5 ms·

I genuinely can't see why anyone would pay that for a handset. They are an icon of conspicuous consumption, nothing more. Regarding the OS choice, they are rig

by meaty 14y ago

I genuinely can't see why anyone would pay that for a handset. They are an icon of conspicuous consumption, nothing more. Regarding the OS choice, they are right about market share which is why they were on Symbian and are now on android. Only time will tell where they end up.

buro9 14y ago
The product that they're selling isn't the phone, it's the concierge service.
- jzwinck 14y ago
  People that buy these phones likely already have a concierge service from at least one of their credit cards, their place of residence, their country club, their airline, or whatever else. The phone coming with a concierge service is a little in-joke: the point is that you have it, and John Q. Public doesn't even know it exists.
VMG 14y ago
> I genuinely can't see why anyone would pay that for a handset. They are an icon of conspicuous consumption, nothing more. So while you know the term conspicuous consumption, you doubt that it actually exists?
- meaty 14y ago
  Would vs did. I think the comment is spot on and you are being a pedant.
  - VMG 14y ago
    You know that there are people who do consume conspicuously, yet you claim to be unable to understand why people would pay. I'm sure you know why you wouldn't pay, and I think it is obvious why others will. I'm just trying to find out if the original comment was meant to say "I'm disgusted by luxury items"
mixmax 14y ago
It's not about technology, it's about psychology. If you're the target market for this phone you don't care much about the functionality, what you care about is that other people can see that you have so much money that you can carelessly throw around your phone that costs more than many people make in a month. It's all about perception. Note that an important factor is that your peers have to know that the phone is prohibitively expensive. If they don't the point is lost. This is also why superyachts are so popular among the ultrarich. Everyone knows that they are crazy expensive to buy and maintain, and so they know you have the money to do so. Douglas Adams has an unparalleled quote about the psychology behind it - "No expense had been spared to give the impression that no expense had been spared" This is also the only instance I've ever seen of recursion being used in fiction :-)
- bcoates 14y ago
  This isn't expensive enough to be actually exclusive, I'm guessing they're mostly preying on people with upper-middle class incomes and massive amounts of status anxiety. I doubt they even make good bribes, as compared to other things you get for the price they're hard to show off, don't hold value over time, and are too easily traced.
  - networked 14y ago
    >I'm guessing they're mostly preying on people with upper-middle class incomes and massive amounts of status anxiety Indeed, especially so if the culture around them promotes this type of anxiety. You'd be surprised by how many people living in big cities of the former Soviet Union purchase used Vertu phones or outright two-SIM fakes. A lot of cell phone repair kiosks, especially those specializing in Nokia phones, have a "Vertu Repair" sign hanging outside. Now that the iPhone is supplanting Vertu as a major status symbol this trend has been on a decline but the sings and the fakes are all still there. On an semi-unrelated note, creating a no-nonsense port of CyanogenMod or, better yet, MUIU for Vertu phones might make for an amusing art project. Edit: formatting, typo.
- StavrosK 14y ago
  > your phone that costs more than many people make in a month Hah! Try a year/ten years. Hell, most Greeks make less than 8k/yr, and have for quite a while.
lucian1900 14y ago
I don't get it either. I would, however, welcome a stronger focus on device durability.
networked 14y ago
Despite what Wikipedia says, most Vertu phones sold in the past weren't smartphones (unless you consider a personal concierge a kind of Siri); they were powered by Nokia's Series 40 firmware and had tiny 2" screens much like more mainstream Series 40 business phones, albeit covered with protective bling like sapphire glass. Apparently they still promote those on Vertu.com under the name Ascent. Nokia had just started transitioning Vertu phones to modern, touch-enabled Symbian with Constellation phones when they sold their Vertu arm to EQT.
charltones 14y ago
It's hard to appreciate unless you get to hold one in your hand and play with it. The phones are exceptionally well made - not just robust but well crafted. The sound reproduction from the external speakers is pretty amazing too - I'd quite happily listen to music playing on it. Disclosure: I work for Vertu.

by meaty 14y ago

buro9 14y ago

The product that they're selling isn't the phone, it's the concierge service.

jzwinck 14y ago
People that buy these phones likely already have a concierge service from at least one of their credit cards, their place of residence, their country club, their airline, or whatever else. The phone coming with a concierge service is a little in-joke: the point is that you have it, and John Q. Public doesn't even know it exists.

VMG 14y ago

> I genuinely can't see why anyone would pay that for a handset. They are an icon of conspicuous consumption, nothing more. So while you know the term conspicuous consumption, you doubt that it actually exists?

meaty 14y ago
Would vs did. I think the comment is spot on and you are being a pedant.
- VMG 14y ago
  You know that there are people who do consume conspicuously, yet you claim to be unable to understand why people would pay. I'm sure you know why you wouldn't pay, and I think it is obvious why others will. I'm just trying to find out if the original comment was meant to say "I'm disgusted by luxury items"

mixmax 14y ago

It's not about technology, it's about psychology. If you're the target market for this phone you don't care much about the functionality, what you care about is that other people can see that you have so much money that you can carelessly throw around your phone that costs more than many people make in a month. It's all about perception. Note that an important factor is that your peers have to know that the phone is prohibitively expensive. If they don't the point is lost. This is also why superyachts are so popular among the ultrarich. Everyone knows that they are crazy expensive to buy and maintain, and so they know you have the money to do so. Douglas Adams has an unparalleled quote about the psychology behind it - "No expense had been spared to give the impression that no expense had been spared" This is also the only instance I've ever seen of recursion being used in fiction :-)

bcoates 14y ago
This isn't expensive enough to be actually exclusive, I'm guessing they're mostly preying on people with upper-middle class incomes and massive amounts of status anxiety. I doubt they even make good bribes, as compared to other things you get for the price they're hard to show off, don't hold value over time, and are too easily traced.
- networked 14y ago
  >I'm guessing they're mostly preying on people with upper-middle class incomes and massive amounts of status anxiety Indeed, especially so if the culture around them promotes this type of anxiety. You'd be surprised by how many people living in big cities of the former Soviet Union purchase used Vertu phones or outright two-SIM fakes. A lot of cell phone repair kiosks, especially those specializing in Nokia phones, have a "Vertu Repair" sign hanging outside. Now that the iPhone is supplanting Vertu as a major status symbol this trend has been on a decline but the sings and the fakes are all still there. On an semi-unrelated note, creating a no-nonsense port of CyanogenMod or, better yet, MUIU for Vertu phones might make for an amusing art project. Edit: formatting, typo.
StavrosK 14y ago
> your phone that costs more than many people make in a month Hah! Try a year/ten years. Hell, most Greeks make less than 8k/yr, and have for quite a while.

lucian1900 14y ago

I don't get it either. I would, however, welcome a stronger focus on device durability.

networked 14y ago

Despite what Wikipedia says, most Vertu phones sold in the past weren't smartphones (unless you consider a personal concierge a kind of Siri); they were powered by Nokia's Series 40 firmware and had tiny 2" screens much like more mainstream Series 40 business phones, albeit covered with protective bling like sapphire glass. Apparently they still promote those on Vertu.com under the name Ascent. Nokia had just started transitioning Vertu phones to modern, touch-enabled Symbian with Constellation phones when they sold their Vertu arm to EQT.

charltones 14y ago

It's hard to appreciate unless you get to hold one in your hand and play with it. The phones are exceptionally well made - not just robust but well crafted. The sound reproduction from the external speakers is pretty amazing too - I'd quite happily listen to music playing on it. Disclosure: I work for Vertu.