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I don't think so. I think its because everything has become commoditized now. iPhone have gotten more and more like glass art objects than functional phones. A

I don't think so. I think its because everything has become commoditized now. iPhone have gotten more and more like glass art objects than functional phones. Apple knows people want their products, and their whole model made to extract as much money out of people as possible (apple care) obviously shows they are masters of capitalism and creating tons of shareholder value. It sucks, but hey at least I'll use the gains from holding apple stocks to spend on something else (which will also break lol). I find it much better now that I don't spend money on anything beyond basic functionality and create the aesthetics around it myself. I save a ton of money, and makes me feel better that I don't contribute to these companies beyond holding their stocks. I appreciate the quality items from my past (that were not that high quality to begin with during their time - they were just built better than what's available today at similar price points) that have lasted to this day. Everything else just gets tossed out when I'm done using it, and I buy it either used or the lowest end model.

askafriend 3y ago
> shows they are masters of capitalism and creating tons of shareholder value Um....maybe there's another takeaway here. Maybe Apple created something people love, are delighted by and find useful in their lives. Maybe people want their most personal computers to be beautiful glass art objects. Intimate, daily-carry items have ALWAYS become fashion at some level (wallets, handbags, belts, etc). Phones were fashion and art long before the iPhone. Cases are perfectly great solutions for those who want more protection. It's much tougher to look yourself in the mirror and admit that maybe they're not tricking anyone, you just don't understand the market.
- shrimp_emoji 3y ago
  That's true. People are stupid and the stuff they like is stupid, and understanding the market means your product will redound down to the lowest common denominator of quality. It's why addictive mobile games earn an order of magnitude more than good console games, which in turn earn an order more than good PC games. One counterpoint, though, is that no one likes cheap plastic interiors, and yet they're in the highest end cars now: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vXKOPwJ2Ink&t=120 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vXKOPwJ2Ink&t=120
  - askafriend 3y ago
    > People are stupid and the stuff they like is stupid Absolutely not. People are not stupid just because they don't value the things you think they should. People love beautiful objects. People love art. People love to be entertained. All of these things have immense value. People love color! There is a ton of value in bringing more color to the world and engaging people senses and emotions in new ways. So when HN-types deride Apple for releasing fun new colors, I find it telling and amusing; the HN-types simply don't understand people while Apple understands people more deeply than any other computer company. And no, not everyone wants to sit and watch information dense documentaries about complex world problems every day after work. Sometimes people just want to shut off their brain, relax and watch stupid content that encourages that state of mind. That content is serving a practical purpose. But I'm sure you'd deride it as trash and rotting people's brains while totally missing the point about why people gravitate towards it. Do some people take things to the extreme? Of course. Are mobile game mechanics often problematic? Of course. The world is a messy place.
- moomoo11 3y ago
  Yeah it’s been tough to deal with it. Like I said I find way more pleasure holding and selling apple shares than I do buying their products. I’m fact now I wish they make even more artsy phones lol I won’t use it but they will sell.
  - askafriend 3y ago
    I 100% respect that! The way I see it, there needs to be at least one company in the world that sees computing as a functional artform. It's an important perspective and clearly it resonates - people love it. We have plenty of companies that don't take this perspective. In fact, it's the default way of thinking. We're not really lacking choice here.
    - moomoo11 3y ago
      Yeah I love watching all the unboxing and review videos of these gadgets. Very cool stuff.

askafriend 3y ago

> shows they are masters of capitalism and creating tons of shareholder value Um....maybe there's another takeaway here. Maybe Apple created something people love, are delighted by and find useful in their lives. Maybe people want their most personal computers to be beautiful glass art objects. Intimate, daily-carry items have ALWAYS become fashion at some level (wallets, handbags, belts, etc). Phones were fashion and art long before the iPhone. Cases are perfectly great solutions for those who want more protection. It's much tougher to look yourself in the mirror and admit that maybe they're not tricking anyone, you just don't understand the market.

shrimp_emoji 3y ago
That's true. People are stupid and the stuff they like is stupid, and understanding the market means your product will redound down to the lowest common denominator of quality. It's why addictive mobile games earn an order of magnitude more than good console games, which in turn earn an order more than good PC games. One counterpoint, though, is that no one likes cheap plastic interiors, and yet they're in the highest end cars now: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vXKOPwJ2Ink&t=120 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vXKOPwJ2Ink&t=120
- askafriend 3y ago
  > People are stupid and the stuff they like is stupid Absolutely not. People are not stupid just because they don't value the things you think they should. People love beautiful objects. People love art. People love to be entertained. All of these things have immense value. People love color! There is a ton of value in bringing more color to the world and engaging people senses and emotions in new ways. So when HN-types deride Apple for releasing fun new colors, I find it telling and amusing; the HN-types simply don't understand people while Apple understands people more deeply than any other computer company. And no, not everyone wants to sit and watch information dense documentaries about complex world problems every day after work. Sometimes people just want to shut off their brain, relax and watch stupid content that encourages that state of mind. That content is serving a practical purpose. But I'm sure you'd deride it as trash and rotting people's brains while totally missing the point about why people gravitate towards it. Do some people take things to the extreme? Of course. Are mobile game mechanics often problematic? Of course. The world is a messy place.
moomoo11 3y ago
Yeah it’s been tough to deal with it. Like I said I find way more pleasure holding and selling apple shares than I do buying their products. I’m fact now I wish they make even more artsy phones lol I won’t use it but they will sell.
- askafriend 3y ago
  I 100% respect that! The way I see it, there needs to be at least one company in the world that sees computing as a functional artform. It's an important perspective and clearly it resonates - people love it. We have plenty of companies that don't take this perspective. In fact, it's the default way of thinking. We're not really lacking choice here.
  - moomoo11 3y ago
    Yeah I love watching all the unboxing and review videos of these gadgets. Very cool stuff.