Andy Warhol
Ever since the industrial revolution began, societies became "flatter". I am not saying more equal: the rich, as usual did get richer, but at least more people were provided with an opportunity to live better and more pleasant lives. Obviously, most of us won't be able to buy a mansion in the Hamptons or outside London, but we do have roofs over our heads, some sort of transportation, some level of education and we do live about 30 years longer than we did in the 19th century.
But we always want what the rich people have. We still look at their BMW cars, their Omega watches and Prada and Aramani outfits. This is a part of our Western Civilization to want more, and as long as we don't deteriorate into the kind of riots that happened in London last month, it's mostly alright. But I have great news for you: in some little ways, you live like billionaires.
If you go to a computer shop in the street, you can buy the same laptop as businessman. If you can't afford the same brand, you can buy a similarity equipped laptop for a much lower price. Those two laptops may not have the same badge, but will have the same display, same processor, same graphics and same storage. There's even a chance that with the "rubbish" brand will give you longer warranty and better hardware.
Things become even more interesting when it comes to mobile devices: many consider the iPhone 4 to be the best phone money can buy. It sold tens of millions of units, but it will always be the same iPhone 4, with the same display, the same interface and the same grip-of-death problem. If you rather have an Android phone, the best model you can buy (at the time of writing) is the Samsung Galaxy S2 - which costs around €600. Not cheap, but certainly not out of reach for most of the middle-class.
Sometimes you do see premium products, like diamond-coated iPhone 4 or gold-plated Nexus S (I am not making it up - you can actually buy these products). But these modifications do not add functionality, usually ruin the elegant, no-nonsense industrial design. Also, technological products are meant to be temporary, replaceable and they get outdated very quickly. Trying to cover a phone, a tablet or a laptop with diamonds or Swarovski crystals is like gluing plastic flowers to a tree: come summer, it will look pathetic and dishonest.
Technology made convenience more accessible, and mass production made luxury widespread, and despite everything, this trend only grows stronger. Yes, renting a 2 bedroom apartment is not as nice as owning a house in Beverly Hills, Ford Focus is not as fun as a Ferrari 458, but I guarantee you that your HTC Sensation phone is just as good as a billionaire's. Maybe even better, because you appreciate it more.
