10 ms·

I might be doing some arm-chair psychological claims right now, but, here's my opinion. The phones being expensive is what makes them appealing. Apple is the un

by ktta 8y ago

I might be doing some arm-chair psychological claims right now, but, here's my opinion. The phones being expensive is what makes them appealing. Apple is the undisputed king of branding. They're selling a lifestyle. Everyone wants a taste of the high life, and while the cheap version of the iPhone might not be 500 USD, it needs to get close to the prevailing flagships in India with little tariff overhead. iPhones incur an insane markup in India right now, so they'll want to reduce that, atleast close to the price in the US.

benj111 8y ago
"The phones being expensive is what makes them appealing" Well yes, they're a status symbol, no need for the arm chair. People may rationalise how it does y better than the competition, but there very few people where the better y is worth the extra $xx. I'm reminded of this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Rich https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Rich Edit: I'll admit its hard to tease out utility differences here. This isn't a rolex situation where the cheaper alternative is 'better'. Although I could cite the gold iPhones as purer examples. The fact remains, a mid range android phone gets you 95% of what you want a smartphone to have. The iphone proposition is nice to have, not need to have.
- ktta 8y ago
  > but there very few people where the better y is worth the extra $xx. You did bring up Rolex, but it isn't that simple. Phones have much more variety and depth of utility than watches. While a watch's quality of function will not really vary between a $15 digital one and a $1000+ one, phones' functionality will. That's part of what makes expensive phones worth it, because they have good software and quality to go along with design. > The iphone proposition is nice to have, not need to have. That assumes phones are purely utilitarian.

10 ms·

I might be doing some arm-chair psychological claims right now, but, here's my opinion. The phones being expensive is what makes them appealing. Apple is the un

by ktta 8y ago

benj111 8y ago
"The phones being expensive is what makes them appealing" Well yes, they're a status symbol, no need for the arm chair. People may rationalise how it does y better than the competition, but there very few people where the better y is worth the extra $xx. I'm reminded of this: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Rich https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_Rich Edit: I'll admit its hard to tease out utility differences here. This isn't a rolex situation where the cheaper alternative is 'better'. Although I could cite the gold iPhones as purer examples. The fact remains, a mid range android phone gets you 95% of what you want a smartphone to have. The iphone proposition is nice to have, not need to have.
- ktta 8y ago
  > but there very few people where the better y is worth the extra $xx. You did bring up Rolex, but it isn't that simple. Phones have much more variety and depth of utility than watches. While a watch's quality of function will not really vary between a $15 digital one and a $1000+ one, phones' functionality will. That's part of what makes expensive phones worth it, because they have good software and quality to go along with design. > The iphone proposition is nice to have, not need to have. That assumes phones are purely utilitarian.