> People are wearing them because they are a signal of how rich/successful they are.
They are 150-250 bucks a piece. If people are wearing them as status signal then we have real gone downhill a lot.
They are 150-250 bucks a piece. If people are wearing them as status signal then we have real gone downhill a lot.
$200 dollars is a lot of money for a device that in most cases will last a year or two and there are plenty of alternatives that do the same for a fifth of the price. Especially in the context of teenagers using them as a status symbol.
My point is, a status symbol is something unachievable by most people regardless (like a Yacht or a Ferrari). An airdpod can be bought by almost anyone in the US if that's their priority.
If your question is “Doesn’t everyone have disposable income?” The answer is no.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United...
A $1000 watch (not computer) may be a status thing. A $1000 computer is not.
But it also seems incontrovertible to me that Apple gear is a status symbol. Some people really do buy them for the fashion angle, including the phones. One being true doesn’t preclude the other.
People have been saying that Apple devices are a status symbol since the iPod was introduced in 2001.
You can even by AirPods via installments with T-mobile. Anyone can afford them.
Besides, Apple has 50% of the phone market in the US and it’s even larger once you move up the income scale. Statistically, anyone who is an “influencer” would have an iPhone.
So if you had a handheld $35k device would that be considered a status symbol in the US? Maybe but not a $1k one.