Comments on: The Cost of Simplicity http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/ simplicity resources for design, business, technology, and life Sat, 31 Jul 2010 20:02:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: kit http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-119 Tue, 31 Oct 2006 01:02:24 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-119 Interestingly, other manufacturers smell the need for faux minimalist, savagely expensive status phones: http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphones/serene-cellphone-from-samsung-and-bang-olufsen-155610.php This one is a bargain at just $1300. It will be interesting to see which luxury marquees jump on this pony. Rolex, perhaps? Porsche? Tiffany? Somewhere, an old French woman is preparing her knitting. ;-) Interestingly, other manufacturers smell the need for faux minimalist, savagely expensive status phones:

http://us.gizmodo.com/gadgets/cellphones/serene-cellphone-from-samsung-and-bang-olufsen-155610.php

This one is a bargain at just $1300.

It will be interesting to see which luxury marquees jump on this pony. Rolex, perhaps? Porsche? Tiffany?

Somewhere, an old French woman is preparing her knitting. ;-)

]]> by: Jack Cheng http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-110 Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:02:45 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-110 I don't think that in this case simplicity is a main selling point of the product - it's not priced that way *because* it's simpler to use. That said, I do think that the pricing strategy has something to do with simplicity - the 30,000 price tag of the platinum anchors the price of their 4,000 "standard" model. It makes it somewhat easier to justify spending a few grand because you say, "hey, compared to the $30k model, this one's a great value!" I don’t think that in this case simplicity is a main selling point of the product - it’s not priced that way *because* it’s simpler to use.

That said, I do think that the pricing strategy has something to do with simplicity - the 30,000 price tag of the platinum anchors the price of their 4,000 “standard” model. It makes it somewhat easier to justify spending a few grand because you say, “hey, compared to the $30k model, this one’s a great value!”

]]> by: maeda http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-109 Sun, 22 Oct 2006 08:06:25 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-109 I like Keith's point about the cost benefits of adding a feature. It seems also by releasing a simple product, you can have third party companies pay the R&D costs for extra peripherals like in the mike+iPod example. And when strong sales are guaranteed, you just add in the feature and wipe out the market for the third party. Maybe simplicity leads to this kind of market brutality we see ... Regarding the downfall of mankind with a $30K phone, I just read a book called <i>A Whole New Mind</i> which had an optimistic take on our accelerating hedonism. Will add a thread about that shortly. I like Keith’s point about the cost benefits of adding a feature. It seems also by releasing a simple product, you can have third party companies pay the R&D costs for extra peripherals like in the mike+iPod example. And when strong sales are guaranteed, you just add in the feature and wipe out the market for the third party. Maybe simplicity leads to this kind of market brutality we see …

Regarding the downfall of mankind with a $30K phone, I just read a book called A Whole New Mind which had an optimistic take on our accelerating hedonism. Will add a thread about that shortly.

]]> by: kit http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-108 Sat, 21 Oct 2006 16:57:10 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-108 A $30k cellphone case? How utterly vulgar. So this is how it felt right before the French Revolution, huh? A $30k cellphone case? How utterly vulgar. So this is how it felt right before the French Revolution, huh?

]]> by: keith http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-107 Sat, 21 Oct 2006 14:32:48 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-107 It's not that simplicity costs more, i thinks its more about cashflow. Making something simple means you need to get people(in your company) to invest in their intuition, instead if following the cheaper featuritus mentality. That is, if the company behind a product is insecure, than they will often pack in a lot of features because intelectually that makes sense. Apple could have put a microphone input port on the iPod for probably a few cents, and in a lot of organizations (and probably within apple) there would be a strong pressure to do this - as it means another line on the 'feature list'. It’s not that simplicity costs more, i thinks its more about cashflow.

Making something simple means you need to get people(in your company) to invest in their intuition, instead if following the cheaper featuritus mentality.

That is, if the company behind a product is insecure, than they will often pack in a lot of features because intelectually that makes sense.

Apple could have put a microphone input port on the iPod for probably a few cents, and in a lot of organizations (and probably within apple) there would be a strong pressure to do this - as it means another line on the ‘feature list’.

]]> by: John Maeda http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-106 Sat, 21 Oct 2006 14:22:33 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-106 Then maybe Londoners have a better chance at touching them ... I shall remember on a future trip. Thanks! Then maybe Londoners have a better chance at touching them … I shall remember on a future trip. Thanks!

]]> by: Phill http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-105 Sat, 21 Oct 2006 11:24:01 +0000 http://lawsofsimplicity.com/2006/10/22/the-cost-of-simplicity/#comment-105 They're not mythical, you can actually buy them in Selfridges London They’re not mythical, you can actually buy them in Selfridges London

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