they sure don't make them like that anymore!
Oh I don't know about that? Computers from the 70's and 80's of mine
anyway still work just like they did back then. The 90's was a horrible
decade for hardware lasting for me. Lots of mine couldn't last 5 years
(although a few did). And the beginning of 2000's was also tough for
long lasting. Then I ran through a stretch between 2005 to 2009 that
seems like they will make it for decades. Although I don't know if sure
yet obviously.
Then 2010+ it is too soon to tell. Like this Dell Latitude Slate Tablet
seems really rugged. As I am pretty sure I could take it and throw it
like a Frisbee while it is running and I don't think anything would
happen to it in a paved parking lot. It looks beautiful. The screen is
beautiful and the backlight is LED. The screen is made from Corning
Gorilla Glass and after a year of use there is no scratches or anything.
Although I could imagine that either a sharp diamond or a 10lb sledge
hammer could totally do it in. But I don't think I would call it a sure
bet or anything.
Don't think for a second that I am indorsing these things. Sure the
screen is really tough. Sure the casing is really rough. Sure there are
no fans nor vent holes. Sure you could set them on the bed and wrap them
in a blanket and not worry about overheating. All of that is just fine
and good.
The huge problem is that it is so underpowered it is horrible. Although
XP or under should be satisfactory on this machine. Although I never
heard of anybody doing so and I gave it a shot and ran into the SATA
driver problem. Sure I think I could get through that problem, but there
is no other XP drivers for this hardware anyway. Sure I could write my
own (lots of work without documentation). It is just better to buy cheap
and to buy often.
So is all modern stuff unreliable for the long haul? I don't think so.
Some won't last long for sure. But some will last past a lifetime. Also
remember some of the stuff from the past was really unreliable.