Right but often unnecessarily so. Nobody asked for “smart” fridges or washing machines.
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Voyajer@lemmy.world 2 months agoThey’ve also gotten more complex over time, increasing difficulty of repair.
RecluseRamble@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 months ago
frunch@lemmy.world 2 months ago
Exactly this!! The function of appliances hasn’t changed hardly at all since their inception: washers wash, dryers dry, refrigerators cool, ovens/stoves heat. No “smart” capabilities necessary, or at least nothing that simple mechanical controls and switches couldn’t handle.
booly@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
Plus they’re cheaper, relative to repair professionals’ labor.
If a new refrigerator costs the same as 100 hours of skilled labor, then a 10 hour repair job (plus parts that cost the same as 1/10 of a refrigerator) will be economically feasible.
But if a new fridge costs the same as 20 hours of skilled labor, and the more complex parts come in more expensive assemblies, then there’s gonna be more jobs don’t pass a cost benefit threshold. As a category, refrigerator repair becomes unfeasible, and then nobody gets skilled in that field.
Peppycito@sh.itjust.works 2 months ago
That’s to increase perceived obsolescence, where it still works okay but the bells and whistles broke. Also why they put pretty colorful thread on fancy truck seats. Your ass wears it off and makes an $80k truck look ratty.