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I will grant that a small fraction of iPhone owners do a careful analysis similar to yours. And good for them. But just look at Apple ads to see what their rea

I will grant that a small fraction of iPhone owners do a careful analysis similar to yours. And good for them. But just look at Apple ads to see what their real market is. Their ads don't argue that they're a good value. Apple established themselves as a luxury good that indicates wealth and social status. Their ads look like other ads for wealthy people. The reason Apple doesn't make a cheap phone is the same reason Porche doesn't make a cheap car. They could, but it would drop total profit as the luxury premium evaporates. The funny thing is, I've heard people make the exact same argument people are making here but for Louis Vuitton bags. It's something they use every day! They're so well made that they last a long time! They have great resale value! And all of those things are true, but people who spend $100 on a purse are still going to give side-eye to people who spend $1000 or $10,000, and I think that's fine. In my view status goods are a plague upon humanity.

riversflow 5y ago
>In my view status goods are a plague upon humanity. Why? I'd argue that status goods have driven technological and artistic progress throughout time. So many innovations were the result of someone trying to make a new higher status good, or trying to make a status good cheaper(so they could have more wealth/power). Living in the 21st century, almost every good you can buy would have been a status good to someone at a time in the past.
- wpietri 5y ago
  Violence and war have also driven technological and artistic progress. I don't think that makes them good. I also think you're confusing "did contribute to the creation of" and "was the only possibly way we could get". E.g., it's true that early cellphones were status goods. But given the massive market for them today, it's clear that was not a necessary step toward their existence and perfection.

riversflow 5y ago

>In my view status goods are a plague upon humanity. Why? I'd argue that status goods have driven technological and artistic progress throughout time. So many innovations were the result of someone trying to make a new higher status good, or trying to make a status good cheaper(so they could have more wealth/power). Living in the 21st century, almost every good you can buy would have been a status good to someone at a time in the past.

wpietri 5y ago
Violence and war have also driven technological and artistic progress. I don't think that makes them good. I also think you're confusing "did contribute to the creation of" and "was the only possibly way we could get". E.g., it's true that early cellphones were status goods. But given the massive market for them today, it's clear that was not a necessary step toward their existence and perfection.