Chipped Granite Countertops

We recently sold our house. 25 years ago we re-did the kitchen with granite countertops. After 25 years of rough wear and tear by a family of 5, the countertops looked as good as they did they day they were installed. We are now looking for a Manhattan apartment. We have seen several, renovated in the past few years, with badly chipped granite countertops. We don't understand how granite gets so badly chipped. We didn't take any special care of ours. Has the quality of granite deteriorated in the past 25 years? Is there any way to repair it or can the edges be beveled to eliminate the chips? Or do the chips reveal poor quality granite that is best avoided.