I’ve always be curious about the following question - if everyone has one of something, is it impossible for that something to be cool or sought after? So many hot items these days, whether they’re cars or consumer electronics or jewelry or clothes, are hot items just because only a select few folks have them.

While covering the mobile phone industry, I often wondered: Did Nokia’s struggles to create the hot, hip device stem from the fact that hundreds of millions of people own Nokia phones and even if the device itself was unique (i.e. stylish etc…), the fact that everyone had a Nokia product would in itself be enough to squash some of the appeal. Consider how Nokia created a sub-brand, Vertu, for its highest-end devices - folks paying thousands of dollars for a diamond-encrusted phone simply did not want to be carrying a ‘Nokia’ like everyone else. On the other hand, even though millions of people owned Motorola phones, the RAZR took off like crazy, at least until ‘everyone’ had a RAZR.

I then happened upon the following article in the Guardian:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1869042,00.html

In the story, David Smith wonders if “…most disastrously, Apple’s signature pocket device with white earphones may simply have become too common to be cool.”

What do you think? Post your thoughts here or discuss in the forum…