> But surely some company would see it as an advantage over competitors and sell it if it was easily accessible.
This is not a guarantee. Look at manufacturers of washing machines: every company makes more money by having unreliable machines. There is no financial incentive to build a better product, and it's not easy to even prove you've built a better product.
It's not that simple.
The consumers do not want washing machines that last forever.
Are you sure that you want a washing machine from 1900? It was probably not electric.
Aaah, you want an electric one. How about one from the 1920? What do you mean you want intelligent programs, save electricity, be gentle to the clothes and use little water/soap? These are modern improvements of the washing machine.
Consumers vote with their money. They stop buying old washing machines because they don't have the features that they want. So companies stop making old washing machines and make new ones with more features.
Would that logic suggest that washing machine brands are equally unreliable? If not, why not?
Eg Miele benefits from having a reputation of building reliable products. They can and do charge more for that reputation, but also have to live up to it, if they want to keep it.
> Miele (/ˈmiːlə/ MEE-lə; German: [ˈmiːlə]) is a German manufacturer of high-end domestic appliances and commercial equipment, headquartered in Gütersloh, Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The company was founded in 1899 by Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann, and it has always been a family-owned and run company.[2]
There might be laws that set some minimum standards. But (a) there are still differences between companies' approaches to quality, and (b) Miele is selling around the world also in jurisdictions were EU rules do not apply, but they still deliver on their reputation for quality.
This is not a guarantee. Look at manufacturers of washing machines: every company makes more money by having unreliable machines. There is no financial incentive to build a better product, and it's not easy to even prove you've built a better product.