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I hear this argument about Apple products constantly, and have a knee-jerk reaction to debunk it as the actual reason, when it’s more likely motivated by prefer

I hear this argument about Apple products constantly, and have a knee-jerk reaction to debunk it as the actual reason, when it’s more likely motivated by preference. I just can’t imagine anyone even thinking that holding expensive chocolate is going to signal their status, and can’t imagine that anyone is so insecure that they would even feel a need to. A lot of people buy overpriced items because they actually believe they are higher quality (whether true or not, like with wine). Yet, jewelry and expensive watches exist seemingly only for that purpose, so I have to call my own assumptions about others behavior into question on this.

AmericanChopper 7y ago
But all of these examples require you to speculate about the motives of other people. Apple products are qualitatively different from its competitors products. Whether that makes them better is a personal preference. The same can absolutely be said about wine, and expensive watches. Watches can be used to signal status, or satisfy some aesthetic tastes, but they are also some of the most beautiful examples of high-precision mechanical engineering you can find. If I was filthy rich I’d absolutely by a nice watch with an exposed tourbillon, there’s no such thing as a cheap version of that.
bsder 7y ago
> I just can’t imagine anyone even thinking that holding expensive chocolate is going to signal their status Really? You can't imagine some hipsters having an "all artisanal" food gathering? Or a restaurant serving "all artisanal" dessert? Some people do things because they are genuine. Far more people do things because they are a fad. Far more do things because it's profitable.
- lawnchair_larry 7y ago
  I can easily imagine them doing that, but I have trouble with the assertion that their reason for doing so is to signal their high status. The business argument doesn’t apply, I’m talking about the consumer side. Of course a business would sell something if it’s profitable, regardless of why.

AmericanChopper 7y ago

But all of these examples require you to speculate about the motives of other people. Apple products are qualitatively different from its competitors products. Whether that makes them better is a personal preference. The same can absolutely be said about wine, and expensive watches. Watches can be used to signal status, or satisfy some aesthetic tastes, but they are also some of the most beautiful examples of high-precision mechanical engineering you can find. If I was filthy rich I’d absolutely by a nice watch with an exposed tourbillon, there’s no such thing as a cheap version of that.

bsder 7y ago

> I just can’t imagine anyone even thinking that holding expensive chocolate is going to signal their status Really? You can't imagine some hipsters having an "all artisanal" food gathering? Or a restaurant serving "all artisanal" dessert? Some people do things because they are genuine. Far more people do things because they are a fad. Far more do things because it's profitable.

lawnchair_larry 7y ago
I can easily imagine them doing that, but I have trouble with the assertion that their reason for doing so is to signal their high status. The business argument doesn’t apply, I’m talking about the consumer side. Of course a business would sell something if it’s profitable, regardless of why.