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What’s strange is that people still make this ridiculous comparison. Unless they’re severely out of touch with how the general populace think and what they valu

by dagmx 3y ago

What’s strange is that people still make this ridiculous comparison. Unless they’re severely out of touch with how the general populace think and what they value. Let’s talk phones, and just ignore the brand to start. Higher end devices often have better cameras, better support, better build quality. I’m sure you’ll find some random phone that competes with a flagship, but that’s irrelevant to the vast majority of users. Now start introducing brands to the mix. Each brand has value adds like platform specific apps and ecosystem integration. Samsung and Apple have a big ecosystem of products that they work with that other brands don’t. Even if the other brands work with them, many people prefer to stick with the single brand for support reasons. You’ll likely suggest alternative apps and products. Users don’t want that, they want a product that does what they need without being technically competent. Your problem is you’re looking at spec sheets and seeing equivalence in the things that matter to you. The things that matter to most people aren’t on the spec sheet. A spec sheet does not convey experience. By your same argument, why do people buy nicer cars? A fiat 500 is most of what I get with a ford f150 and a Lamborghini Aventador. Why do they buy nicer clothes? Fast fashion from H&M is the same from a utility perspective as a nice tailored suit from Armani. If your arguments start with random value segments and don’t take into account experience, nothing will ever make sense. The experience of a $200 Android phone is not the experience of a $1000 Android phone, let alone a $1000 iPhone. The experience of a $10k car is not the experience of a $80k or $400k car. The experience of a $20 shirt is not the same as the experience of a $180 shirt.

blacksmith_tb 3y ago
Not the OP, but presumably this is a diminishing returns argument? Clearly a Lambo is nicer than a Fiat, but most people can't or won't pay 10X more for it. The spread between, say, the iPhone 14 Pro at $999 and the Pixel 6a at $299 is a lot smaller, so the possibility that the 'returns' are still worth it to you doesn't seem so unbelievable to me, but I do see the point that the 6a is plenty good at the basics, and so spending 3X more is unnecessary. Of course as the article points out, most people aren't choosing at random, they're invested in one ecosystem or the other to a degree, and it may just be too painful to pull up those roots.
- dagmx 3y ago
  Diminishing returns depends on what you value though. Do you value shutter lag? Support? Product ecosystem? Video quality? App ecosystem? Accessibility features? Build quality? Software updates? The divide is as small or as big as each independent person makes it. But on average many people clearly see value in different product segments. The trouble with discussing it on HN is that this is the exact wrong demographic for this. This is the site that discussed Dropbox by saying people could just use rsync. That routinely suggests technical workarounds to any project posted. many people will pay the extra money to not care.
JohnFen 3y ago
> Higher end devices often have better cameras, better support, better build quality. True with the camera. But if you're like me, that's not actually a big deal. Better support? I wouldn't know, as I've never needed support so I can't compare. Better build quality? True -- but is that a huge deal? Even the cheapest phones I've used have lasted for most of a decade. > Each brand has value adds like platform specific apps and ecosystem integration. I always thought that stuff added by manufacturers takes value away from the phone. And worse, you often can't remove it. Anyway, I think the point is that a $1000 phone is not 5 times better than a $200 phone. It may be worth the expense to people anyway, of course, but the price goes up far faster than the extra benefits do.
- dagmx 3y ago
  With all due respect, “if you’re like me” makes the argument irrelevant. This is an egocentric view of products. Clearly other people do care because cameras are the focus of most reviews, and the thing that sees the most upgrade Gen on Gen. That’s what matters. What matters to people on average, not one off HN posters. That’s not to diminish your opinion. That’s what you value and it’s important as well. It’s just not relevant to demographic trends

by dagmx 3y ago

blacksmith_tb 3y ago

Not the OP, but presumably this is a diminishing returns argument? Clearly a Lambo is nicer than a Fiat, but most people can't or won't pay 10X more for it. The spread between, say, the iPhone 14 Pro at $999 and the Pixel 6a at $299 is a lot smaller, so the possibility that the 'returns' are still worth it to you doesn't seem so unbelievable to me, but I do see the point that the 6a is plenty good at the basics, and so spending 3X more is unnecessary. Of course as the article points out, most people aren't choosing at random, they're invested in one ecosystem or the other to a degree, and it may just be too painful to pull up those roots.

dagmx 3y ago
Diminishing returns depends on what you value though. Do you value shutter lag? Support? Product ecosystem? Video quality? App ecosystem? Accessibility features? Build quality? Software updates? The divide is as small or as big as each independent person makes it. But on average many people clearly see value in different product segments. The trouble with discussing it on HN is that this is the exact wrong demographic for this. This is the site that discussed Dropbox by saying people could just use rsync. That routinely suggests technical workarounds to any project posted. many people will pay the extra money to not care.

JohnFen 3y ago

> Higher end devices often have better cameras, better support, better build quality. True with the camera. But if you're like me, that's not actually a big deal. Better support? I wouldn't know, as I've never needed support so I can't compare. Better build quality? True -- but is that a huge deal? Even the cheapest phones I've used have lasted for most of a decade. > Each brand has value adds like platform specific apps and ecosystem integration. I always thought that stuff added by manufacturers takes value away from the phone. And worse, you often can't remove it. Anyway, I think the point is that a $1000 phone is not 5 times better than a $200 phone. It may be worth the expense to people anyway, of course, but the price goes up far faster than the extra benefits do.

dagmx 3y ago
With all due respect, “if you’re like me” makes the argument irrelevant. This is an egocentric view of products. Clearly other people do care because cameras are the focus of most reviews, and the thing that sees the most upgrade Gen on Gen. That’s what matters. What matters to people on average, not one off HN posters. That’s not to diminish your opinion. That’s what you value and it’s important as well. It’s just not relevant to demographic trends