Quote Originally Posted by STEvil View Post
Why is it bad for the consumer?

Those who dont want to spend the money can wait 2-6 months for the prices to drop to more "acceptable" levels.



I've always found these price arguments to be rather confusing (as to why they happen). Top end new stuff costs money. New top end stuff brings previous top end stuff down in price. If there is no or little competition then you need to pay what the manufacturer thinks their product is worth. If not enough people are paying then they receive poor cash flow and either lower the price to get more transfer (10 people at $500 is more than 8 people at $600 for example) or tough it out.

end of story.

We are consumers. We vote with our wallet.
Anything that causes the consumer to spend more money is bad for the consumer, I don't see how you don't get this. Higher prices overall means everyone is spending more. Similarly, having to wait for longer for a certain level of performance or technology is also a bad thing. It should be pretty clear that when smaller group of consumers get to enjoy a particular level of performance or technology, it is not bad for the consumer. In addition with development cycles as long as they are, priced drops can take a long time to happen, especially without competition.

If there is no or little competition then you need to pay what the manufacturer thinks their product is worth.

The thing is that this is a monopoly, atleast in principle, pricing can get to unfair levels because there is no competition and the manufacturer gets to name the price.

Even the top end customer who is willing to pay 650 dollar to get the top of the line product right away can benefit from lower prices.Even though that said person was willing to pay 650, lets say that said person only had to pay 500 dollars. This means that person now has an extra 150 dollars in their product and over multiple upgradings, these can build up to significant levels. Having more money in your pocket is a good thing and with the consumer always wanting to get their most for their money, this is ultimately why higher videocard pricing is bad for the consumer.