Red Hat Diaries/0002

Made in Japan

Let's face it - it's 'Made in Japan' revisited out there. A quick walk through any major computer hardware outlet... For those of you who don't know, 'Made in Japan' used to be a slur. US TV manufacturers took their components to Japan in the 50's, had the danged things assembled there - cheaper labour - and then sent back to the US shores. Quality wasn't a priority and it basically went out the window. The Japs didn't know anything about making TVs, or about electronics, and when they tried their own hand at it - transistor radios - they glutted the market with junk and the epithet was born. Of course the Japs are today the world leaders in quality manufacturing, but the point is that these other manufacturers - Dell, Gateway and the like - they know about quality. They don't have to settle for second rate stuff. In fact, most of them didn't in the early days. Yet now, and more for each passing day, they do. Their quality all down the line - hardware quality itself, customer service, customer support et al. - have gone completely down the drain.

Consumer Affairs Online used to rate Dell as a 'good guy' company, but no more. The only hardware manufacturer not cited for abysmal product, service and support is - get ready - Apple. All the rest have horror stories galore associated with their names today.

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