I saw one of these Sony TR-72 radios in a museum on my recent trip to northern Japan. This was probably a consumer-level product when it was introduced, but most likely allowed for upgrades/repairs by the end user. I have a hard time thinking that customers of this radio would choose to simply toss it in the trash if something stopped working. They might use it for firewood though, if they were cold!
There are conflicting paradigms on the ecosystems of products, between designers (corporate or consultant, doesn’t matter) who are nobly-minded and see the product function as part of a continuum from raw materials to utility, and end users/consumers who “yeah yeah yeah I just want the thing to work”.
Modularity implies redundancy as critical components can’t be shared, or its not modular, its symbiotic. When boiled down to a small product like a mobile phone how much more plastic walls and connectors have to be included, at what % of cost increase, in order to promise ‘future proofing’ to a consumer?
(slightly off-topic) - attached photo at bottom is a ‘modular’ chirashi-sushi, enjoyed in Aomori, Japan. Build your own bowl, ten bucks, upgrade as needed, augment with shoyu and wasabi.
