While I 100% agree with the fact that even modern things can be fixed with some knowhow and troubleshooting (and spare capacitors or the like), there’s a few things at play: `
- people generally don’t have this skill set
- electronics tend to be made cheaper, this means they may fail faster but also means they can be replaced cheaper
- it costs real money for tech support that can fix said issues, often many times more money than the thing costs to replace `
As a retro enthusiast, I’ve fixed my share of electronics that only needed an hour and a $2 capacitor. But there was also $7 shipping for the cap, and 30-60min of labor, and my knowhow in troubleshooting and experience. If the company had to send someone out, they’d likely spend well over $200 for time, gas, labor, parts, etc. not including a vehicle for the tech and the facility nearby and all that good stuff. Even in the retro sphere, the math starts to side towards fix because of the rarity, but it’s not always clear.
Do young children even hold phones near their heads anymore? I rarely see a kid less than their early teens doing anything but FaceTime or games. And after that point, video chats, texting, and doom scrolling.
Even my 15yo daughter never holds the phone against her head.