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"High-Class"/"Elite" items: Mac, Moleskine, Starbucks - What else?

Malfoy said:
While you might know some wealthy people who live like Buffett, doesn't mean the rest do. They are just better at hiding their fun (and funds :eek:) than everyone else :)
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Yeah, that could have been worded better, but I guess the point I was trying to make was that for someone why can afford a RR Phantom, at the lower cost range, a BMW is the same as a Camry. IOW, it's affordable by the proles, so what's the difference?

Now yachting, that's another matter. I once stayed on a huge yacht as a guest of the Aga Khan and that was a really nice. I didn't have any clothes, or more properly, swimwear and I was taken shopping and that was the first time I ever saw an American Express "Special Member" card.

The other thing is that people talk about premium clothing labels, shoes, etc, but again, to the truly elite, that's a bourgeoisie game. There's an entire class out there for whom labels simply don't matter as a point of conspicuous consumption.
 
Something I often wonder about in what we think of as premium products is if the perceived higher quality is just in our heads. There's a lot of social psychology research to indicate that it is.

On the one hand, I'm pretty sure that Apple laptop build quality is declining based on my experience and anecdotal evidence but I have no real numbers to back it up. The declining reliability of German auto makers is plain as day on paper, though.

But then, you look at Land Rover. Build quality is and always has been a joke with those things and yet, they're considered premium vehicles. How the heck did they get themselves in that position in the first place?
 
I'm going to throw in Omega again, as far as watches go. They're solid, reliable, and well made.

Rolex also makes very nice watches, but it seems that its the brand of watch anyone who comes into a little money buys. Mainly because its instantly recognizable. Few of those who buy them really appreciate all the craftsmanship.

That said... I suppose Rolex is "elite" too.


Edit: Had to add this... if anyone lists any of those well branded fashion watches, you need to slapped firmly.

:p
 
Isn't there an old axiom about what kind of people like what?
As in:

At restaurants, lower class patrons are satisfied with the amount of food.

Middle class patrons are satisfied with the taste of the food.

And high class patrons are satisfied with the presentation of the food.


Also in some circles, higher price=quality (actual or perceived). Just because its expensive is the reason to buy it.

Remember the $1000 featureless iPhone app? link
 
I would disagree that Omega (and even Rolex to an extent) as true Elite brands although they may be perceived to be.

Omega watches start at about £1000 in the UK, surely something along the lines of a Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantine is more elite.
 
obeygiant said:
Isn't there an old axiom about what kind of people like what?
As in:

At restaurants, lower class patrons are satisfied with the amount of food.

Middle class patrons are satisfied with the taste of the food.

And high class patrons are satisfied with the presentation of the food.
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Hmmm... what are you if you care about all of those things? ;)
 
Inked said:
I would disagree that Omega (and even Rolex to an extent) as true Elite brands although they may be perceived to be.

Omega watches start at about £1000 in the UK, surely something along the lines of a Patek Philippe or Vacheron Constantine is more elite.
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Yeah but Patek's aren't for showing off, and you tend to pass them from generation to generation. They're not bling in your face bam wham thank you mam shiny novelties which are overpriced like Rolex's.

How about Goji berries?

Also i just thought...People from the UK who use Waitrose carrier bags when they aren't carrying their shopping.
 
Signal-11 said:
It always struck me that the really wealthy don't need or want all of those things.
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What I have found to be true is something my father said to me when I was younger. He said that people who talk about having money rarely do and to never judge people based off of how they look.

People I know who have a large net worth who buy nice things don't do it to show off and rarely talk about them. They just want something nice. Now people who want to show off something they bought just for show you can't shut them up.

Applies in most cases I have found. I think we have all been on both sides of it
 
kellen said:
What I have found to be true is something my father said to me when I was younger. He said that people who talk about having money rarely do and to never judge people based off of how they look.
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I totally agree. However, there's a whole class of people that may not be millionaires or even rich, but are well-travelled, and design and art are part of their lives. It's not at all about "status", but more about appreciating fine design and high quality, and willing to pay for that, whether that be a car, a jacket, a chair, a piece of real estate, or a painting.

On the flip-side, their are millionaires who shop at Wal-Mart, think that art and design and culture are something to laugh at, and would not care to travel outside their country. Or they're incredibly crass and tacky, and flaunt their wealth-- like Donald Trump and Kanye West.

Since we're in a Mac-centric forum, I'll use Macs as an example: I don't use Macs for "status". I'm a designer, and Macs have been something that I've always used, for practical purposes.
 
Eraserhead said:
Quite, calling Ikea high class means you don't really understand the term - high class furniture should last for decades, if not longer.
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Agreed, in which case I'd say Habitat, as it's similar to the stuff you get in Ikea, but it costs x3 as much because it's from Habitat. Sound familiar? ;)
 
Abstract said:
^^^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.
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+1 on your ikea comment.

Ikea is crap. cheap stuff you use once and dont even bother to move it to your next apartment.
 
There's nothing "elite" about the mac since Steve Jobs came back to the company. Since then, the iMac, iBook/Macbook and Mac Mini have catered for the whole consumer range that macs simply couldn't cover when Apple used to sell you just a tower with no input devices or display for several K

These days, with 2 year old laptop CPUs in the whole range, they're pricey compared with a PC built from desktop parts that now have Core 2 Quads or even Core i7 CPUs but they weren't too pricey on a spec for spec basis till Apple dropped the entry level iMac and increased the cost of the Mac Mini. They only got more RAM and bigger drives as a sweetener.

...Or they're incredibly crass and tacky, and flaunt their wealth-- like Donald Trump and Kanye West.
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not to mention Kayne West likes to put fish sticks in his mouth :D
 
bartelby said:
But more "elite" than if he hadn't returned...
:)
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I think you missed my point.

Before Steve Jobs cut down the mac range to just a handful of models and then concentrated on creating an affordable consumer line up, the mac WAS "elitist" because of the huge price premium. Steve has nothing but make the Mac LESS "elitist", even going so far as to use Intel CPUs and allow the installation of Windows via bootcamp in recent years.

Basically. The complete OPPOSITE of elite! :D
 
barkmonster said:
I think you missed my point.

Before Steve Jobs cut down the mac range to just a handful of models and then concentrated on creating an affordable consumer line up, the mac WAS "elitist" because of the huge price premium. Steve has nothing but make the Mac LESS "elitist", even going so far as to use Intel CPUs and allow the installation of Windows via bootcamp in recent years.

Basically. The complete OPPOSITE of elite! :D
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And you missed mine.

If he hadn't returned we'd be swamped by clones and that's if Apple had survived at all...
 
suburbia said:
I totally agree. However, there's a whole class of people that may not be millionaires or even rich, but are well-travelled, and design and art are part of their lives. It's not at all about "status", but more about appreciating fine design and high quality, and willing to pay for that, whether that be a car, a jacket, a chair, a piece of real estate, or a painting.

On the flip-side, their are millionaires who shop at Wal-Mart, think that art and design and culture are something to laugh at, and would not care to travel outside their country. Or they're incredibly crass and tacky, and flaunt their wealth-- like Donald Trump and Kanye West.

Since we're in a Mac-centric forum, I'll use Macs as an example: I don't use Macs for "status". I'm a designer, and Macs have been something that I've always used, for practical purposes.
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this is spot on!!! And I agree totally and from experience the millionaires I have met really don't care about quality, style etc. For me, Apple is a lifestyle which is what I was trying to say before.

I would put my self in the well travelled, art / design side, and feel very good about it - a million $$ in the bank woulnd't hurt though:) so am I the elite as I have the experience and knowledge and the people who are aspiring to buy crass bling aren't??
 
As already noted, it's quite difficult to discern where high class/elite starts. Anything can be high class/elite to those people who cannot afford it - when McDonalds opened in places like China and Russia, it was considered high class to eat in a western burger joint, whereas I doubt anyone here would put McDonalds in the same league as a Pastis or The Ivy.

Alternatively you look at it from a qualitative perspective and decide it is elite/high class based on the fact that the manufacturer charges a premium for the product (whether justifiably or not).

In the latter regard - cars from the likes of BMW, Mercedes Benz, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, Pagani, Bugatti etc. would be classed as such. The public perception is that these are 'better' premium cars and you have to pay a price to get it - it doesn't matter really whether a Kia or a Hyundai is better or not because they cannot get away with charging a premium for their product.

Other brands which spring to mind as being in this category are - Hasselblad and Leica in the camera world. Vertu with mobile phones. Cartier, Breitling, Patek Phillipe, Vacheron Constantin, Audemars Piguet with watches. Miura for golf clubs.

Clothes are slightly different, one can name fashion designers to their heart's content, but the pinnacle of clothing transcends brands. Premium clothes will always be haute couture or bespoke, buying OTP designer does not compare to a couturier making a piece for the individual customer.
 
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