The Apple Ecosystem. We have all seen students with the full network of Apple products, claiming they are the secret to academic success. Whipping out their $1000 iPad and $150 Apple pencil just to take the same notes as their peer next to them armed with a simple pen and paper. I am not doubting these students’ academic success, I am sure many of them are well, but questioning the justification for these purchases. Through this blog, I will analyze Apple’s top 3 expensive student products and decide: overpriced or justified.
1. MacBook Pro 14-inch
I remember the frenzy that erupted when Apple announced the new MacBook Pro. It truly was a game changer, with the M1 Pro and M1 max processor along with the return of the SD card slot – it all seemed perfect. Too good to be true in fact. This premium piece of technology did not come without a price, a price that started at a cool $1999.
During the rise of this new Macbook, I was sitting at my HP Spectre x360 (the laptop I still use in fact) wondering if I should beg my parents for the costly purchase. I then took out a sticky note and created a list of pros and cons. My computer was touchscreen, turned into a tablet, came with a tablet pen (yes, you did not have to buy it separately), and was a whopping 1000$ less than the new Macbook. The new Macbook at the time was….fast? After comparing the important specs for my needs, the Macbook was not worth the price, given my computer works as a Mac and iPad combined. The Macbook Pro no longer seemed as “pro” as it claimed. In the end, I will classify the Macbook Pro as OVERPRICED.
2. AirPods Max
The regular AirPods took hold of generation Z. Everyone at school used and continues to use the wireless orbs. However, over-ears were creeping into style with the Sony WH-1000XM4s becoming increasingly popular (the headphones I received as a birthday present from my brother). Apple had to take action. This is when they introduced the infamous Airpods Max. I use the term “infamous” because they initially went viral for the wild price – 549$! Up until the release of this lavish item, the most expensive headphones I had heard of were around $300. After the shock that went through the headphone-user community, people actually started to buy the item. Not to discredit the product, in fact, when I tried them in the Apple store I was satisfied with the pristine sound quality and the immaculate noise-canceling ability, but my Sony headphones have the same attributes for half the price tag. Although the product is cute and luxurious, it is just not a logical purchase compared to other competitors. It seems that the general population has come to this conclusion as well. I do see people adorning the Maxs, yet never quite as many who stuck with the regular AirPods. I believe the steep tag deters many buyers because they realize that this product is OVERPRICED.
3. Apple Pencil
The most obvious exorbitant Apple product has to be the one and only Apple pencil. Literally, a glorified stylus. Why pay for a 99¢ pen with a little rubber grip at the end when you can purchase a $129 version, right? Apple markets this technological stick as a must-have to transform your iPad from a simple video display to a productive powerhouse. Although it does have some impressive qualities such as pressure sensitivity and palm rejection, is that all worth the extra $128.01? Once again, I personally succumbed to the grand marketing scheme when the first generation came out in 2015. Equipped with the little cap at the end and the extra tip, I thought I was the coolest iPad kid on every airplane ride. In fact, when my father lost my Apple pencil on vacation, I guilt-tripped him into buying a replacement. In retrospect, I only used the pen for lousy procreate drawings and incessant tapping on the screen. Unless you are a pro artist, the apple pencil is overrated and OVERPRICED.
I know I am unable to persuade die-hard Apple users that Apple is overcharging their customers in a single blog post, but I do hope that you all have my little voice in the back of your head the next time you enter the Apple store.
Celina, I was immediately drawn to your post as someone who is unfortunately a victim of Apple brand loyalty.
Following your first review, I am a big fan of my Macbook, but it might be because anything is a step up from Chromebooks. I do wish it had more features, especially a touchscreen. Considering how much I use it, I think it’s worth the price, but I do agree you can get something equally as good- or even better- for much less.
The AirPods Max review was personal. I know someone who has lost their airpods SIX TIMES (not naming names), and I just lost my first pair recently. Although I ended up getting the 2nd generation airpods, I was so tempted to ask for the AirPods max. However, I knew my parents would stare at me in disbelief if I told them I wanted $549 headphones, and I was also shocked to see how popular they have become. I also related to the hype surrounding the apple pencil. I was so excited to have one, but I lost interest after a couple weeks. Just like you, I only really used it for procreate, and had no practical reason for it.
Anyway, I know Apple is overcharging me, but I let them play me anyway. I want to say I’ll come to my senses soon, but they are really the masters at making you think you need something that you don’t.
Hey Celina! I was very excited when I got assigned your blog and saw that it was about Apple. This is a very interesting topic and I am excited to delve more into it. I 100% agree with your first assessment on the MacBook Pro. The computer that I have forever has been the school chromebook, and I know that people have a lot of negative things to say about them but to be honest they never caused me too many issues. Last year we got a MacBook pro, and it works really nicely, but not all that much nicer than a way less expensive option. AirPods Max, oh my gosh when I heard they were $500 I had the same reaction. Quite ridiculous. I see everyone wearing AirPods nowadays, but I still use the normal earbuds with a string, although I do want to invest in AirPods soon because they are way easier to do daily tasks with. I still agree with you that the AirPods Max are way overpriced still, although the quality may be magnificent. I always see artists and stationary friends on tiktok using this, and find it really satisfying and am sure it is very nice to work with. Still, Apple definitely knows what they can get away with and dang that is overpriced.
Celina, your blog post intrigued me because it really feels like Apple can inflate any price and people will still buy their product. I wouldn’t say I’m a die hard Apple fan but I have an old iPhone SE (yes, I like having a home button) and an iPad I use for digital art, yet some of their products seem really unnecessary. I feel like a lot of people buy Macs for their supposed superiority and the sleek look, but I think people forget how hard it is to download software that isn’t compatible with Macs! I’ve had to use software like AutoCAD that isn’t compatible with a Mac, and I totally agree with you that it just isn’t worth it. I have the exact same outlook on the other two. AirPods Max are just regular, noise-canceling over-ear headphones repackaged in the “Apple vision” – sleek, metallic, and of course, overpriced. I actually own an Apple pencil that I use with my iPad. I will say it makes drawing and writing a lot easier, and I appreciate the mobility and how it charges right on the machine. However, you are so right that there are tons of other options that people can (and should) choose for the sake of their bank account. I will say, kudos to Apple for creating a brand that appears so elite that people will drop their paycheck on a new phone one year after the previous one!
Hey Celina,
I really enjoyed reading your rankings on the Apple products. It was no surprise to see that each one was overpriced because man, they are expensive! Everytime I see someone using a macbook, I am mixed with the desire to strangle them in jealousy or just cry in jealousy. All of my emotions start and end with jealousy when it comes to apple products. With a brother who recently received a macbook for college, I swear there is an air of elitism every time he pulls it out. I look at my blocky school chromebook, oh which is CRACKED by the way, and then I look at the sleek design of his laptop and I just get angry. I just feel like their marketing of how sleek and ahead of the curve their products are really triggers the part of my brain that wants to buy stuff. Even with Iphones, I feel like phone stats themselves are mid, but since everyone has an Iphone, you would be considered weird if you didn’t. The new apple headphones are absolutely gorgeous, and I see so many people on tiktok wearing them, but I just would not have the heard to spend half a THOUSAND dollars on a pair of headphones.
Hi Celina,
Cool blog bro. I am someone who recently gave into the zeitgeist and switched my phone over to Apple, after being an Android user ever since my first phone in 2014. But this decision was not made without lots of consultation with more tech-literate friends and painstaking reluctance to abandon Android, something I had vocally defended for years. I agree with you that Apple products are ludicrously overpriced, so even as an Apple client, I will join in on this besiegement.
What stands out to me as most egregious about Apple’s strategy to price gouge their consumers is their practice of programmed, or “planned” obsolescence. This was brought to the forefront in lawsuits, most of which were litigated overseas in European courts, against the brand alleging that iOS software updates to their iPhone 6 series intentionally deteriorated the phones. In turn, consumers, believing their phones were nearing the end of their lifecycles, went out and replaced their phones by buying more Apple products (say, the more expensive iPhone 7).
Here’s the rub. Apple and many of the world’s biggest companies have
been selling us products either knowing full well that they will only last a couple of years, or having deliberately built a short lifespan into the item or its software. LEGALLY.
Apple has done a mighty fine job of designing a product ecosystem such that consumers have little to no choice but upgrading before they actually should, to the tune of billions in profit. SAD!