Players may choose to purchase premium items as status symbols, invest their virtual money into income-generating businesses or use the money to improve their pets or avatar characters.
The company has been unable to come up with a successor to its iconic Razr phones, which once sold for a healthy premium but are now approaching commodity status.
The older generation of premium car owners purchased vehicles mainly to reflect their social status, but the increasingly sophisticated new generation of buyers is expressing other reasons for buying premium autos.
Real-estate agents say that the high fees can be worth it because a home built and designed by Mr. Gallin often carries a premium, and living in one is something of a status symbol.
The Windows-specific model is all-black with a glossy finish, while the Mac version unsurprisingly sports a silver and black color scheme (and a matte finish) that keeps things in line with Apple's current status quo -- albeit with less of a premium feel in terms of construction.