The $1,000 iPhone X seems to be a brazen attempt by Apple to create a new superphone market.
The newest iPhone, launched this week, is sleek and comes with a raft of new features and apps, but not much that is not already available on cheaper handsets from rival manufacturers.
Opinion is divided on if the phone is simply more overpriced technology from Apple or a sign the company is pushing up prices.
Apple has long positioned itself in the market as a purveyor of design and ease of use that come at a price.
But to retain that position, Apple must innovate and the small improvements of the new batch of iPhones may not be enough to justify the extra cost.
Design for life
The policy does not only extend to phones.
Apple also announced a new Apple TV box with a $179 price tag – far more than Amazon’s Fire Stick and other devices on the market.
The new Apple Watch may have the same connectivity as a phone, but at $400 costs much more than competitor Fitbit.
To complete the new offering, Apple HomePod is an exceptional but costly speaker retailing at $350 – twice as much as Amazon’s best-selling Echo and almost 10 times the price of the Echo Dot.
Apple obviously believes consumers are willing to pay for design that is so good they are willing to pay a premium to own them, but only time will tell if this thinking will reap rewards with stellar sales.
Bang for the buck
Paying for the designer brand at a time when the cost of technology is falling and even budget brands carry the same features may become a millstone the drags Apple down.
CEO Tim Cook praises the iPhone X – X stands for 10 to celebrate a decade since the product first hit the market – but then he would, wouldn’t he.
The iPhone X along with iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are undoubtedly, swish, well-designed and desirable mobile phones, but after the early adopters who hunger for the latest gadgets, iPhones cost much more than the equivalent Samsung, Huawei and LG models.
While the budget and mid-price brands improve giving a bigger bang for the buck, Apple tends not to take chances but looks at providing the same in a neater package.