Here at Remachines, we occasionally deal with the cutting edge of electronics, building custom gaming computers or repairing new items that have gone bust right away.
But in reality, we deal with the grave. The electronics that have either been deemed "uncool" or "obsolete" by society.
It's our responsibility to keep these electronics in the giant wheel of society until they truly completely break. And it's our responsibility to report that all that new stuff you're usually paying money for is usually a ripoff.
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The perfect example of this is the NEW Apple iPod Nano (pictured). It's barely bigger than a postage stamp, it has a fancy little touch screen so you can show off how cool your album art is or rotate this or that. It will likely be crushed or destroyed or put through the washer within six months.
And you just paid $150 for it. You know how much it cost to manufacture? An estimated $43.73. That is some killer profit margin. Yes, there are things such as advertising, jobs, and Steve Jobs to pay (his $1 salary) to also consider in the price, but in reality, why would anyone pay $150 for something less effective (remember, you have to look at the screen while using this, it is touchscreen and does not have physical buttons) than its predecessor?
Because as Americans, you can. You can buy the $150 device that you might get two years out of that is essentially another way to pry $.99 out of you for the new hot single that comes out every two weeks. But that's another blog entry, which is basically the idea that all of these new devices are essentially a "gateway drug" for your wallet opening up and robbing you through pennies instead of just grabbing the whole thing.
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The way I think of things is like this: $150 is about 10% the cost of an acceptable used car for a teenager, who probably lives in some suburban area that will need to commute to the larger city for some reason (possibly a technical college, work, etc.). If 10% of that budget is cut out towards the car an used on the newest technology that really isn't helping you succeed at all in this case, not only are you stuck with that technology (and the cool factor will fade FAST) but less money towards that car, meaning you will get less of a car and probably more problems because of it.
Life is all about trade offs, so do yourself a favor and grab an uncool alternative to expensive, relatively useless music players. You can probably find yourself something from Sandisk or Creative for a fraction of the price that will do 75% or more of the same things. And they probably won't lock you into a specific media store, slowly draining the power of your wallet.
-Nate
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