> Their massive spending on luxuries distorts economies, diverting producers from providing goods and services for the more needy.<p>The article rather trivially omits the product adoption curve that in some markets is heavily subsidized by luxury spenders. A bunch of car safety features, for example, are offered at a high markup in luxury vehicles, like Lexus or Infiniti, and with gradual adoption and diminished cost are passed on to Toyota and Nissan models.<p>On a global scale a two-year upgrade cycle for smartphones in the US made previous-generation smartphones affordable at many poorer markets.<p>Even common household goods and fixtures like LED lighting or dishwasher machines first were considered luxuries, priced as luxuries, and eventually became commoditized.