Tuesday, November 10, 2026
Don't fix it if it ain't broke

They Fixed It / Corning, then World Kitchen

1998

Corning, then World Kitchen

Pyrex glass

Before
Pyrex bakeware made of borosilicate, the glass used for lab beakers.
The fix
Corning sold its housewares arm in 1998. From then on, US Pyrex was all tempered soda-lime glass, phased in since the 1950s.
Then
Borosilicate takes about three times the thermal shock. Consumer Reports confirmed the gap in 2011, in tests it admitted went against the instructions. Pyrex sold in Europe stayed borosilicate.

Kept it.

Still soda-lime in the US.

Your call

Source: en.wikipedia.org

More fixes nobody asked for

2021

Tesla

Tesla yoke steering

Before
Tesla Model S and Model X with a round steering wheel.
The fix
Made a rectangular, open-topped 'yoke' the standard steering wheel.
Then
In 2023 Tesla started selling a $700 round-wheel retrofit for yoke owners. It reportedly sold out in about a week.
Half took it back

A round wheel became available again in 2023, as an option and a retrofit.

Your call

2015

Philips Lighting

Philips Hue bulb lockout

Before
A Hue bridge that ran any ZigBee Light Link bulb, including cheaper ones from GE and Cree.
The fix
A December 2015 bridge update cut off bulbs Philips had not certified, citing 'interoperability issues.'
Then
Owners with other brands' bulbs found them locked out. Within days Philips called the move 'a mistake,' said some people had been using uncertified lights without any issue, and promised an update to let them back in.
Took it back

Other brands allowed back in, plus a 'Friends of Hue' sticker program.

Your call

1985

Coca-Cola

New Coke

Before
Coca-Cola, same formula since the 1880s, give or take.
The fix
Swapped the recipe for a sweeter one after it won nearly 200,000 taste tests.
Then
Calls to the consumer hotline went from 400 a day to 1,500. A group called Old Cola Drinkers of America claimed 100,000 members. When the old formula came back, Coke took 31,600 calls in two days.
Took it back

Original back on shelves 79 days later as Coca-Cola Classic.

Your call