The Apple apologists are going to call this a marketing stunt, but functionally it's just the inevitable conclusion of a platform monopoly that's extremely hard to leave. All it really does for me is send a very strong message about what Apple thinks about its customers, but I'm not really the type that enjoys spending $5000 on a $1000 computer for it's Veblen good aesthetics and the joys of trying to get my linux production software to run on their tortured unix.
If Apple's profit margins are coming from extremely expensive business computers and high end phones, there could be some brutal earnings reports in their future. Will be interesting to see, but given their current war chest I suppose they could just buy their way into the current valuation for a while with dividends and buybacks.
Edit: it looks like they are mounted with pins that are almost the same size as normal wheels. So I guess you can also go for $2 wheels available at your local hardware store.
Especially because they are released with time in between for maximum effectiveness. I bet they will release another useless $1000 option next in a few months. Idk, a $1200 black case or a $600 mouse or something.
Oh! An external wireless keyboard with touchbar and touch ID for $400! That would be a great move. I bet people will actually buy it as well.
I paid close to $400 for my current keyboard, and it’s just a ordinary mechanical keyboard, no fancy features. I’m very happy with it, and how much I paid for it.
I wanted a very specific Filco model. It was out of production, and I had to order it from overseas, which drove up the cost a fair bit. I probably did pay about 2x the original price for it, but I’m not really sure because it was never sold in the US as far as I know. Filco make high quality keyboard in any case, and they’re not exactly cheap under normal circumstances.
My point being that I knew what I wanted to get, and I was happy to pay that price for it, even if some (or a lot of) other people would think that’s ridiculous. I think I’ve gotten more value out of it than I paid for it in $$$. If charging high prices is what it takes to convince people to produce high quality products, then (for certain products) I’m happy to pay them.
I see it more as kind of like jewellery for dogs. Some people just don’t know what to do of their money. And there is always a kind of stingy pleasure in buying stuff that is slightly too expensive for you. Even people with modest revenues like to buy the cheapest item they can afford at the Hermes store. But you get deprived from that stingy pleasure when you have cash coming out of your ears. Apple (and art dealers) provide a valuable public service by selling to those people some piece of junk that makes them feel like struggling consumers again.
Im not sure I agree; a set of $700 wheels won’t make anybody who can easily afford them feel like struggling customers again.
Wealthy people that I got to know would likely feel offended by the price tag in relation to the functionality.
The nouveau riche crowd looking to display status on the other hand...
I have an old imac. I was trying to change the batteries in the track pad. The batteries must have leaked and I could not get it open, even with massive force.
I learned my lesson on paying a premium for expensive accessories. So here is what I did.
I just ordered the basic ipad yesterday for my kid's distance learning.
They were pushing the pencil and keyboard hard. I did a quick search and found off brand pencils and keyboards that would work for a fraction of the cost. That is the route I went.
I love macOS & iOS. I’ve been happy to be an Apple customer because the support for hardware has been excellent as well.
The icing on the cake was the era of belief that Apple had the goal of making consumer products that people could afford and cherish a good portion of their life. The company is sadly drifting from the past brand status for everyone can change the world to just another luxury brand that not everyone can afford for participating.
Why the company prefers making these beyond expensive products and instead of improving user experience
& enticing new customers is beyond me. I guess people just work for waking up to a higher paycheck than last year nowadays.
It’s not about moving the tower. It’s about brand awareness, like this post.
“Look how stupid these expensive wheels are.” While you look at their fancy mac pro. It’s free advertising, and since nobody needs the wheels, no customer feels ripped off.
The real joke is that there are so many people in the industry who devote their lives to work to the point that people question whether this is really a joke.
If Apple's profit margins are coming from extremely expensive business computers and high end phones, there could be some brutal earnings reports in their future. Will be interesting to see, but given their current war chest I suppose they could just buy their way into the current valuation for a while with dividends and buybacks.