you may want it to last - but they dont
how will they get you to buy their latest model, if the one you already have is going strong?
they want them to break after a 'decent' time so you have to buy another - not too short that you would choose another brand but long enough to earn your loyalty
there was a time when things were built largely by hand and the people who built them has a sense of personal pride and ensured the items lasted for ages ... then once everyone who loved locally had bought one, say a radio, they were stuck with no more customers for that item
their livelihoods were threatened, they learned that the only way to sustain a business is to make people need you all the time, by needing a new radio every so often.
they didnt really care what it looked like, as long as it worked - it didnt 'ruin' their decor
now people are more concerned with style over substance