Soft in the Middle

James Surowiecki on how the action, in markets ranging from gadgets to cars to clothes, is at the high and low ends of the market, not the middle:

The companies there — Sony, Dell, General Motors, and the like — find themselves squeezed from both sides (just as, in a way, middle-class workers do in a time of growing income inequality). The products made by midrange companies are neither exceptional enough to justify premium prices nor cheap enough to win over value-conscious consumers. Furthermore, the squeeze is getting tighter every day.

The middle is boring, and I think one could argue that our culture is about the elimination of boredom. (Via Kottke.)

★ Monday, 22 March 2010