Whether they are or not (and that's a very boring debate I don't wanna get into)... no, not unless the premium is huge and obvious.
Wikipedia sez: "Conspicuous consumption is spending on goods and services acquired mainly for the purpose of displaying income or wealth." That's not a very good description of why people buy Apple products. They're just not expensive enough or pointless enough to make a good target for your conspicuous-consumption dollars.
This is what conspicuous consumption in the consumer electronics field looks like:
We really don't know how much Apple charges for their hardware because they bundle their software with it, and they don't tell us how much the software costs either.
If we assume Windows and OS X took similar developer efforts, the smaller market for OS X means it is going to cost a lot more than Windows in order to recoup the costs of development. That is simple economics. Looking to iOS, it has a much larger market and Apple's mobile devices are quite competitive price wise, which supports the software cost factor.
You might find a higher sticker price on a Mac, but it is a pretty safe assumption that the added cost is to get you into OS X. Which just so happens to be the only reason why you would consider purchasing a Mac in the first place.
You might find a higher sticker price on a Mac, but it is a pretty safe assumption that the added cost is to get you into OS X. Which just so happens to be the only reason why you would consider purchasing a Mac in the first place.
You might find a higher sticker price on a Gucci, but it is a pretty safe assumption that the added cost is to get you into Gucci. Which just so happens to be the only reason why you would consider purchasing a Gucci in the first place.
Hey, why even buy a luxurious PC? Just throw some parts together and install Linux. There couldn't possibly be any reason to choose a difference operating systems except status, right?
There is no hefty premium over COMPARABLE counterparts. People just compare any junk say Dell with the same hardware specs (memory, processor, disk, chipset, etc) to a MBP.
Open a Dell and a MBP though, and take a peek.
Have the same money been spend on the Dells internal case design? Is the Dell assembled with the same attention to detail? Does the Dell sport various small and big innovations, from the mag safe adapter to auto-inverted Ethernet port, non protruding camera, lid magnets, etc? Does the Dell have a unique in industry machined aluminum "concrete" case design? Is it as light? Is it as thin? Is is as sturdy? Was even the industrial designer designing the Dell as well paid and respected by his peers as Ives? Oh, and does the Dell hold its resale value just as well?
Now, if you take a high-end Sony or Lenovo laptop, with comparable construction, it's often the case that the Apple laptop is cheaper or same price.
Oh, and regarding tablets, media players and phones, Apple completely smoked the competition in pricing. Wasn't the Samsung tablet for example like $799 for a version competing (badly) with the $499 iPad?
It isn't just a status symbol. That cheapens what Apple offers.
My father was a mechanic who bought tools from a specific supplier that was regularly 3-5x more expensive than generic tools. The reason? They would last 10x longer and work twice as well.
I see my MBP as a tool. It is worth the premium for quality.
I really think you need to look up what "conspicuous consumption" means. It isn't just about buying a slightly better, slightly more expensive version of a product. It's about spending money purely for the sake of showing off how much money you can afford to spend.
Appreciating a product for being well-made doesn't make it a status symbol. People can like quality products themselves, not just the showing-off of them.
I think he's making a point about components and the laptop's manufacturing: even if you do find a Dell with components that compare to a MBP, that Dell is made of cheap plastic with a WiFi antenna that works intermittently, comes with bloatware, etc.
A "status symbol" means I use it to increase my social status. Which I do not, or don't even care about. I do, however, care about the small (and large) details though, because they make my life better.
Is wanting a less heavy laptop wanting a "status symbol"? Or thinking that a magnetic lid is better than an ugly protruding prone-to-break piece of plastic? Or wanting a laptop with a nice case design? By your logic, anyone wanting a beautiful spouse is because he wants to use him/her as a status symbol. How about appreciating beauty for what it is and how it makes US feel?
"Commodity" does not mean that you are equally satisfied with anything as long as it does the basics of what you want. Food is a commodity too, but I prefer a nice restaurant to a fast food joint, because it is better there, even if both can equally take care of my hunger.
