33.
Penny
(Posts: 1515; Member since: 04 Feb 2011)

While I very much understand your point of letting the customer choose which accessories they want to buy, and while that is generally a valid argument, there is a strong point to be made for the importance of controlling the user experience of your product.

If the decision is left entirely up to the customer, they may purchase no accessories that the manufacturer feels is an integral part of the experience that they are selling. This lesser experience ultimately reflects negatively upon the manufacturer, even if they had all the components for a “better” experience available.

It’s the same reason why Microsoft wouldn’t initially sell you the XBOX One without the Kinect — the Kinect is a huge element in the overall product. It’s the same reason why Mercedes doesn’t even offer you a car with cloth seats — customers may voluntarily to cheap out and choose a lesser experience, ultimately degrading Mercedes’ reputation for providing a premium experience.