&quot;Electronics brands you used to be able to trust&quot; only had that trust from historical establishment.  I would argue that there are still brands that are trustworthy.  They&#x27;re just different brands.  In 20 years we&#x27;ll be talking about the same thing from a different reference point.<p>For all of your other complaints (which I do agree with, for what it&#x27;s worth), there has been a trade-off.  Razors are smaller and in cartridge form because the market decided it was more important to shave quickly and conveniently than to be able to have the closest shave possible on your neck and your head.  The phone you have has rapidly diminishing battery life because it has a display that rivals your computer&#x27;s monitor in fidelity.<p>I could go on, but I&#x27;m sure you know this already.  I&#x27;ve been having my own &quot;grumpy old man&quot; moments lately, so this post hit a little close to home.  I&#x27;ve been trying to keep in mind that behind those complaints, there&#x27;s probably a value proposition somewhere.  Find it and exploit it.  It can only make the world better.<p>And that &quot;nasty gotcha spyware?&quot;  The horrid EULA?  If you&#x27;re as old as you sound, you know that&#x27;s been the case for a long, long time.  It&#x27;s as easy to avoid now as it was then.  You don&#x27;t have to go full Stallman.  Just be a savvy consumer.