Technology commoditization getting you down? It's time to dip your phone in Platinum and plaster it with Diamonds.
Technology used to be a luxury. Toilets that flushed themselves, telephones and lights that turn on with a switch. Luxuries such as these used to be reserved for the affluent. They are now considered basic necessities of civilization.
While commoditization is helping the global community as a whole, it cuts into the "Wow Factor" that technology used to have. To compensate for this lack of excitement, entrepreneurs have created a niche market that helps to continue technology's mystique and people's desire for it.
Bling Technology.
In the world of luxury items and brand names, availability is a curse. Luxury inflation has caused designers to continue reaching for the stars, working on designs that very few people will ever be able to enjoy. Luxury is also the ability to have what no one else can afford and what everyone else wants. It used to be good enough to have a coveted upgraded version of a device before its shipping date. But now what are tech savvy CTOs to do to impress their friends?
Dip it in gold and make it shine.
The process of affixing actual worldly value, like diamonds and 18k gold, to technology means you have the latest superior technology that is also jaw-droppingly beautiful and ungodly expensive.
Anyone can own a 1GB iShuffle, but very few people can afford the 18-karat iPod Shuffle, estimated at over $18,000. If you really feel like splurging, why not purchase the Boucheron 150 Gold Vertu Phone, carved from a single piece of gold (a steal at $30,000).
Diamonds and Gold aren't the only things of value that are being attached to cell phones to increase their level of cool and desirability. Fashion powerhouses Dior and Prada have both launched their own designer cell phones. Dior is leading the field in brand-name phones. The latest version of their phone, the "Lady Dior", cost just over $28,000. That's almost 5 times the cost of their original phone. The phone itself is
state-of-the-art with a 2.6" QVGA screen and a 2MP camera. But one should expect to pay around $200 for a generic phone of that caliber, which leaves the an additional $27,800 for the Dior name and a small pile of hand-placed Swarovski crystals.
Of course, this all begs the question: how much are these diamonds actually worth?
Quality and quantity is rarely reported beyond what a layman can easily understand. Brand name items have the same effect as bling, but if it doesn't have the name of the designer all over it (which is becoming increasingly and annoyingly popular), who can tell the difference?
As important as it might be for some people to be at the forefront of both Luxury and Technology, what do you do with an 18 karat gold iShuffle with a dead battery? Or an out-dated Dior phone with no more value than the associated name?
No matter how much you paid for it, if you can't replace the battery, you can't keep using it. DeBeers has sold on us all that "Diamonds are Forever" and that might indeed be true. They do last longer, are the strongest substance on earth and can be reused and refashioned to remain up-to-date. But what about an alligator-leather swaddled, platinum-covered and diamond-encrusted Otazu Notebook from Ego Lifestyle when they decide that Vista is entirely defunct? As long as we have a desire-based capitalistic culture, people will always want the new best thing and iPhones with a 6.6 carat "Home Button" will always have a place in our market.
