"[1][2] It is attributed to Google’s chief economist Hal Varian.
[3] Andrew McAfee first called it "the Varian Rule" in the Financial Times.
[4] An alternative interpretation, riffing on William Gibson's famous quote about the future, put forth by The Guardian writer Evgeny Morozov is that "Luxury is already here – it’s just not very evenly distributed.
"[5] A more recent example is the Apple Watch which is initially offered as a luxury item, but if the Varian Rule holds, it will be more accessible in the near future according to Paul Krugman, Nobel Laureate, and blogger and columnist for The New York Times.
[6] But Jay Stanley, Senior Policy Analyst, of the American Civil Liberties Union Speech, Privacy & Technology Project disputes this conclusion based on personal privacy concerns.