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It isn’t any different than buying Nike, Gucci, or Michael Kors. Many folks are extremely brand and status conscious. Appearing high status is more important t

It isn’t any different than buying Nike, Gucci, or Michael Kors. Many folks are extremely brand and status conscious. Appearing high status is more important than many other expenses.

barbecue_sauce 3y ago
Nike is high status?
- chasd00 3y ago
  Nike can be extremely high status to some groups. Certain Air Jordans go for 10s of thousands of dollars.
- ghaff 3y ago
  Probably to at least some degree among kids. No one else cares. Just like no one else cares about green bubbles vs. blue bubbles. But some people feel a need to convince themselves that no one would buy an Apple product for any reason but status.
  - delecti 3y ago
    Certainly not every Apple user cares about the status of it, but certainly far more users that care about the status of their devices are Apple users.
    - ghaff 3y ago
      I guess but probably no more than the number of Samsung users who think they’re making some sort of anti-Apple statement.
ghaff 3y ago
You honestly equate buying an at least arguably better electronic device and ecosystem that you may interact with for hours a day with what’s mostly a logo on an I assume is an admittedly well-made bag?
kernal 3y ago
You lost me at Nike and Kors.
- Tagbert 3y ago
  Brand status is a continuum. Nike and Kors may not be “high status” but they are much higher than something like a Walmart house brand.
bee_rider 3y ago
My phone is in my pocket 99% of the time, why would I care what people think about it? Anyway, a base model iPhone is only in the $600 range, that is like a week of minimum wage work in my state. Where’s the status? No, it is just a basic functional smartphone for people who don’t like to configure these things (I’ll happily tinker all day with my Linux laptop, but smartphones are just like the worst form-factor, I want it to just work and then go away).
- kube-system 3y ago
  > a base model iPhone is only in the $600 range $429, actually. > https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-se https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-se
  - wkat4242 3y ago
    Yeah it's very weird, here in Europe the SE is a lot more expensive. Here in Spain it's €559 which is much more $ to € markup than any of the other models. I don't think it's that interesting a model either because it ignores the last 5 years of innovations like bezelless phones. For €349 you can get a nice midrange Android which does have a bezelless screen, fingerprint in display, oled display and often even a 3.5mm jack. Sure it's not as fast but that's one one thing I care less about, if I need fast I'll use my computers. The phone is just for on the road.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  > only in the $600 range "Only"? $600 is pretty steep. That it's not on the high end of modern phone prices is indicative of how crazy modern phone prices are.
  - kevin_thibedeau 3y ago
    Consider that they're selling a pocket supercomputer. A 386 PC in the early 90's (already second tier to the first 486's) would sell for over $3000, which is $7000 today. Our contemporary expectation that consumer electronics must be rock bottom cheap is a little warped by globalism. This from someone who won't pay more than $300 for something that is easily lost or damaged.

It isn’t any different than buying Nike, Gucci, or Michael Kors. Many folks are extremely brand and status conscious. Appearing high status is more important than many other expenses.

barbecue_sauce 3y ago

Nike is high status?

chasd00 3y ago
Nike can be extremely high status to some groups. Certain Air Jordans go for 10s of thousands of dollars.
ghaff 3y ago
Probably to at least some degree among kids. No one else cares. Just like no one else cares about green bubbles vs. blue bubbles. But some people feel a need to convince themselves that no one would buy an Apple product for any reason but status.
- delecti 3y ago
  Certainly not every Apple user cares about the status of it, but certainly far more users that care about the status of their devices are Apple users.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    I guess but probably no more than the number of Samsung users who think they’re making some sort of anti-Apple statement.

ghaff 3y ago

You honestly equate buying an at least arguably better electronic device and ecosystem that you may interact with for hours a day with what’s mostly a logo on an I assume is an admittedly well-made bag?

kernal 3y ago

You lost me at Nike and Kors.

Tagbert 3y ago
Brand status is a continuum. Nike and Kors may not be “high status” but they are much higher than something like a Walmart house brand.

bee_rider 3y ago

My phone is in my pocket 99% of the time, why would I care what people think about it? Anyway, a base model iPhone is only in the $600 range, that is like a week of minimum wage work in my state. Where’s the status? No, it is just a basic functional smartphone for people who don’t like to configure these things (I’ll happily tinker all day with my Linux laptop, but smartphones are just like the worst form-factor, I want it to just work and then go away).

kube-system 3y ago
> a base model iPhone is only in the $600 range $429, actually. > https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-se https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-se
- wkat4242 3y ago
  Yeah it's very weird, here in Europe the SE is a lot more expensive. Here in Spain it's €559 which is much more $ to € markup than any of the other models. I don't think it's that interesting a model either because it ignores the last 5 years of innovations like bezelless phones. For €349 you can get a nice midrange Android which does have a bezelless screen, fingerprint in display, oled display and often even a 3.5mm jack. Sure it's not as fast but that's one one thing I care less about, if I need fast I'll use my computers. The phone is just for on the road.
JohnFen 3y ago
> only in the $600 range "Only"? $600 is pretty steep. That it's not on the high end of modern phone prices is indicative of how crazy modern phone prices are.
- kevin_thibedeau 3y ago
  Consider that they're selling a pocket supercomputer. A 386 PC in the early 90's (already second tier to the first 486's) would sell for over $3000, which is $7000 today. Our contemporary expectation that consumer electronics must be rock bottom cheap is a little warped by globalism. This from someone who won't pay more than $300 for something that is easily lost or damaged.