“Never wasting an opportunity, the sellers of the rimless spectacles Apple’s Steve Jobs wore are capitalizing on the attention surrounding his death,” Alex Frangos blogs for The Wall Street Journal.
“Power Bloom, the Asian distributor of Mr. Jobs’s go-to glasses, German-made Lunor Classic Rund PP, turned its booth at a Hong Kong optical trade show into a small Steve Jobs shrine,” Frangos reports. “In a display case were a pair of the glasses and a photo of Mr. Jobs together with the following text: ‘Steve Jobs 1955-2011: We have lost an ultimate genius. What he has left us are his overwhelming ideas and his favorite glasses.’ On manufacturer Lunor’s homepage, there’s a photo of the glasses with the simple text: ‘THE GLASSES OF STEVE JOBS.'”
Frangos reports, “Sales have ‘dramatically increased’ since Mr. Jobs died, said Garick Tsui, marketing executive for Hong Kong-based Power Bloom. A pair of the minimalist glasses retail for about $450, he said.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Crass opportunism or fitting tribute?
Leave it to the tasteless squinks to exploit Steve Jobs’ death for profit.
“squinks” – an uneasy and betrayed feeling
Don’t get your meaning – unless you were trying to make a derisive comment about the geo-location of the purveyors.
I’s buy a pair and probably will. I have always liked then. Now I know where to tell my optometrist to order them.
Fitting opportunism? Crass tribute?
-Crass opportunism or fitting tribute?
Or a little bit of both, somewhere betwixt the two.
A few years ago we had the “Harry Potter” glasses. When I was 20 we wanted “Franz Schubert” glasses. Thirty years ago everybody used to wear “Benjamin Franklin” glasses. I think there were also the “John Lennon” glasses period. I goes to prove that people like to look like geniuses…
Well, after years repairing Mac’s, i have developed a “lazy eye” so i think i will go for a monocle. And given that my hair is falling too, it will look good with a comb over. Maybe one of those moustaches with curl ends too. I would lose a girlfriend but i would be the most genius looking Mac Tech in town.
They are very classy eyeglasses. I’d like to wear them (in a more “oval” shape), if I could find an “Android” version that costs half as much (or buy-one-get-one free). 🙂
If you do, you may find looking up and down – aka “scrolling” – a bit buggy, not smooth at all.
What’s the big deal? He isn’t jacking up the price. Frames are something whose cost always amazes me. A little titanium or plastic and they retail for $400+. Seems like a pretty hefty margin, even considering design, marketing and other costs.
I’d love a pair if I could afford them just based on how they look and didn’t realize they were “Steve glasses..”
They sell for about $245 in NYC and Kawasaki makes a similar pair for around that too…
I got a pair of glasses that were very similar a year ago at focusers.com
Frames are around $143 for rimless round. Beats $450, even if they are not the same brand as Steve’s…
Seems odd that they would only try and exploit it after he died! Are the public really stupid enough to think that they want them as some sort of tribute? If they like them, then surely they would have liked them when he was alive?
I like them very much, but sadly a bit out of my price range now. I used to wear prescription Oakley’s, but had to go cheaper. I’ve been buying Ray Ban Lennon sunglasses cheap on eBay, and I’ll get prescription varifocal lenses fitted. Steve’s glasses would be perfect as varifocals, with the greater depth of lens. I’ve admired them for some time, but had no idea who made them. Should I find myself flush with cash, I now know exactly where to go.
Wow, I’ll look great in these next to my girlfriend wearing her Palin glasses (nice pair).
‘Who’ glasses?
I’ve always liked Michael Palin… remember when he was Reg Pither the nerdy cyclist? Yeah, he had those little Lennon granny glasses too. How cool is that!
+∞
I have never understood why people go gaga over anything not based on a need or what it is but what it stands for. It’s like using the perfume that Beecham hocks- IT DOESN’T MAKE YOU THAT PERSON!
btw any one wearing white rimmed sunglasses (especially guys) your not paris hilton and you look like an idiot.
Sorry that should have read as Beckham (as in David) not Beecham
“I have never understood why people go gaga over anything not based on a need (…)”
Then you don’t understand human nature…
Seriously, how is this any different then the just released biography of Steve Jobs?
Was not its ‘release date’ bumped up by nearly a month (Nov. 21st release date moved to Oct. 24th) solely due to the passing of Steve. Due to the event and subsequent interest at the time, was this not done to sell more books. In other words, “Crass opportunism or fitting tribute?”
Bottom line, eyeglasses or biography book, ‘Selective Empathy’?
I have to admit I like them as well. I like that they are large and light. The old fashioned twist of no nose pieces appeals to me as well…mine always break off. $400 doesn’t seem like a lot either…for some reason glasses are INSANELY expensive.
Amazing how people are profiting off of Steve Jobs passing, when others like us are “Paying Tribute. Giving Back.” are the real story. Check out our site at 4Sis4Steve.com to find out how two people that have never met Steve Jobs have a connection & trying to help others in the process. 100% of profits “$8” from each shirt go to charity. Follow us on Twitter & “Like” us on Facebook. Our 100th “Like” on Facebook gets a free shirt. Heck, like us and say you read this comment and I’ll pick someone at random.
Rimless glasses are not new, and I actually like mine better than Steve’s. But the Lunar Classic Rund model are nice. Mine are rimless with oval shaped lenses. I recall Dr. Mark Greene (played by Anthony Edwards) of the once popular TV show, “E.R.”, sported a pear of rimless glasses that had a big following by fans. Not all people are able to wear rimless glasses, because holes have to be drilled in the lenses to fasten the stems. If your prescription is not very strong, then the lenses won’t be thick enough for the holes to be drilled without the risk of them cracking.