200$ is still a lot of money for the majority of the population.

Good thing the majority of the population is bad with money.

That comes across quite snobbishly to be honest. People pay several thousands for jewelry or watches as they expect them to last many years or decades.

$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.

But also people pay dozens of thousands to hundreds of thousands for a vehicle that will last a little bit longer than an airpod (at least from a status point of view).

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.

You can have a useable vehicle for 5 years with a $10,000 upfront cost and $5,000 in maintenance. That’s something people need to operate in the US. Yes, a brand new Tesla is a status symbol just the same as $250 purely optional luxury items are.

If your question is “Doesn’t everyone have disposable income?” The answer is no.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United...

It doesn't surprise me considering how much they charge for a monitor mount. But that's incredible people will pay that much for some bluetooth earbuds. They better be a platform or something more for that much...

It also means you're carrying an iPhone with you.

Man, I guess I never looked at how much they are. It makes sense considering who they come from, but that is a lot for some bluetooth earbuds.

It also implies there's a $1000 device in your pocket.

But that is not a status device.

A $1000 watch (not computer) may be a status thing. A $1000 computer is not.

I won’t have any truck with the “Apple stuff is just about fashion, it’s the only reason people buy them”. BS, that just clearly not the case.

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.

How is something a “status symbol” when close to 50% of the people in the US have one?

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.

A $1000 dollar computer might not be a status symbol in the western world, but a $1000 phone in your pocket, for many consumers, is. Apple's marketing and use by social media influencers has turned their brand into a status symbol. Apple isn't the most valuable brand because there tech is better, but because they have marketed themselves as a lifestyle company that makes life easier and more elegant than the competition.

Well, seeing that you can get a new iPhone for less than $500....

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.

The $1000 iphone sell for around $2000 non-black-market price in my country. Which is roughly 60% of the gdp per capita of the country. 60% of gdp per capita in america is roughly $35k.

So if you had a handheld $35k device would that be considered a status symbol in the US? Maybe but not a $1k one.

You need to hang out with other people more often....

My $30 iPhone SE begs to differ.