3 ms·

> We BUY so much stuff. Most of it unnecessary. Fixed it.

by artyom 11mo ago

nyx 11mo ago
You're right, of course, but I don't think blame rests solely on the individual consumer here... I guess it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem, wherein Apple makes $200 knitted iPhone scrotes because they know people will line up to buy it, and people will line up to buy $200 knitted iPhone scrotes because Apple made them. And people have brand loyalty to Apple stuff because quality, or design, or something... but for a product like this, which to me is prima facie a ridiculous, impractical, high-priced, fast-fashion item, you know that the marketers are cashing in on that brand loyalty almost exclusively (in the absence of any intrinsic value). Half-baked thoughts, I'm sure people have written properly about this. But the conclusion I leap to is that marketing people are the great Satan here. Fuck those guys.
- docmars 11mo ago
  This is the perfect example of a product nobody asked for, but someone brilliantly decided to create waste with.
- artyom 11mo ago
  Pretty sure the profit margin for these bags is 10x at least. Way better (and simpler) that dealing with expensive computer/phone hardware and it supply chain, even if their pricing is ridiculously expensive. Marketing guys just know and exploit a very well known human weakness. It's annoying because it's Apple, but everyone has been doing this forever. Non-standardized phone chargers? USB-C and its patent hell? HDMI and its licensing? There's plenty of examples for creating wasteful items without them being fashion ones.
  - bborud 11mo ago
    Oh it is going to be a more than 10x profit. The materials themselves probably cost no more than a few tens of cents, so all the cost is going to be the in the manufacturing process. The knitting pattern does look somewhat advanced, so I guess it would require a relatively high spec knitting machine. I suspect what would drive up cost is a combination of throughput and somewhat that you need an expensive knitting machine. Since this is a high volume item that will probably bring down the average cost by quite a bit. I would guess somewhere in the region of $2 to $5 per pocket to mass produce these? Anyone have a more qualified guess?
TheDong 11mo ago
The tech industry is basically entirely run on Advertising. Google, Facebook, even Apple owe a huge chunk of their revenue to Ads. Clearly Ads work. You cannot blame the individual who has been brainwashed, addicted to buying things, by the hyper-capitalist advertising mega-monopolies around us. They are victims too.
- artyom 11mo ago
  I don't disagree and that's factually correct. I'm not sure about calling someone who can spend $200 in an iPhone bag a victim, though. Plus that kind of wasteful consumerism is only seen in certain developed countries in the world, while the brainwashing happens globally. So corporations are evil but a little individual accountability wouldn't harm.

> We BUY so much stuff. Most of it unnecessary. Fixed it.

by artyom 11mo ago

> We BUY so much stuff. Most of it unnecessary. Fixed it.

nyx 11mo ago

You're right, of course, but I don't think blame rests solely on the individual consumer here... I guess it's a bit of a chicken-and-egg problem, wherein Apple makes $200 knitted iPhone scrotes because they know people will line up to buy it, and people will line up to buy $200 knitted iPhone scrotes because Apple made them. And people have brand loyalty to Apple stuff because quality, or design, or something... but for a product like this, which to me is prima facie a ridiculous, impractical, high-priced, fast-fashion item, you know that the marketers are cashing in on that brand loyalty almost exclusively (in the absence of any intrinsic value). Half-baked thoughts, I'm sure people have written properly about this. But the conclusion I leap to is that marketing people are the great Satan here. Fuck those guys.

docmars 11mo ago
This is the perfect example of a product nobody asked for, but someone brilliantly decided to create waste with.
artyom 11mo ago
Pretty sure the profit margin for these bags is 10x at least. Way better (and simpler) that dealing with expensive computer/phone hardware and it supply chain, even if their pricing is ridiculously expensive. Marketing guys just know and exploit a very well known human weakness. It's annoying because it's Apple, but everyone has been doing this forever. Non-standardized phone chargers? USB-C and its patent hell? HDMI and its licensing? There's plenty of examples for creating wasteful items without them being fashion ones.
- bborud 11mo ago
  Oh it is going to be a more than 10x profit. The materials themselves probably cost no more than a few tens of cents, so all the cost is going to be the in the manufacturing process. The knitting pattern does look somewhat advanced, so I guess it would require a relatively high spec knitting machine. I suspect what would drive up cost is a combination of throughput and somewhat that you need an expensive knitting machine. Since this is a high volume item that will probably bring down the average cost by quite a bit. I would guess somewhere in the region of $2 to $5 per pocket to mass produce these? Anyone have a more qualified guess?

TheDong 11mo ago

The tech industry is basically entirely run on Advertising. Google, Facebook, even Apple owe a huge chunk of their revenue to Ads. Clearly Ads work. You cannot blame the individual who has been brainwashed, addicted to buying things, by the hyper-capitalist advertising mega-monopolies around us. They are victims too.

artyom 11mo ago
I don't disagree and that's factually correct. I'm not sure about calling someone who can spend $200 in an iPhone bag a victim, though. Plus that kind of wasteful consumerism is only seen in certain developed countries in the world, while the brainwashing happens globally. So corporations are evil but a little individual accountability wouldn't harm.