I was playing some music through my noise canceling headphone/buds yesterday. Donovan sounded just great. And I started thinking about the actual music player I was using. It was absolutely portable and the user interface was simple and elegant. The unit I was using holds thousands and thousands of songs. The 21 year old battery still holds a very good charge. The design still looks modern and timely. Luxurious almost.
This started me thinking about cameras, laptop and desktop computers and various other products. I started to wonder why this small unit in my shirt pocket had survived all the "obsolescence" that other products didn't. Part of it is the classic design sensibility of the original industrial designer and part of was just plain, good engineering. And the use of high quality components.
The product? Why it's one of the Veblen goods from Apple. The "insanely overpriced" 30 GB iPod. I'm sure one of you out there will swear to the heavens that you still use a Microsoft Zune but I'll call you out on that one.
My iPod, with a spinning hard drive, is a classic example of a single use product that does exactly what it is supposed to do --- and has done its job for over 21 years. That's a heck of a lot of music enjoyment... And outrageously good R.O.I.
I just thought to call it out because of the old saw, "It's always cheaper to buy the best quality once than to keep upgrading and buying bargain stuff over and over again."
Here's my fully functional, totally fun, reliable and wonderful sounding iPod. Played for hours yesterday and still showing a full battery charge. Admiration!
What's on your list of consumer electronics products that have stood the test of time? I'd love to know.
22 comments:
I still have an iPod classic, though of a more recent vintage than yours. I also have a newer touch screen iPod solely because my Subaru in-dash infotainment system won't recognize the original "classic" design iPod, and I prefer listening to "my music" rather than the radio.
Ken
My landline telephones (2 of them left) have been working for over 40 years.
I have 2 "atomic" clocks, one branded Radio Shack and another branded Oregon Scientific that have both been working for over 30 years.
My first iMac is still working after 15 years, but I don't use it much anymore.
An eighties Denon automatic turntable that still works well. Floor standing speakers that will likely last my whole life. Good stereo equipment can still last as long as you want it to. Other stuff, computers, televisions, and of course phones, I feel the need to upgrade eventually.
My Pentax film camera will probably still be kicking when I'm not, but it mostly sits in a drawer.
Great song by Donovan. I also like the version by Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, and Stephen Stills on the Super Session album.
DavidB
I have a pair of Wharfedale Airedale speakers from the 1960s, paired with a classic Pioneer A300R precision amplifier from the 1970s. The amp was a very expensive upgrade by Tom Evans in the UK for Pioneer.
Classics, still sound better than most modern “audiophile” stuff.
The music is all uncompressed WAV files moved from CDs to a hard disk on the PC.
160 GB or more. No longer fits an iPod, but I can fit it on a Samsung phone.
My Stax Lambda Signature headphones from 1987 are still working perectly
Audio'recording equipment from Revox, AKG, QUAD, Technics, Spendor, Leak. All repairable and components/parts still available: the ultimate in sustainability, ironically, before sustainability became a talking point.
And back to the iPhone 15 Pro. I decided to use it as my main camera at the start of this year so that I could learn how to get the best out of it, rather than use it for casual photos. It is stunningly good and adopting USB C makes connecting to external devices, e.g. when using ProRes, an awful lot easier. I think it must also use AI for stills exposure as it perfectly exposes for those tricky mixed bright highlight/dark shadow shots, e.g. someone sitting by a window. It is so good that I've abandoned plans for a GRIIIx.
An iPod like yours, motorhome (Peggy the Dancing Hippopotumus), and numerous film cameras and high end analog audio equipment. I think the oldest still used digicam is a Panasonic GX1. At a 2011 release date I guess it doesn't qualify.
Eric
I have a very nice audio amplifier / pre-amplifier that are still fabulous after 40 years. Especially the amp, just massive analog goodness.
I got a deal on them back then, and it would take a fair chunk of change to get anything as good today.
Yeah ... I had a white version of one of those. Unfortunately, my wife left it on a train in Belgium while we were visiting Europe around 8-10 years ago. I think about it sometimes and smile at the notion that there is a dandy young European man or woman walking around listening to the world's greatest collection of drippin' country (think Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, and George Jones) and gritty southern rock (Outlaws, Molly Hatchett, Skynyrd, & Blackfoot). I miss that thing. I eventually replaced it with one of the smaller iPods that looks like a small iPhone, but I miss that spinning drive version. Weird.
My Braun Quartz time control Alarm Clock works for 40 Years now.
Twice yearly the change of Daylight saving Time is induced by
a Radiosignal.
ALOIS
I’m not sure it counts as a “consumer electronic” device, but I still have my Ampeg SB-12 Bass Guitar Amplifier bought new c. 1965. It works, but it’s very heavy to move around and the leather handle has recently given out, so it gets very little use these days. My newer ones are much lighter, are louder, sound better and are more reliable so they get the use.
Still have and use the HP-12c financial calculator. Especially in a numbers meeting, it's much faster than firing up the laptop and opening a spreadsheet. It's what warned me away from buying any DJT stock.
And any number of Sony shortwave radios from the '80's onward. They still work wonderfully, once I get away from all the gizmo-generated RF in the building. Problem is, there are damn few stations still broadcasting on shortwave.
Two of my stereo components have worked flawlessly since the mid 80's. An Accuphase P300 integrated amp and a VPI turntable and tonearm. Both stretched my budget at the time but have, through time, proved their worth.
Other high end stereo equipment probably lasted as long but over time I sold the items for something different/better or just tired of them.
I also have a match book sized iPod with thousands of songs on it still working, still used at the gym.
My very first digi camera a Fuji MX-1200 (1.3 megapixel) from 1999, if I remember correctly, still works though has not been used since I don't know when.
Needless to say my Nikon F (original) and Nikkormat still work, the shutter sounds accurate but have not seen a roll of film in a long time. Nikkor lenses still used from the late 60's and 70's with todays mirrorless cameras. That is really a wonderous thing. Well, not electronic, but must celebrate their old age!
Yes, almost. Ny Pioneer plasma TV is running on its 20th year. Now updated to become a smart TV with Goggle Chromecast including Goggle TV. By the way the Chromecast setup was just fenomenal. Really well thought out setup procedure. And the price for the Chromecast was just around $45. Btw had the same Apple player as yours, but sold it long ago along with all my other Apple equipment - to closed and too expensive an eco-system and my phone is fine for my music streaming.
Sony cassette player from the 1980's - works fine to play and record (were I to put together mix tapes anymore!). Bose Wave radio from around 2000 - sounds great, wakes me up every morning.
It's not so much these and the others mentioned are "obsolete" as that they are incompatible with the planned obsolescence of modern equipment design. I have a Mac G5 that runs my scanning equipment beautifully but it's not hooked up to the Web because the OS is too old to support even simple websites. And if I upgrade to a more modern OS none of my favorite scanning software will work. I'm still puzzled why software can't have code for backward compatibility. What percentage of users actually have bleeding edge requirements such that they need OS upgrades every six months?
I have a Casio calculator from the 1970s that, remarkably, still works fine. In fact, almost any Casio device that I have purchased still works fine.
My original Casio compact digital camera from 2003-2004 still works - although most of us would regard it as obsolete with its 4mp of resolution and 2.5-inch rear screen. It was gifted to a relative years ago.
All of my Casio watches - digital and analog - are reliable and tough as nails. They make excellent daily beaters.
I also have a Sony rack-mounted stereo system from the late 80s with tuner/amp, turntable, cassette deck and CD player that’s still hanging in there. I route my TV audio and internet radio through its amp so I can use its surprisingly good speakers.
And, finally, I have a few radios from the 90s and early oughts that are still in service.
My 30 year old 25" Toshiba TV just died last week- does that count?
yep.
I am still using on a semi-daily basis the HiFi system that I assembled in the 1970s. (However, the speaker surrounds and pre-amp capacitors have been replaced.)
I have HP-11C calculator from the 1980's - still works great.
While not exactly "electronics": a Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens from 1986 that was still working fine when I passed it along to another photographer 6 months ago.
I also have a Pocket Terminator sound effect toy from 1989 that still does its thing. I keep replacing batteries every once in a while.
Rick
I have a Macintosh system (pre-amp, amp and speakers) from the early eighties. It was expensive for the time (and they are prohibitive now). They still sound better to me than any other system I have come across (familiarity?). Only problems were a couple speakers have had to be re-coned.
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