Well, it matters. People are WAY more inclined to use a feature that's free. I've made wifi video calls.

Respectfully, with no actual international figures, your opinion is at best as good as mine. The only exception being, video calls are more expensive and until bandwidth is so cheap it won't matter and both calls will be the same (with marketing being what it is, likely never), then it will never be a good contender to voice calls.

Also, history is on my side. It has been done before, and it failed.

Maybe it's not dead in the womb. Maybe it IS here to stay. I can agree with that. Heck, lower forms of communication refuse to die.

I still think it'll never be mainstream, however, plus, because of privacy and technological limitations it will never be close to other communications: voice, text, yelling, smoke signals and nose picking.

I suppose if we have different perceptions of mainstream, maybe. If I make and receive 50 calls a day, out of which maybe 1-2 are video, is that mainstream? Because I could see it happen, maybe a 5%. I simply don't think a 5% (inter)national average to be mainstream.

You live in a special case location.

Victoaria, Canada
78K pop, 20 km^2 (4k/sqkm)
Temperature average:
high in July/August: 22/22 Celsius (Jesus!)
low in Dec/Jan: 1/1 Celsius (No freeze)

Bucharest, Romania
high in July/August: 39/41 Celsius
low in Dec/Jan: -6 Celsius (Freeze)
1.900 K pop, 220 km^2. (8K/sqkm)

So, you see, I'm talking about a city with 25 times the population, 10 times the area, a 41 AVERAGE in THE SHADE outside the city limits (that means 60 in the sun, asphalt level. Yes, Celsius) and a -6 average, that is, it usually frozen for about 2 months a year, permanently, as in if you don't have a plow or a shovel and a free day you'll drive in the spring.

Don't put up personal experiences as counter-arguments when only a few enjoy your conditions. Those temperatures are reserved for a small portion of the population. Any higher and you'll scorch, any lower and you freeze, and more inland and you don't enjoy that pleasant breeze that keeps nights warm and days cool.

I'm myself native from Constanta, Romania, which is close (climate-wise) to your location. And my bones can tell the difference.

City aside, Canada is 228th out of 239 countries sorted by population density. Also, it's about card density. We have about 1.5 million vehicles registered in the city area alone, minus the through traffic.

If you want the experience, take the car through Toronto. Similar in population and climate, except that three times the area with same population. Just go through and imagine each car is 4 cars wile either freezing or scorching 80% of the year.

Long story short, no wonder you drive a soft top. However, the bulk of the world population can't do it for various reasons.

Besides, it was just to illustrate a point. I never said convertibles are insane, I was just remembering the thought process I had when I thought acquiring about one.

The reason this reply is so long is because other people (sorry to take this out on the forum) have driven me nuts so far with "works for me" arguments, special cases and generally subjective views.

Sorry.

Oh, one more thing. How much (percentile) do you drive top-down? You've got me curious. How many days do you actually pick up the soft top, drop it and drive around like that? I'm still thinking about having one in my old location.