A thought while bored in mass today:

What gets better with time, and what gets worse with time?

When it comes to purchasing things, should we optimize to only buy things which get better or more beautiful over time? For example, beautiful patina, wear and tear, rips and holes (raw denim, wabi sabi aesthetics, leather).

Technology which gets better over time?

I heard Elon Musk saying that he is trying to make Tesla cars appreciating assets; a fascinating idea. Because of their “over the air updates”, they can IMPROVE their cars with new firmware and functionality (auto drive and auto pilot functionality). Consider almost every other car gets WORSE over time (yellow and foggy headlights, the styling looks outdated, and everything just wears in an ugly way). It seems however, classic cars become MORE beautiful over time (1969 Porsche or 1969 Ford Mustang as more beautiful than the modern equivalents).

An interesting thing about phones and other devices: sure they can get new software updates, but for the most part, all phones and devices get WORSE over time (they become slower, more buggy, and design aesthetics look less beautiful). Which makes me wonder:

What is the point of buying the newest iPhone if it is going to get worse over time?

Or is the point to buy the best technology whenever possible, so it can be more ROBUST and “future proof” as possible? (of course, even the most maxed out and powerful “future proof” devices and computers are only good for ~5 years, until you need to update or upgrade them).