When Teslas came out in the model S format, they were the “iPhone of cars”, not just because of wealth (which is a piss-poor argument for why something succeede

When Teslas came out in the model S format, they were the “iPhone of cars”, not just because of wealth (which is a piss-poor argument for why something succeeded btw), but because of a fundamental improvement in the essence of the category If “status signaling” was really as significant an influence as you say, then every single original Macintosh would’ve been a huge hit and clearly was not. Every single Powerbook and Macbook as well, since those are more visible and portable. If you want to talk “fashion accessory,” then there are plenty of phones that were expensive as well at the time that did not take off either. The reason why Apple was finally successful, is because Steve Jobs took a calligraphy class for fun instead of an engineering class, and all those things like the Zune were designed by engineers, first and foremost. Holistic thinking is not rational.