BOM costs make or break mass market hardware products. You don't just add 50 cents of BOM to a mass market item without a real good reason.
I guess the question is, why is that so?
IMHO, a valid "real good reason" is fixing a product/technological UX regression. However, it seems American business practices have settled on shamelessly selling the cheapest acceptable product for the highest acceptable price. If cheaper means a little crappier and enough customers will put up with it, cheaper it is. I'm dissatisfied with it because it usually means the stuff I buy is less durable or lacking on some fit-and-finish area.
50 cents x 4, along with the other increase likely $5+ of BOM cost increase could make or break a consumer product. But your reason is also true as it improves UX.
This is where innovation and Apple comes in, you need to market the product with a features that masses of consumer believes in it and are willing to pay for it. ( Lots of people, including those on HN often mistaken innovation as invention )
There is nothing "American" about this business practices, it is the same as any European, Chinese or Korean Manufacturers. They could have very well put this feature in but I am willing to bet $100 it wouldn't make a difference to consumer's purchase decision. So why continue to add $5 or more for a feature they cant sell.
But Apple has the ability to move consumers, and to charge higher ( as a package along to this feature ) to demand a premium. And if Apple successfully market this feature, say with some sort of brandname like "QuickSwitch", it is only a matter of time before other manufacturers copy it.
It has nothing to do with “American Business”. Just a fact of life in a competitive market.
Is it worth spending an extra 2-5 million in tuner chips so 100 million set top boxes can channels can change faster? You tell me?
That's 50 cents the shareholders can pocket, and everyone has already inured themselves to the slower experience.
Isn't progress great?