"Apple is a cargo cult; it makes hyperexpensive shiny things designed to ensnare consumers in a system that is technically and psychologically difficult to escape, but which integrates so completely with the self-image of the consumer that it creates organizational loyalty making it possible to sell cult members a lifetime supply of wallet-busting schlock with total predictability."

You can make this exact argument, or the same argument, for so many other companies, and even for entire industries. But how do you respond when someone says that this is an unavoidable consequence of a free market economy. Some will see it as a benefit - people can sell what they want to sell, and people can buy what they want to buy, waste or not, and they see this as a great thing. Is there any way to get around this argument without blaming it on capitalism? Also, how do you get around the problem that might arise when you try to solve this problem....people will never agree on what constitutes "waste" and will never agree on how much "waste" is enough "waste" to become a problem that we should address. Where do you draw the line?

So, two questions that I will clarify if I haven't presented them clearly but whose answers I'm interested in hearing from people.

-- JessicaGuzik - 08 Apr 2010