What a tough choice

You also have the problem of assuming they lowered the price of the monitor when they decided to sell the stand separately

Actually look at the stand and what it does. It holds up a very heavy monitor with extreme precision articulation. Then look at what any kind of comparable stand would cost. Go look up “RAM mounts” which are used for things like aircraft and commercial vehicles. You’ll find that there are costs to quality and a simple mount can cost much more than what we think it should. But I’ll get more DV’s because I’m opposing a popular viewpoint of blind hate that makes people feel smugly superior in ignorance- mobs tend to dislike that so I’m ready.

"compares piece of steel meant to hold up a 10-20 pound flat electronic to a complex mount for aircraft and shit"
its a monitor stand. Equivalent quality (likely more durable as well) monitor stands cost less than 50 bucks. Literally the only reason you couldnt use those instead with absolutely no difference in performance and an equal level of having the stand outlive the monitor is because they designed the attachment system to only work with their product. We'll see 1/100th the price knockoffs (just as with almost all apple secondary products, looking at you iphone charger that they purposefully made to be weak at the most common bend point) within weeks of the product fully launching.
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the pro stand only even has 2 points of motion in it which isnt even up to the level of what you can get for like 50 bucks that has a full "shoulder elbow wrist" at the same quality AND it has no way of latching itself to the desk its on to prevent the 5 to 6k monitor from getting knocked over

I have to admit that I only went to a state college for my degree in mechanical engineering, and that was many decades ago so maybe I just don’t understand the technical details as well as you. Having looked at the mechanism within the armature that controls the movement of the stand, I can tell you that it is a piece of engineering from my vantage point. If you go look up wall mounts for monitors and TV’s you’ll find many in the 3 figure and 4 figure price range- and others that perform the same tasks and maybe even have more features for less than $50.

So why is it that on paper Hyundai makes a car with similar specs and better warranty but lower cost than many competitors and yet they aren’t owning the market? Why do people still pay more for an accord, or more still for a Mercedes or Volvo than a Hyundai? Why are these other more expensive brands still in business? Why- Casio will sell you a watch that will last the rest of your life and tell time fine for only $20- yet high end non jeweled watches can be 100x more expensive and internally complex. Why does that work?

Simple- because 99% of people just need a Casio. Most people need water resistant to maybe 20 meters, are fine if it drifts more than a fraction of a second every century. Don’t care if their watch feels like plastic. Some people do and it’s worth t to them for the money. Any dollar store on earth will sell you a screw driver for $1. It’s a metal shank and a plastic handle. Not too complex. So why is it a snap on brand driver costs so much? Why is a cheap ratcheting wrench $1-10 and a Matco brand is $100+? Why is it professionals tend to favor these brands regardless that cheaper tools “do the same job?” Why can most pros tell and prefer such higher end tools from chap ones?

Not all objects are equal even if they do the same job. You might find a cheaper ratchet that “feels” right in your hand and has fine teeth on the ratchet- but it also breaks or slips. Maybe you find a quality tool that is durable and precise but it feels like shit to use. To most professional mechanics using tools all day every day it’s worth the money to pay 10-100x the cost of alternatives in the fact that they will use those tools a lot, and every time they do they will do so with comfort and confidence. A “regular” mechanic has 50-70k or more in tools- are they all idiots for buying those things when you can show them cheaper ones on amazon?

Obviously this stand is a luxury good and has a premium added. Obviously it’s a professional niche good and has a premium added. Obviously the $50 monitor stand didn’t cost $50 to make any more than this one cost $1000 to make- there is profit in there- but $1k for a stand for a $5l monitor- not computer- just monitor- that’s not so nuts for a person who wants the style and likes the feel of how it works.

People with money care about that stuff. My vacuum is a $1500 vacuum, and even though a dyson could perform only slightly worse for a lot loss cost- I like the way my vacuum feels. It’s metal, it has quality bearings and parts and is fully serviceable. It’s pleasant to use and to me, that’s worth it since I’ll have it for many decades. How often do you replace a $5,000 monitor? How much is that $1k broken up into years you’ll enjoy the stand?

Ask yourself that. There are people who look at value, who understand that just “getting the job done” is surviving but life is about enjoying the tool as well. There’s a value we have to assign to wanting a thing and enjoying using a thing. I buy cars I like that are fun to drive. I don’t buy people movers based on the sticker price or practicality because people who complain about paying to fix and keep up cars are people who don’t really love that car. We don’t complain about things we enjoy and can afford. We complain when we can’t afford something or when we don’t enjoy it.

So I strongly doubt 99% of people complaining about this monitor stand would ever buy a $1000 stand regardless of what that stand does or doesn’t do because they couldn’t justify it. 80%+ of people complaining about the stand would likely never buy a $5k+ monitor. You can buy a whole damn set of reliable and usable pots and pans from target for the cost of 1 allclad Pan from Williams sonoma. You could buy every kitchen gadget you need from target for the cost of 1 high end chef knife set. Those things aren’t for everyone.

Not everyone will “get” why a quality knife or pan is worth the cost. That’s fine. Not everyone will pay for hand made items when a machine can do as well or better for cheaper. Not everyone cares first about quality or their enjoyment of a thing but the first question they ask is price- not even value, but wether price fits their budget. “Oh you can buy an iPhone or 5 switches or whatever for that much!” Yeah.... but what if a person can buy those things AND buy the monitor stand? What if the person already has what they want or can still get what they want?

This is applying our own budget to other people. You aren’t going to buy that monitor or that stand and never were. Apple didn’t make a $1k stand for you. Plenty of people don’t look at things they want to buy and say.. “can I afford this...?” Plenary of people don’t have to say “I could buy this this and this instead...” because they already buy what they want and if they wanted those other things, they’d buy those instead of buy those too. Tools and toys don’t work on that logic. You buy tools and toys based on what suits your purpose and makes you happy. I don’t think I’ll be buying this myself either- but if I got to play with it and really liked it, I’d try to get a deal or a used one down the road maybe- but if I liked it enough I’d pay $1k for a monitor stand because.... I liked it. What other reason is there to buy something besides you need it or you like it, and if you can afford it why do you care what it costs? Buy what you like.

again, its not a car. its not a watch. It's not an extremely complex mechanism. the cheaper options are almost as complex as it is. There are items that are objectively better than it is for less than 1/10th the price. in all your examples of "other things in the same sitaution" the cheaper option is never OBJECTIVELY BETTER. it has no way to latch itself onto the surface its sitting on. It's literally just a connection point attached to 2 sequential joints mounted onto a piece of steel with a non securable base. It's not worth 1000 dollars by any measure especially seeing with the fact there is nothing stopping 15 pound monitor from being knocked over save for a reliance on the shape of the stand itself. It's more over priced apple tech just like all of apple's tech. What audience its targeted at doesnt make it not over priced. What audience its targeted at changes nothing.

and if you are going the route of "throwing around qualifications" i can just as easily point out the fact i was an engineer on a competitive VEX team that was top 3% in the world multiple years in a row.

@guest_ I get the screwdriver thing. You know what really pisses me off though? When a company fucks up the screws and there is nothing you can do about it. Nintendo for example, the screws they put on the back of a 3DS are absolute shit, even trying to turn them is going to cause the screws to warp... and then you can't fucking do anything with them! They're just kind of stuck. IT'S A TRAP!

@bethorien- that’s quite an accomplishment. As I said- I just went to a state school, so I might not have your level of expertise. I said that based on my examination of the design and specifications- it certainly wasn’t an item that cost anywhere near the price in materials or likely R&D- but none the less it was in my opinion designed purposefully and with care to provide a combination of function, aesthetic, and “feel.” Beats headphones- even most modern cars have a considerable amount spent in “feel.” Honda conducted extensive focus groups to determine that the “feel” and sound of a door closing on a car shaped buyer perception of the cars quality.

A certain “thud” and feedback from the coding of the door tends to make people feel a car is both more robust and well designed and crafted. There’s no functional reason for it- it’s a significant cost in R&D which is passed to the consumer at a premium because that particular good is ranked higher because of simple “feel.” Functional engineering like robot battles is primarily about performance. Metrics or real world outcomes- does it do or doesn’t it? However there are many style and disciplines of engineering even within a single field. The most functional or reliable offering even at an excellent price point doesn’t always beat out an offering which is equivalent or even worse but at a higher price point.

The intangible- that which isn’t as cut and dry as “last man standing” is perception. When designing for a consumer market the look, the feel, and often how a thing makes us feel matters. Other concerns like prestige and recognition can factor in- and the ergonomics etc. come in as well.

Ultimately when you design machines for use by human beings in their daily lives- the human machine interface and interaction becomes a critical component. You won’t sell many for long if they all fall apart or don’t do what they are meant to- but what’s more important with most humans than what logic or a spreadsheet quantifies as having advantage, is what we FEEL. The question of wether this is success or folly remains to be answered- but it is a tad biased for so many to flock to this supposed outrage when all factors are considered-

Especially when most people are comparing the price, function, and user experience of this stand to hobby and home grade consumer items- and when fee if any of the people involved have actually even used the thing. That’s an important factor. How do you know what something is or isn’t worth that you’ve never even used?

A knife is a simple tool that can be made at home with hand tools or stamped out in thousands at $5 or less. A hand forged custom knife can cost hundreds or more dollars. One may or may not he sharper than the other, more easily damaged or less, keep its true or its edge longer, and you know? At the end of the day is one OBJECTIVELY better?

No. I’ve had cheap knives I loved more than ones made just for me. Something about the balance and heft or the weight or the way it dat in my hand- real “soldiers” to boot that did any dirty job- any act a knife aficionado would cringe at like acting as a lever or driver, cutting plastics etc.

And just like our monitor stand- most people can’t tell the difference anyway. Most people won’t cook a better meal with a $600 knife and a $400 7 layer multi metal pan than with a $5 one of each from the local market. They MIGHT notice a slight difference in feel or performance- but even a cheap knife can hold a very sharp edge brand new, and even an expensive knife needs sharpened time to time based on use.

So to each their own. I see a $1,000 monitor stand and doubt I’ll ever buy it. I doubt even if it were the greatest monitor stand on earth I’d feel it worth the money- but I’m betting money Apple has sold at least a couple of these things. And maybe you feel a 6 carat jewel ring would be amazing, and maybe you see it as a total waste and a rip off. That’s up to you. But it or don’t- but you can’t review a product you’ve never opened or used Avery rakishly can you? At $1k I doubt I’ll ever use one unless it’s at work- so I can’t review it other than to say it looks like it’s probably a fine stand but not for me.

@funkmasterrex- yeah. I hate that too. I consider it a form of planned obsolescence. Engineers designing and specing a product under the assumption once it’s put together you’ll either never take it apart, or only their own service people ever will at a huge profit per labor hour. Poor tolerances and pot metal screws really bite my bottom- along with using low torque style fastener patterns- especially where corrosion is likely. Uhg. Designers should have to live with and service the things they design.

if i remember correctly the whole "look at my special fancy unqiue parts and screws" thing was gonna end up being challenged as being illegal on the basis it infringes on your right to repair (which technically already existed just with certain things like expected product lifespan and such allowing for exceptions in lightbulbs and the like.)
there was also a thing about how games as a service wasnt legal in america as digital products like games that arent on an actual subscription system (like WOW or ESO before their change to upfront pay) is considered to have a perpetual licenses to the gamer and falls under the right to repair with game servers going down being an infringement on that right to repair as no average american can be expected to "fix" the now broken game

This one is a long, and complex issue. It really started in the 70’s. Legislation like the Magnuson-Moss warranty act sought to protect the integrity of things like warranty of service. Legislation aimed at cars reaffirmed that manufacturers cannot label third party parts or service as reasons to void a warranty and that the EPA couldn’t hold these things as inherently sub standard either if they met the same performance criteria as the originals. The right to repair movement in the US for digital goods has been rocky. Many bills have been shot down, others have passed and later been amended by compromise or other measure.

What makes it particularly complex is the level of integration of digital technology. A good example is when farm and heavy manufacturing equipment makers teamed up with companies like Apple to lobby against such bills. In the modern age you’ve got locomotives and tractors and more- electric cars with high voltage that can kill and volition batteries...

Manufacturers and administrators are in a tight spot. A “right to repair” gives potentially dangerously unqualified people access to change or possible improperly repair critical and complex machines that might combine digital and analog machinery in ways that can outright kill or injure, or to a specification through ineptitude or mistake which would render the device operating outside the designed safe specifications. Of course blocking this right also allows manufacturers a near monopoly, planned obsolescence, and selling the ability to “unlock” features a product already has built in at a premium to what you paid for a base model with slight software variance.

But the complexity of these systems factors in as well- many modern systems cannot truly safely be repaired by the layman. The specialized knowledge and tools to do so may be well out of reach, and while you can technically repair a system you do not understand or have specs for- many products are made to near or exceeding aerospace levels of precision where it often isn’t as simple as just using the right resistance or etc- but one must delve much deeper into the tech sheets for an individual component to make sure it’s “apples to apples” and even a workable but out of spec splice or solder job can be disastrous.

Networked consumer devices are generally not as physically dangerous- but allowing free access to their systems also allows a risk to users and those on the network. Apple vs Android is a classic example. While Apple isn’t as “bullet proof” as it once was- no one can reasonably argue that there aren’t more examples of malware and other types of spyware etc. in the Android world than the Apple ecosystem. Allowing users to access these things opens a door that can allow exploitation of vulnerabilities or introduction of new unforeseen ones.

To the screws- while it also seems simple- we have to remember that screw drive types were not concurrently invented but evolved from the most used designs with new designs for special purposes being introduced over time. Mandating a type of screw or freezing a selection to what is commonly available could hurt engineering as a whole and prevent adoption of newer designs. That also hurts individuals by leaving the only legally acceptable screws as those which may be patented by others.