I agree! Everything today seems to have planned obsolescence. I always look to see if there is some sort of support either by the manufacturer or preferably from the "aftermarket"- (ie: cheaper) before buying things.... I've even ventured into the repair of our older laptops... Not as hard as I thought... Same with car and home repairs...
I am told that the old "tube" tv's used to be self- repairable by simply buying a new tube... These days, it's been made a little harder. Even though I might be scared, I would always to try to fix things myself first...