Why would you choose form over function?

[Eri]

My sister just bought a pair of 320$ headphones. Nothing wrong with that, right? Surely they're amazing headphones.

Too bad then, that they're not. She bought Beats by Dr. Dre. Now, Im not gonna say they're the worst things ever, because they aren't. I will say, however, for the same amount of money she could have gotten much better headphones. Hell, For cheaper she could most likely get a better pair if not at least equal. CoughSennheiserCough

Of course I tried explaining this, and while she listened, all she cared about is they're not "cool" like the beats ones. She's 18 years old, and as far as I can tell, still retarded. I could understand maybe choosing form over function if all things (price included) had a negligible difference, but that's not the case.

Sorry for the rant but I had to vent. Instances like this drive me up a wall. Anyone else choose form over function?

 

[ZeroMachine]

All I can say is this:

"When you're young and stupid, you're young and stupid."

She's 18. She's allowed to make stupid mistakes. Be happy it isn't a much worse one.

... but that doesn't change the fact that it was still incredibly stupid

 

[Gralian]

Well, if you've got to live with something for the forseeable future isn't it better to have something that makes you feel good about yourself. Not everyone needs the amount of function that everyone else does. Maybe she didn't need high quality music industry standard headphones. Maybe she just wanted something serviceable, but stylish. In which case, yes, form over function would make sense. After all i own very expensive Sennheiser headphones myself but when i try explaining to people why exactly they're £250-300 levels of awesome (HD650 here) they tend to fall asleep and not really "get it". They instead look at the FATAL1TY headset and go "hey man that looks cool, why not get a pair of those?!". They can't understand why i choose the Sennheiser in the same way i can't understand why they choose the FATAL1TY. Also, people are free to do what makes them happy. Someone on this very forum said in fact that "everything has value. If you think X amount for Y is worth it, then it is worth it. No matter how much or how little you spend". So if she thinks those headphones were worth the cost, then they are. End of.

 

[I.N.producer]

They instead look at the FATAL1TY headset and go "hey man that looks cool, why not get a pair of those?!". They can't understand why i choose the Sennheiser in the same way i can't understand why they choose the FATAL1TY.

I actually have a FATAL1TY headset. I wouldn't say it's amazing quality, but it is extremely good for the price and looks cool. Mine was only about $35. They have decent sound quality and are extremely comfy. Being on a student's budget makes it a very good choice. Although if I was a serious audiophile, I would want better quality.

I would almost never choose form over function, but obviously loads of people do. Apple should probably be exhibit A for this. Macs are stylish, get viruses more rarely than an unprotected PC, are against customization, and are absurdly expensive compared to a PC of similar power. Yet some people prefer them. Those people baffle me, but I won't argue with them unless they get all smug about the supposed superiority of their Mac.

 

[SD-Fiend]

I just want a pair of these things that won't break

 

[tacotrainwreck]

"When you're young and stupid, you're young and stupid."

There is much wisdom in this. Eventually she'll learn her lesson, and hopefully before she racks up too much debt for herself.

 

[Anarchemitis]

Form over function is the dilemma of the industrial designer.

Fashion vs. utility is the dilemma of the consumer.

 

[neonsword13-ops]

"cool", 18 years old

That's all I needed. 18 year olds are meant to make stupid choices to look cool. That's what they thrive on, isn't it?

Anyway, I personally think spending that much on a pair of headphones is outrageous, even if it has better quality. Consumers are spending far too much on useless items, now-a-days.

 

[Nouw]

Because it will up your ego and positively affect your reputation and your taste in tech-fashion.

Whenever my friends do that, I laugh and use my UE.

 

[Legit101]

......................

 

[targren]

Because if people didn't, Apple wouldn't have anyone to buy its latest smoothly-rounded-corners?

 

[NeonOranges]

As someone who was dumb enough to think combining the poverty of being a student with the povery of being an artist (poverty squared) with little to no disposable income that isn't spent on art supplies of the coffee that keeps me from falling into paint thinner... Well I take function over form any day, my current bookshelf is made from milk crates held together with zip-strips, I buy food at the dollar store or costco and I'm pretty sure the seven dollar fine line drafting pencil I bought is the most individually expensive thing I own that isn't my computer.

So form over function? Maybe when I win the lottery, and not a moment sooner!

 

[Steppin Razor]

This one time I knew this guy that bought a gaming related t-shirt for $10 more than a plain shirt. I raged bitterly at him about function over form because he spent his own money on a product that had no effect on me.

Or something like that. More likely I didn't really care since it was his money to spend on whatever he wanted to. I did, however, go on a forum and whine about not understanding how somebody could do something that I wouldn't.

 

[Jadak]

There shouldn't be much that really needs saying here.. It's the same reason brand name shirts and such haven't gone out of business. A $5 plain white shirt from walmart might do the jump just as well, but people don't always just want something that "works", they want something that they expect they're peers will be impressed by. When your peers are a bunch of teenage girls, function is hardly relevant to the process.

 

[Eri]

This one time I knew this guy that bought a gaming related t-shirt for $10 more than a plain shirt. I raged bitterly at him about function over form because he spent his own money on a product that had no effect on me.

Or something like that. More likely I didn't really care since it was his money to spend on whatever he wanted to. I did, however, go on a forum and whine about not understanding how somebody could do something that I wouldn't.

There shouldn't be much that really needs saying here.. It's the same reason brand name shirts and such haven't gone out of business. A $5 plain white shirt from walmart might do the jump just as well, but people don't always just want something that "works", they want something that they expect they're peers will be impressed by. When your peers are a bunch of teenage girls, function is hardly relevant to the process.

Both of you are missing the point. I even said given similar objects I could see choosing form. But in this case, the same money buys you a much better pair.

 

[CorinthianRed]

In some cases, form follows function.
In terms of guns, if it works good, it looks good.
Or at least it does in my opinion. >.>

 

[Soviet Heavy]

This applies to pretty much everything in every aspect of life. Chainmail bikini that accentuates curves and shows off skin, or leather jerkin with chainmail underlay that covers the entire body with no restrictions to movement?

 

[Steppin Razor]

Both of you are missing the point. I even said given similar objects I could see choosing form. But in this case, the same money buys you a much better pair.

I approach this from a "it's her money to spend on whatever she wants. If she wants to spend it on a lower quality branded item, more power to her" point of view. Maybe she liked the look of them. Maybe she just wants to impress her friends. It doesn't really matter what the reason is. So yes, maybe I am missing your point, but that's only because it's such a non-issue to me.

 

[Jadak]

Both of you are missing the point. I even said given similar objects I could see choosing form. But in this case, the same money buys you a much better pair.

Now you're not even making sense. Better how? You just said you can see her choosing form, and if form is what you're shopping for, no, the same money will not buy you a better pair. Hell, half of form is the price tag in and of itself.

For 90% of people, if not more, headphones in that price range are a complete waste of money anyways, no matter the function, they're just things you hear sound through. So unless she's a crazy extreme gamer who needs to here the whisper of footsteps and know exactly where they're coming from, function was out of this equation hundreds of dollars ago.