Well, there are complaints about “Apple premiums” on pricing, but if those actually exist they’re most likely largely the result of the fact that the company can “exploit” its devoted fanbase...
I think Apple is a good choice, though. I’d also point to Prius or hybrid vehicles in general or other items of objectively-good quality which turn into status signals of various sorts… and then you see criticisms aimed at the signalers and not the underlying goods or their functionality. Or the criticisms are aimed at the fact that the fans overstate the value of their choice objects, which doesn’t exactly impinge the actual value.
Well, there are complaints about “Apple premiums” on pricing, but if those actually exist they’re most likely largely the result of the fact that the company can “exploit” its devoted fanbase...
I think Apple is a good choice, though. I’d also point to Prius or hybrid vehicles in general or other items of objectively-good quality which turn into status signals of various sorts… and then you see criticisms aimed at the signalers and not the underlying goods or their functionality. Or the criticisms are aimed at the fact that the fans overstate the value of their choice objects, which doesn’t exactly impinge the actual value.