Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple Launches Magnetic Apple Watch Dock for $79

keysofanxiety said:
But when you're invested in an ecosystem, especially one as tight-knitted as Apple's, it's difficult to suddenly jump ship to something unfamiliar. It really is. With the recent pricing choices and a lot of subpar hardware, I think consumers are entitled to feel a little betrayed. If everybody shrugged their shoulders and didn't make a fuss, I have little doubt we'd be in a worse scenario than we are now.
Click to expand...
We're talking about a charging stand here. A completely optional accessory. This is not the place to take your stand. You can avoid buying this. The Apple Watch comes with a charging cable. Not buying this charging stand is not the same as jumping ship to something unfamiliar. And, if you feel you need a stand (or just think it would be convenient to have one), there are many other options out there that are less expensive.

After reading the comments on the previous story, I checked out what was available on Amazon and ordered a stand for $7.99. It uses the charging cable I already have. For another 8 bucks, I ordered a 1-foot lightning cable, perfect for the place I usually charge my iPhone (where I don't need or want a longer cable).

In this case, Apple graciously waited until dozens of charging stands were available in many styles and various prices before offering their own option. So no one--NO ONE--is forced to consider the Apple charging stand as their only option.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ejpeg and Keane16
"What ruined Apple wasn’t growth … They got very greedy. Instead of following the original trajectory of the original vision, which was to make the thing an appliance and get this out there to as many people as possible, they went for profits. They made outlandish profits for about four years… What that cost them was their future. What they should have been doing is making rational profits and going for market share."

Steve Jobs, 1995

 
  • Like
Reactions: Roadstar, Apple Human, wilhelmer and 19 others
HenryDJP said:
Nice rant, and some of it I agree with but your last line...please step into reality. Apple has ALWAYS been expensive for way too many years and to some degree priced way more than what they are selling is even worth but that has not lost them business. You may verbally disagree for public sake but let's be real about this, if any of us here were running a big company like Apple and KNEW we could get away with charging high prices because our customers continually buy from us, anybody here would do it.
Click to expand...

Not talking about pricing per se, but what I really meant was that Apple shouldn't get comfortable with its position... we all know the stories of Blackberry, Nokia, Motorola who were all top of the cellular pile at one point or another... not to mention Microsoft of course, who are no longer the giants that they once were. I just meant that you can't be complacent in this industry or take your customers for granted.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Apple Human, NMBob, Woyzeck and 3 others
mcdj said:
I don't understand why it needs such a large footprint. Far too big for my nightstand.
Click to expand...
This seems to be a good indicator that (if you are looking for a charging stand) you should consider one of the many other options from other manufacturers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zooby
Chupa Chupa said:
Wrong. Perhaps if a charger wasn't included w/ AW and Apple had a monopoly on docks, i.e., it was the only source. But Apple is one of many companies to selling docks, which aren't even a necessity. If you do want a lower priced one the marketplace is working for you. $8 docks are sold on Amazon all day long. Or you could drill a hole in a 2x4 cast off, plop your charger in and voila, a dock for free. Or you could just use the including charger w/o a dock also for free.

Sure, this is arguably an overpriced, unnecessary, frankly ugly, accessory, but to suggest Apple is being greedy in its pricing is baseless. There are plenty of items from cars to coats that are at the atmospheric end of the price zone. It's not the market I'm in, but the luxury market is none-the-less legitimate. No one is freezing to death because Armani sells top coats for $2K.
Click to expand...

You're not wrong, but the most valuable luxury brand in the world is worth $25 B. Apple is worth over $650 B and is expected to keep growing. There is little argument that prices are creeping higher lately for little reason other than margins. With pricing today well above competitors, the rationale to overpay for Apple products is fading, and that will eventually hit sales.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Apple Human, NMBob and Flow39
Nice, I love the design, I'll have to get me one of those bad boys :D
 
Robert.Walter said:
I rather hate the idea that if the watch faces me on the bed the cable is not facing the wall and has to snake its way across the night stand.
Click to expand...

Yes, that is a major design flaw. I'm sure they could have come up with some clever way to "spin" the top to position the watch on the charger so that both the cable is facing to the rear, and the watch is facing you. Allow the watch to spin 90 degrees left or right from center to accommodate either side of the bed.
 
Sandstorm said:
With every day I'm more disgusted by the obvious greed of Apple. When I jumped into Apple ecosystem in 2007, I understood the products are a bit more expensive [than competition], but most likely worth it. But today everything they sell is so obviously and shamelessly overpriced, that it seems the millionaires/billionaires at Apple have lost any connection with reality and turned the brand in some sort of Vertu equivalent.
Click to expand...
Agree! For the first time in a long time, next year I may not consider an iPhone. Not that the iPhone is overpriced, because i don't believe it is. I'm just tired of Apple's shameless price gouging as well. I don't have a problem paying a premium, but this isn't just a premium, this is a highway robbery. $79 for a dock? What a joke.

thed0g said:
"What ruined Apple wasn’t growth … They got very greedy. Instead of following the original trajectory of the original vision, which was to make the thing an appliance and get this out there to as many people as possible, they went for profits. They made outlandish profits for about four years… What that cost them was their future. What they should have been doing is making rational profits and going for market share."

Steve Jobs, 1995

Click to expand...

I was just thinking this right before I saw your post. It almost killed Apple the first time, and it they don't learn from their past mistakes, they'll fall again. Apple needs to pull their heads out and realize that their recent moves have not been good at all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Roadstar, Apple Human, NMBob and 1 other person
I think it's a nice piece of kit. Egregiously overpriced. The current all aluminum iMac inspired stand I currently use cost me $16 from Amazon. With the high quality and provided cable of the Apple setup, I'd jump on it at $40, I'd have to think about it at $50.
 
  • Like
Reactions: satchmo
It feels like any time Apple releases a new accessory these days the lion share of the conversation about it centers on the price.

At least we've gotten past the point where people were complaining about the cost of the computers too, so I guess that's progress.
 
thed0g said:
"What ruined Apple wasn’t growth … They got very greedy. Instead of following the original trajectory of the original vision, which was to make the thing an appliance and get this out there to as many people as possible, they went for profits. They made outlandish profits for about four years… What that cost them was their future. What they should have been doing is making rational profits and going for market share."

Steve Jobs, 1995

Click to expand...
That certainly ruined NeXT. It was a great computer, but wasn't affordable for many people.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NMBob
JonnyIreland said:
I'm not talking about this dock in particular though... I'm talking about their overall pricing strategy, just as several other people have mentioned.
There's nothing wrong with premium/luxury brands charging premium prices (like the $2k Armani coat), but when your customer base slowly increases resistance to the pricing of your products and get more and more vocal about it, I think it is fair to say that it could be a future recipe for disaster.
Click to expand...

But that is an entirely different argument. Yes, Apple risks outpricing itself in the marketplace, but your original comment was that Apple's pricing is unethical and greedy, not that it was poor long term management. Your emphasis was on the customer-end, not the effect on the company. Again, the marketplace will determine what price Apple can and can't command and if Apple management is savvy enough should a backlash be brewing it will adjust. Otherwise it will cease from being an industry leader. Either way consumers will have tablets, watches, computers, and gadgets to buy from some company. There is competition out there.

MTL18 said:
You're not wrong, but the most valuable luxury brand in the world is worth $25 B. Apple is worth over $650 B and is expected to keep growing. There is little argument that prices are creeping higher lately for little reason other than margins. With pricing today well above competitors, the rationale to overpay for Apple products is fading, and that will eventually hit sales.
Click to expand...

Maybe, maybe not. First Apple's stock market cap is irrelevant to your point. Then you admit Apple is expect to keep growing. That means Apple has to keep the customer base it has, add more, and remain at the same profit margin it now enjoys. So I'm not sure what you point is. Apple seems to enjoy a space with other luxury and near-luxury brands where it can command higher prices than similar competitors if only because of the logo on the item.

Again, if Apple's items don't sell management will need to adjust, but that is the marketplace at work.
 
MTL18 said:
You're not wrong, but the most valuable luxury brand in the world is worth $25 B. Apple is worth over $650 B and is expected to keep growing. There is little argument that prices are creeping higher lately for little reason other than margins. With pricing today well above competitors, the rationale to overpay for Apple products is fading, and that will eventually hit sales.
Click to expand...
Do you have numbers to back this up, or is it just wishful thinking?
 
Sandstorm said:
With every day I'm more disgusted by the obvious greed of Apple. When I jumped into Apple ecosystem in 2007, I understood the products are a bit more expensive [than competition], but most likely worth it. But today everything they sell is so obviously and shamelessly overpriced, that it seems the millionaires/billionaires at Apple have lost any connection with reality and turned the brand in some sort of Vertu equivalent.
Click to expand...

It is only the peripheral pieces that are overpriced. Keep it simple. Never buy a case, cord or charger from Apple and you will be fine. The computers, phones and tablets are not overpriced for the power that they deliver. If I were to buy the iPad Pro, I would not buy Apple's keyboard even. I always get a $10 case for my iPhone instead of getting one from Apple. It is simple.
 
$79 for a plastic plate and a longer charging cable. I wish Apple could be a luxury brand without screwing the pooch on pricing.

(EDIT) Apple's site indicates it comes with a 5W charger. Then in the "What's in the Box" section the charger is not listed. I do not see the charger included in the box in the video. Expect to see Apple edit the site shortly to remove the 5W charger from the text.
 
Last edited:
Narcaz said:
They really jumped the shark this year with their accessory prices. Cases, docks, adapters, keyboards, trackpads have barely made some progress, but Apple is still asking a steep premium and even increased prices. I don't mind paying more, if i see some value in the product. Something that this years accessory is lacking for me. So I decided to vote with my wallet.
Click to expand...

Really the accessories are for either the very well to do or for folks who can't be bothered to do a bit of research. If you are sophisticated enough and interested enough in tech to post here, you really should care enough to just go get some nice third party accessories. That is certainly what I do. I'm not spending $40 for an iPhone case.
 
  • Like
Reactions: oneMadRssn
I agree this thing is expensive, but it's totally optional. If you don't want to pay $80, don't buy it. There are tons of Apple Watch docks way nicer than this anyway. Apple does not have a monopoly on Apple Watch docks - they will drop the price if people don't buy it at the current price. I suspect however that enough people will buy it at the current price, which means it is priced correctly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: doelcm82
TallManNY said:
Really the accessories are for either the very well to do or for folks who can't be bothered to do a bit of research. If you are sophisticated enough and interested enough in tech to post here, you really should care enough to just go get some nice third party accessories. That is certainly what I do. I'm not spending $40 for an iPhone case.
Click to expand...

I agree. This price is not surprising. They've always charged way too much for inconsequential and optional accessories.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back