I am perfectly happy to shell out 1k for good home appliance or good vacation. But for me, when I can be easily satisfied with iPhone 7, spending 1k for a phone is hardly justifiable.
For most people, most recent iPhone is nice to have but not must to have. I can guarantee you, most people don’t need newest iPhone.
Let us see how much Apple can increase price before people stop buying. Demand for iPhone isn’t in-elastic.
I think we are forgetting a couple of factors here.
For one, not everybody ends up paying the full price of an iPhone when they buy one. There are carrier deals, Apple has its own trade-in programme, and Apple could have some form of "Buy now, pay later" instalment plans which make the price of an iPhone appear more palatable upfront.
Second, the reality is that people are holding on to their phones longer. I don't think it's unreasonable to spend more on a very personal device like a smartphone that you will using all day, every day, for years to come. The logic is similar to why I went all-in with the Apple ecosystem in the first place. While I spend more upfront, this more than pays for itself in the form of better productivity and fewer problems overall.
Third, and while I will probably get flamed for saying this, the reality is that Apple's ecosystem is designed around people that easily spend money. It's a common trope around here that Apple gear is overpriced (which I disagree with) but given that, and their financials which are unlike any other comparable company, you can only conclude that Apple buyers spend money - a lot of it.
I'm end-to-end Apple gear. I don't want to spend any more time than I have to cobbling some system together, deal with any more accounts than I already have (200+ passwords in my 1Password - welcome to adulthood), or deal with security issues. I work hard, make a decent living, and at this point in my life, I want things to be easy more than I want them to be cheap.
So yes, I am Apple's target market. Is Apple Music lower quality or more expensive than the alternatives? I literally don't care. I just want to be able to pull up a song on my watch and stream it to my airpods no matter where I am. That's it. I'll pay more for it. I don't have to install an app. I don't need to enter my l/p. I can airplay it to damn near everything.
This is what Apple does. They rarely beat competitors on the bullet list, but they play the system integration game better than anyone else, and if it costs a few bucks more, I'm happy to pay it.