speaking as someone who bought this:
* for me it's not a status symbol. I work at home. No-one but me uses or sees my desk. My desk is filled with clutter so you wouldn't notice it even if you did. I doubt my wife has noticed its existence. I don't run around telling people about it unless they specifically mention seeing/wanting something similar.
* it's specifically _not_ for carrying around. it's for sitting on your desk. "easier to carry around" is not a feature for _this_.
* I don't have space on my desk for a notebook standing up. I don't want to use up that much visual real estate. I would hate to have it on my water bottle or anything like that because i use that constantly and that would be damn annoying.
* yes, the bubble symbols are nothing special. but they had to print _something_ there to address the idea of checking of the task and their choice seems perfectly valid to me. I don't think anyone believes they're some revolutionary idea.
* yes, although you didn't say it, i could use standard 3x5 note cards with it. I may do so. It wouldn't really make a difference.
suggesting that folks who buy this are "mak[ing] themselves feel better for having such an elegant productivity system" is unnecessarily derogatory and dismissive.
I seriously doubt that anyone who buys this actually believes it is a "productivity system". It's just a wooden note card stand with some cards that match its aesthetic. I don't think anyone believes they're more functional than a deck of blank 3"x5" cards from the corner store.
I like things that look nice. This looks nice to me. I am also more likely to use something that looks visually appealing to me than something that looks janky. So, i _could_ spend money on a cheap-ass solution, or 3d print some plastic equivalent, but i wouldn't use it long and the result would be wasted money and goods. I've been using this for months and like it very much.
your whole tone is dismissing this as if everyone who bought it is a dupe, too stupid to realize it's something more than it actually is. That's like suggesting that everyone who buys a Rolex with diamonds (or whatever) all over it somehow thinks it tells better time, or will get them to their meetings better, than a cheap quartz watch. I don't think that's reasonable at all.
Liking "nice" things (for whatever your definition of "nice" is) doesn't mean you loose IQ points when you indulge that affinity. Buying nice things you enjoy is not a bad thing. Choosing to surround yourself with items that make you smile is not a bad thing. We shouldn't try to make people feel bad for buying things they like. (ignoring the minimalism / consumerism debates)