Sony, not satisfied to be just plain expensive, has decided to elevate its line of electronics from functional with flair to platinum with diamonds, pricing certain, VIP-quality products out of the range of everyone but the most successful rappers. The New York Times reports that the new product line, called Qualia (and sold to “guests” in sweetly scented “salons”), features such things as a miniature digital camera for $3,900 and a $12,000 television. The line is obviously meant to complement a Cribs lifestyle of Bentleys, ermine, and Courvoisier.
The packaging is an essential part of the experience. The miniature digital camera, for example, comes in a plain white box. (“Since Qualia won’t be sold by big retail chains, there’s no need to make colorful packaging designed to stand out,” said Takashi Aoki, a Qualia marketing executive in Tokyo.) Yet inside that box, the camera and its jewellike accessories are coddled within an elegant case of polished aluminum, stainless steel and synthetic material that seems suited for delicate scientific components or a rare musical instrument.
Meanwhile, encrust this with diamonds.