I have been hearing "vote with your wallet" for more than 30 years. It has never, ever, made a difference in the direction of hardware.

It depends on the circumstances. If everyone on HN orders a phone from some new phone startup, and then everyone returns it a few weeks later, that could spell the end of the company. But for companies like Apple and Samsung, making products is just kind of a hobby side business -- they could collect interest on the balance of their corporate treasury indefinitely and make more money than you could ever imagine.