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Their strategies certainly are terrible for the educated consumer. But might there be a method to their madness? For instance, if you believe customers: 1. pri

Their strategies certainly are terrible for the educated consumer. But might there be a method to their madness? For instance, if you believe customers: 1. primary buy based on price 2. buy from retail outlets based on that outlet's marketing Then it might be reasonable to have a swamp of very similar models specifically so that customers can't easily comparison shop between different retail outlets. A deliberate 'dark pattern' if you will.

soared 8y ago
Terrible for the uneducated consumer. If you are heavily invested in buying a new laptop (spending $1,000 and enjoy researching laptops) then you stand to significantly benefit. Every uneducated consumer who buys an overpriced laptop subsidizes the cost for an educated buyer who heavily researchers and finds a good deal. Not fair to 90% of consumers, but most industries work this way.
- pessimizer 8y ago
  > Every uneducated consumer who buys an overpriced laptop subsidizes the cost for an educated buyer who heavily researchers and finds a good deal. What economic motivation do laptop manufacturers have to compensate for uneducated consumers making particularly bad deals by offering models that are particularly good deals? It isn't a zero-sum game. What educated buyers are getting in this case are less-bad deals, especially because the retailer knows that if they hold the laptops long enough they can eventually sell them to an uneducated consumer. All buyers would benefit from easier quality comparison, although educated buyers would benefit less. The law of averages isn't a law and there can be a market for lemons.
  - dizzystar 8y ago
    The fact that it's not a zero sum game is exactly why it would work. Laptop manufacturers are far from the only ones who use this and similar strategies. This permeates nearly every buying decision we make.
- chiefalchemist 8y ago
  Researching takes time. Nothing is free, especially not time. Time is money. Unless the savings is significant, it's likely all factors of economics considered, that both are paying about the same; getting the same value / bang for buck. True, the higher end models might be more profitable to the manufacturer, but that's likely due to less competition at that end of tbe market. That doesn't make the higher end buyer more educated.
- mmirate 8y ago
  Simple solution: be educated. I suspect this is fairly easy for most HN readers.
pdimitar 8y ago
It doesn't help the brands much though. I have plenty of non-technical acquaintances and they gradually become more and more jaded as years pass. Most have settled for "everybody is producing garbage so just buy what's pretty and cheap" but some started to buy refurbished MacBook Airs and are very happy. I also knew a guy 2-3 years ago who adored his Asus EEE netbook. So I feel that with these dark pattern sales techniques the companies are inflicting a death by a million paper cuts to themselves. But since the difference isn't visible quarter to quarter they are oblivious to it. ...Or they don't care.
tedunangst 8y ago
This is definitely true if you sell through Best Buy, HSN, QVC, etc. but there's no reason why every model needs to be on your own web store.

soared 8y ago

Terrible for the uneducated consumer. If you are heavily invested in buying a new laptop (spending $1,000 and enjoy researching laptops) then you stand to significantly benefit. Every uneducated consumer who buys an overpriced laptop subsidizes the cost for an educated buyer who heavily researchers and finds a good deal. Not fair to 90% of consumers, but most industries work this way.

pessimizer 8y ago
> Every uneducated consumer who buys an overpriced laptop subsidizes the cost for an educated buyer who heavily researchers and finds a good deal. What economic motivation do laptop manufacturers have to compensate for uneducated consumers making particularly bad deals by offering models that are particularly good deals? It isn't a zero-sum game. What educated buyers are getting in this case are less-bad deals, especially because the retailer knows that if they hold the laptops long enough they can eventually sell them to an uneducated consumer. All buyers would benefit from easier quality comparison, although educated buyers would benefit less. The law of averages isn't a law and there can be a market for lemons.
- dizzystar 8y ago
  The fact that it's not a zero sum game is exactly why it would work. Laptop manufacturers are far from the only ones who use this and similar strategies. This permeates nearly every buying decision we make.
chiefalchemist 8y ago
Researching takes time. Nothing is free, especially not time. Time is money. Unless the savings is significant, it's likely all factors of economics considered, that both are paying about the same; getting the same value / bang for buck. True, the higher end models might be more profitable to the manufacturer, but that's likely due to less competition at that end of tbe market. That doesn't make the higher end buyer more educated.
mmirate 8y ago
Simple solution: be educated. I suspect this is fairly easy for most HN readers.

pdimitar 8y ago

It doesn't help the brands much though. I have plenty of non-technical acquaintances and they gradually become more and more jaded as years pass. Most have settled for "everybody is producing garbage so just buy what's pretty and cheap" but some started to buy refurbished MacBook Airs and are very happy. I also knew a guy 2-3 years ago who adored his Asus EEE netbook. So I feel that with these dark pattern sales techniques the companies are inflicting a death by a million paper cuts to themselves. But since the difference isn't visible quarter to quarter they are oblivious to it. ...Or they don't care.

tedunangst 8y ago

This is definitely true if you sell through Best Buy, HSN, QVC, etc. but there's no reason why every model needs to be on your own web store.