You're right - we could absolutely make some amazing products. I'm not clear on the cause.
>if that was the prime buyer consideration?
Buyers less willing to pay for higher quality up front.
Companies reducing long-term profitability through less replacements/maintenance.
Buyers can be manipulated through advertising, and reliability isn't exciting.
Probably a mixture of human shortsightedness and emotional response, and corporate incentives. There's probably some cultural/social context here as well.
>if that was the prime buyer consideration?
Buyers less willing to pay for higher quality up front. Companies reducing long-term profitability through less replacements/maintenance. Buyers can be manipulated through advertising, and reliability isn't exciting.
Probably a mixture of human shortsightedness and emotional response, and corporate incentives. There's probably some cultural/social context here as well.