
Apple against luxury - stass
https://medium.com/@infofarmer/apple-against-luxury-6e7a55e4b66a
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Zigurd
This analysis is spot-on for iPhone, especially if you count the iPhone 5c.
Apple made previous attempts at combining technology and luxury nonsensical,
especially Vertu, which used trailing edge technology in what became by
comparison a ridiculously conspicuously consuming package.

But, the Apple Watch is not following the same recipe: The solid gold case
options for the watch are actually Vertu's model, but with up-to-date
technology and what looks to be a general move up-market for Apple's retail
stores.

Apple looks like they are embracing and shaping the luxury market in a bid to
further extend their ability to maintain high margins for technology products.

It's not a desperate move. It's not a greedy move. They are retaining all
their other strategies and almost all of them continue to work. But it sure
looks like they are adding the methods of luxury brands to their arsenal.

If it works (and not everything, like sapphire, works) you'll see more of this
in other products.

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quesera
I think this whole article misses the point. There is no "best watch" that is
being commodified here. What's the best thing a watch can do? Tell time,
_really really well_? Then the million dollar chunk of metal loses to the $5
Casio.

Watches, as such, are not even functional devices at this point in time.
They're entirely jewelry. _Acceptable_ jewelry for men, with a historical
reference, but jewelry nonetheless.

And commodified jewelry ain't gonna happen. You can't commodify fashion.

The Apple Watch, if it succeeds, will do so because it is a) _not a watch_ ,
and/or b) fashionable.

~~~
infofarmer
A watch is a piece of technology you wear on your wrist. Jawbone and Fitbit
have already been infringing on the space, but only imperceptibly, because
they started at the end of the market that had already gave up watches.

Before the iPhone and even Vertu, there were a few years when mobile phones
were borderline jewelry. For most people choosing a phone was completely a
fashion choice. The iPhone commodified (basically removed) that choice within
two years of its launch.

Apple Watch will remove the fashion choice from the watch industry. Because
there's only enough room for one timepiece on your wrist.

~~~
quesera
> Apple Watch will remove the fashion choice from the watch industry.

That's counter to every bit of prelaunch press circulating about the Apple
Watch. It'll be interesting to see if you're right.

------
LeoPanthera
"What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where
the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can
be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke,
Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a
Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on
the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good.
Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know
it."

\- Andy Warhol

~~~
devonkim
It's a bit more sobering when you hear how Warren Buffett eats - like a 6 year
old would if he was a billionaire. Tons of soda, ice cream, a diabetic nuclear
bomb of a diet really. Those with means have different conspicuous consumption
choices though, and that's awful difficult to ignore. A watch isn't the same
thing as food - not every billionaire would wear a watch necessarily, but we
must all eat. The usual dot com millionaire might buy a nice car like any
other random person would, but I really doubt that most lottery winners would
buy something like a NetApp SAN to use at home for file storage (I would
anyway, and I'm really lame in most of the the consumer choices I make
typically).

~~~
quesera
Warren Buffett talks his book by recommending Coke and Dairy Queen, sure.

But I'm going to say that healthy 84 year olds can eat however they please,
without any judgement from me.

------
fit2rule
Apple releasing their watch just makes me want this watch more:

[https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/920064946/oscilloscope-...](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/920064946/oscilloscope-
watch)

Its going to be a real luxury to be carrying around a very useful toolkit with
me ..

