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submitted 1 month ago by chetradley@lemm.ee to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but does anyone else feel like technology - specifically consumer tech - kinda peaked over a decade ago? I'm 37, and I remember being awed between like 2011 and 2014 with phones, voice assistants, smart home devices, and what websites were capable of. Now it seems like much of this stuff either hasn't improved all that much, or is straight up worse than it used to be. Am I crazy? Have I just been out of the market for this stuff for too long?

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[-] ptz@dubvee.org 53 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

It all went downhill when the expectation of an always-on internet connection became the norm. That gave us:

  • "Smart" appliances that have no business being connected to the internet
  • "Smart" TVs that turned into billboards we pay to have in our homes
  • Subscription everything as a service
  • Massive zero-day patches for all manner of software / video games (remember when software companies had to actually release finished/working software? Pepperidge Farm remembers)
  • Planned obsolescence and e-waste on steroids where devices only work with a cloud connection to the manufacturer's servers or as long as the manufacturer is in business to keep a required app up to date
  • Every piece of software seemingly sucking up all the data it can about you and feeding it back to the mothership so you can be profiled and sold to advertisers
  • Pretty much everything Apple does is designed to further lock you into their ecosystem and/or remove a port that's standard in order to pocket the savings and sell you a dongle for $29.99
  • Dwindling / disappearing availability of physical media you effectively own forever in favor of digital libraries that you only have a flimsy license to access at the company's whim (even though you "bought" the title for the same price it would have cost on physical media). Those have been ruled non-transferable (e.g. if you want to leave them to someone in your will) and the company going under leaves you with no rights or ability to get a refund or physical copy of things you supposedly bought but can no longer access.

Other than hardware getting more powerful and sometimes less expensive, every recent innovation has been used against us to take away the right to own, repair, and have any control over the tech we supposedly own.

Edits: I keep thinking of more things that annoy me lol.

[-] JeremyHuntQW12@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I'm not sure about the touch displays on cars.

How long does a Chinese tablet last, 10, 12 years ? If you keep it safely stored and don't drop it.

The things in cars seem to be even cheaper, they only use phone uPs designed to last no more than a few years. And they're roasted in hot weather, frozen and shaken to bits.

Good luck finding one of them in a few years, assuming they can be taken out at all without ripping up the dash.

[-] ptz@dubvee.org 3 points 1 month ago

I hate touch screens in general, so don't get me started on how much I hate them in cars lol.

[-] Valmond@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Kangoo 2014 gang checking in!

I also have knobs on my stovetop for heating my food thankyouverymuch.

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this post was submitted on 22 Nov 2024
336 points (90.2% liked)

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