^^^How is Ikea "elite" or "high class"? They're crap. Perhaps they're popular, but they sell bad furniture for a low price. It's like saying H&M are like Apple and Starbucks because they're popular. They're just popular because they're cheap, and the stuff doesn't look bad. They're like the "netbooks" of the clothing world.
As a user of both Macs and Moleskines, I'll tell you that Macs offer an advantage over the competition, while Moleskines generally do not. Moleskines aren't nicer, nor is the paper of better quality than other semi-pricey notebooks. They're one of those products that are trendy for little reason, and in 5 years, we'll wonder how the world became convinced that Moleskine was creating a better, more meaningful product for artists and thinkers, when we all know they're just peddling paper notebooks, and have no real corporate history or ties to the makers of the original product. Other companies that are capable of making copycat notebooks (which should be a LOT of companies) will hopefully flood the market soon and end the madness, and Moleskine will disappear.
I use 2 Moleskines, but the reason why I pay so much to use them is because they sell notebooks with blank paper (most important criteria). There are no other small, pocket-sized, soft-cover notebooks with blank pages that are NOT spiral-bound. Notebooks with spiral spines can't be put into a pant pocket easily.
The other Moleskines --- grid paper, lined paper, organizers, city maps and guides --- have cheaper alternatives that are equally good. Some will also have real leather covers.
