out of business!

People don't buy quality: people buy cheap!

About a decade ago I bought a USB fan to plug into my computer at work. It has been turned on and running for almost 10 years straight. I thought to myself "I should actually leave a good Amazon review for this fan, it's held up to the test of time for little consumer electronics like this."

I went to look up my purchase but not only is that listing gone, the brand no longer exists.

and that's why iPhones never catched up

Ironic that iPhones are both expensive _and_ come with planned obsolescence

Dog no they don’t lol. My family has been in both ecosystems over the years and by far the iPhones outlast the Android phones they buy both in quality and in updates.

Counterpoint: one can only unlock the bootloader on Android phones and extend the device life for much longer than intended or supported by the OEM.

True, but what percentage of phone owners will actually do this. Less than a fraction of a percent? The remaining 99 percent chuck their phone in a landfill when it gets slow.

Both what you are saying and what the GP is saying can be true at the same time.

Some products do better as Veblen goods than others. You can't show off your dishwasher as easily as your new Ferrari or iPhone :)

Exactly. You want a W/D combo that'll last forever? No gimmicks? No nonsense? Get a speed queen. Ugly as hell, basic as hell, and built like a brick shithouse and made right here in the good ol' US of A.

Problem is... they're expensive. Real pricey. This kinda industrial-tier consumer stuff does exist, but very few people bother buying it.

Thanks for the recommendation - I had never heard of them, but I'll definitely give them a look whenever my current appliances die.

Speed Queens were exclusively installed each of the dozens of coin-operated laundromats I’ve visited in my life. This is because a machine awaiting repairs doesn’t make the owner a penny.

As always, ask or imitate an expert with aligned incentives. A seasoned local auto shop owner guided me towards Acura after two of my fancy German cars needed multiple expensive repairs. He doesn’t service Honda group vehicles, but drives an Acura himself and I couldn’t be happier after listening to his advice.

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