This is a phenomenon which has been going on for quite some time. It works well for electronics which only last 5-10 years before becoming obsolete, but I get frustrated at how hard it is to find something like a screwdriver which will survive several jobs rather than being "good enough" for only so many jobs or so much force. I recently visited four hardware stores to find a particular one which was only cheap instead of being outright flawed in design.
Basically, I'm whining because this "good enough" philosophy is creeping into markets where a "good enough" widget is lasting x years for y dollars, and it could be lasting 10x years for 5y dollars. Too many goods are becoming disposable because people only look at short-term costs and benefits rather than the long game, and it seems wasteful to me.
But hey, I'm just one consumer who wants to be able to find upmarket hardware. I guess there's more money in selling a new screwdriver every two years. 
"The worst part about these reviews is they are [subjective]--and their scores often depend on how drunk you got the media at a Street Fighter event." — Mona Hamilton, Capcom Senior VP of Marketing
*Image indefinitely borrowed from BrainBoxLtd without his consent.
