Apple becomes the best value ecosystem
It may be time to abandon the notion that Apple devices are too expensive, particularly as you can now get fully immersed in the company’s ecosystem for less than $2,000.
That’s because with the introduction of Apple’s much-anticipated MacBook Neo, the company now offers an affordable route in to every product in its ecosystem, and if you want something more powerful it has those products, too.
Just look at the evidence:
- MacBook Neo $599
- iPhone 17e $599
- iPad $349
- Apple Watch SE3 $249
- AirPods $129
- TOTAL: $1,925
It means you can become kitted out with a Mac, iPhone, AirPods, Apple Watch and an iPad for just $1,925.
Once you do make those investments you’ll have everything you need for most everyday computing tasks, a smartphone and tablet, smartwatch and really excellent wireless earbuds – and you’ll also have the basic platforms you need to run every single Apple service, including Music and TV, if you’re willing to pay the monthly fee.
For many consumers, this sounds like an incredibly good value. An integrated platform ecosystem across multiple device formats that ships with loads of useful free software, can run on-device AI operations happily while also giving you access to the music you need. I don’t think any other platform offers anything like as much.
But let’s put this into context. This matters because most of the PC’s sold worldwide every year cost around $700-800 in the US, and 95% of those sold are Windows systems. Outside the US, the mean price is just under $600. Which means that with the introduction of the MacBook Neo Apple is now in direct competition with Windows systems in that popular price bracket, offering a better experience too.
These Macs integrate with all the other products in the ecosystem, and you can have every single one of them for that achievable price. I imagine some Windows switchers will end up purchasing a couple of these Apple devices every year, building up to the full set, and then entering the upgrade cycle.
Even if they don’t do that, they’ll probably take out an iCloud+ subscription, buy apps at the App Store, and very likely invest in Apple Music and or Apple TV, which makes for even better user experiences for them, and a nice regular earner for Cupertino.
I guess Apple imagines the same thing.
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