Next stop: reliability

Consumer electronics manufacturers are enjoying a market not unlike the post-WWII car boom. People have had cash (maybe not so much now), and are itching to buy crap they can't even operate properly. In the past couple of weeks I've cussed more crappy gear than I did for the entirety of the 80's and believe you me, we had GADGETS back then. Gadgets that'd curl your granny's toes!

But now in our schlockaday world, led by bloggers obsessing over features instead of quality, we have too many choices of shit to choose from and very few companies making quality. Why should they? The bean counters say it won't sell. And yet... there goes Apple, posting record profits every quarter. And it ain't just because of their damn marketing! They make products that a) Work and b) Keep working past the 90-day warranty.

So, Consumer Electronics Morans: make shit that doesn't break. Then you win. Seriously, the next-next generation of "stuff" needs to be made from materials that defy breakage, defy mangling, that self-heal or give proper warning when about to fail, etc. Oh, and make things "just work" when you plug them in! Not so hard, is it? Yet nearly every company fails at this.

Pity. Apple is beating you all with an ugly stick and you just won't learn your lesson.