I cannot deny (and am not yet mad enough to try) that there were finely-crafted articles, &c. in older plastics, but that they were intended, in materials of then-unknown longevity, to last for a thousand years and one year, I have to doubt. Their functions were to last until the next model replaced them.

Click to expand...

No consumer product is intended, by definition, to last forever. It's one of the problems that face historians and museum people; they want to record things for eternity but books, tapes, CDs, photographs etc have a finite life.

But there are a few consumer gems. The valve radio was an expensive item and, with a bit of servicing, was expected by the purchaser to last for a long time. The electronics were serviceable (ie repair was cheaper than replacement) and the manufacturers who chose bakelite cases (rather than wood veneer) expected them to last. And to last longer than the model replacement interval.

And possibly the argument is true for twenty and thirty year old computers. You have the design versus production compromise: plastic that lasts for a long time versus cheaper plastic. So delivered product is often less perfect than the designers intended. As Mac128 remarked, the Mac designers chose (and retained for production) a plastic that was better than earlier Apple efforts. It was a good choice, and an old Mac 128K still looked good when the Mac II was launched.

Equill: One of the constancies across cultures is the birthday. Next birthday, make sure that you get Kunkle's "Apple Design" as a present. You won't regret.