I dropped my new, big-brand, expensive smartphone recently on the wet bathroom floor. I was glad its Delicate Highness didn’t shatter, and immediately wet a piece of tissue with Harpic and wiped it thoroughly.

I was having no e-coli on it or on my own hands, you see. When I mentioned this to friends, they were aghast. “You wiped your phone with Harpic?” they said, and then went speechless for a few seconds. The whole incident rekindled something that I have often mulled — isn’t it ironic that so many costly objects need extra care to maintain?

As I had ranted in a blog post on this newspaper’s website a couple of years ago, why did I have to pay several thousands extra for a smartphone, a starter version though it might have been, when I was actually getting much less in terms of performance compared to an ordinary cell phone? Wouldn’t the same logic apply to maintenance?

This isn’t to say that there aren’t objects or brands that pride themselves on their longevity — like batteries that claim to last really long, be it for cars or smart devices. But what use is it if the vehicles for those, the pricey ones, that is, aren’t hardy in themselves? It’s not as if you can use the battery alone, or even recycle it with ease.

I quite understand the aspirational value of possessing something with a certain cachet. Isn’t it all the more necessary, then, that they should be hardy? Easy to care for? Not pose problems? Not blanch at the first signs of bleach? Not break despite falling down? (My phone has fallen quite a few times but not broken down, though I have begun to have the odd call drop sometimes …)

Design vs durability It is in the nature of some things to be delicate — like silk — I suppose. Or jewellery, or diamonds, exotic leathers, which are rare and difficult to procure and therefore costly and so need to be nursed and pampered. But even then, you would expect them to last a respectable length of time without disintegrating, coming loose or peeling off. For don’t most brands pride themselves on their workmanship, even if it’s a piece of luxury?

Let’s take the argument of design vs durability. Some brands, say some, earn their reputation for their design, not durability or performance. What use is good design without long-lasting function? It’s not as if one would go mountaineering in high heels and chiffons (unless it’s an Indian film and dancing on snow-capped peaks is par for the course). Let’s say it’s a machine which is generally perceived to be a use-everywhere gadget, why shouldn’t its performance be superior as well? How many of us who have purchased things for their brand value haven’t been frustrated at some time or the other with the baby-sitting we have to do for them? If we are the kind of consumer that can buy big-ticket items only as a rare indulgence, wouldn’t it be natural to look for greater value than just being able to belong to an exclusive consumer club? All that being said, how do you clean a smartphone anyway? With wet wipes, with cotton swabs and microfibre cloth, and by washing it. Yes, with tap water, not involving household cleaners and disinfectants which are guaranteed to stain it and ruin its finish.

All ports and attached covers should be sealed well, and other terms and conditions apply if your warranty is not to be invalidated on grounds of ‘abuse’ … Ah, those caveats again!

Vitamin C is a weekly dose of consumer empowerment

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