> the mass electronics market is the stupid tchotchke market
No, it's not. Very few people can afford to buy new smartphones/laptops/TVs for fun. Most consider their purchase for a while, choose the right model, and then use it for a few years. Most people use these tools daily, hourly even. These are not random tchotchkes.
But pretty much everyone can buy some dumb dollar store toy for their kid, only for the kid to play with it once or twice and lose all interest.
Has your life really changed that much since computers? I guess I have a different career, but in most respects it's about the same. These things are addictive little tchotchkes I can't seem to put down. My wife was just complaining about the Nest products I buy and then never take out of the box.
In many ways, life today is the same as it was 2000 years ago. It's hard to decide what axes to use to measure similarity/distance in the space of human experience.
No, it's not. Very few people can afford to buy new smartphones/laptops/TVs for fun. Most consider their purchase for a while, choose the right model, and then use it for a few years. Most people use these tools daily, hourly even. These are not random tchotchkes.
But pretty much everyone can buy some dumb dollar store toy for their kid, only for the kid to play with it once or twice and lose all interest.