Probably because you don’t live in India.
Here in the U.S., marketers and manufacturers always seem to be focused on attracting the early adopter, that forward-thinking, value-averse consumer who simply must have an iPad right now—and who not long ago, had to have a Kindle 2 or Nexus One or whatever.
But, reports the NY Times:
Forgotten in the American tumult is a global flowering of innovation on the simple cellphone. From Brazil to India to South Korea and even Afghanistan, people are seeking work via text message; borrowing, lending, and receiving salaries on cellphones; employing their phones as flashlights, televisions and radios.
And many do all this for peanuts. In India, Reliance Communications sells handsets for less than $25, with one-cent-a-minute phone calls across India and one-cent text messages and no monthly charge — while earning fat profits. Compare that to iPad buyers in the United States, who pay $499 for the basic version, who might also have a $1,000-plus computer and a $100-plus smart cellphone, and who could pay $100 or more each month to connect these many devices to the ether.
You can’t blame Apple, AT&T, et al for charging such exorbitant prices. They’re doing it simply because people will pay such sums.
But, in addition to constantly drumming up stuff to make early adopters salivate, it’d be nice if there was broader growth in products aimed at the late mass-audience cheapskate adopter. There are a lot of us out here.
I guess it’s more exciting—and probably more lucrative—to go after American consumers who just have to have iPads and 3-D TVs, no matter the cost.
Related:
The Early Adopter: Trendsetter or Sucker?