As an aside, I'd be skeptical of Artists who produce "Inspiring work" which refuse to find any takers.
[1] negative externalities aside
Even bigger profits come from selling crap to people.
Especially if you help build and sustain a whole culture that teaches them to have low expectations from what they buy, lure them with BS ads that tout unsubstantial products to high heavens, etc...
>As an aside, I'd be skeptical of Artists who produce "Inspiring work" which refuse to find any takers.
So like van Gogh who died penniless?
Apple sells a premium product and has a higher standard of quality than their competitors. Their products are priced accordingly.
They sit on the largest pile of cash out of any company in the U.S.
And they might even prove that putting something good out matters -- like several other companies do.
But the general mode of production in 90% of the industry is not Apple (which always catered to the more expensive "high end" of the market).
It's companies selling half-arsed products or knowingly bad products (like tons of crappy food stuff), even when they have tons of margin available to produce something better.
I believe values are subjective and we choose what we value with our wallets.
> teaches them to have low expectations from what they buy
Do you not think that this is a paternalistic view of the world? What makes your opinion on what's "good" better than mine or anyone else's?
> So like van Gogh who died penniless?
I'd bet that there are several artists who died penniless who aren't as well remembered, skepticism is not the same as condemnation.
And some crap, everybody agrees it's crap.
This is not about McDonalds vs Mortons.
It's about the Ford Pintos or Dell Dittys.