Hope does spring eternal, doesn't it 8-/
If no one manufactures such a product, how does the "market" express this desire?
Buying one toaster, that would last your lifetime, is easily manufactured today, and yet no company makes such a thing. This is true across hundreds of products.
The fact is, manufacturing something that isn't shit, is less profitable, so what we're gonna get is shit. It doesn't really matter what people "want".
This is true for toasters and TVs...
How often are you replacing toasters?
Not the person you're asking, but about as frequently as I replace washing machines. The fact that I'm doing it at all is the problem, especially since both machines had been "solved" by the late 1970s.
The non-electric office tools I have from that era are perpetual. Eternal.
How often are you replacing washing machines? As we had more kids, we upgraded our toaster from a 2-slice to a 4-slice, somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 years ago. Can't imagine we paid more than ~$20 for it. Still going strong today. If it lasts 10 more years, all my kids will be moved out of the house, and I suppose we could downgrade to a 2-slice model again. Unless the grandkids like toast.