I believe that the fruit fans who have been paying attention to Mingmei Infinite until now should all understand that Apple released new products such as the new MacBook Pro, AirPods 3 and the new color HomePod mini at the press conference last Tuesday. After the conference, Apple posted on its official website. A lot of new products have been added, and one of the polishing cloths priced at 145 yuan is eye-catching.
Apple’s polishing cloth is the screen cloth we usually use, and Apple actually bought a screen cloth for 145 yuan. According to Apple’s official introduction: “This polishing cloth is soft and can safely and effectively clean various Apple displays, including Nano-texture Nano-Texture Glass Panels”. Isn’t this a free screen wipe when you buy a mobile phone protective film?
If not, soon after the press conference, the topic of “Apple screen wipes sells for 145 yuan” rushed to the hot search, attracting many netizens to complain and ridicule, “Is it really poverty that limits my imagination?”.
Apple even listed a compatibility list for the polishing cloth, which covers almost all Apple devices with a screen. It can wipe everything, and it is the most compatible accessory in Apple’s history.
Unexpectedly, not long after this 145 yuan polishing cloth was put on the shelves, the first batch was quickly sold out. Judging from the current Apple official website, it will take 10 to 12 weeks for the order to be shipped. Wait two months.
In fact, many people can’t figure out why users would buy such a product. Because both from a practical point of view and from a professional point of view, Apple screen wipers have a high premium. You must know that even the lens polishing cloth produced by Zeiss, a professional imaging manufacturer, is only one-third the price of Apple.
Why Apple Polishing Cloths Are So Popular
Part of the reason comes from Apple’s logo. Many people think that Apple’s product design and user experience are obviously better, even including this polishing cloth.
Another part of the reason is that it is bought to clean phone, iPad, PC screens, but not actually nano-textured glass is needed at all.
Some netizens posted a picture online, mocking Apple and users who bought polishing cloths.
Now Apple is not just a company, but also a leader in many industries. A piece of cloth sold for a day’s wages for ordinary people. If calculated according to the area of the cloth, this piece of cloth is not cheaper than LV and Gucci.
Apple seems to be a more expensive brand than luxury brands. Of course, some people still think that using iPhone is superior to using Android, and that Apple is a luxury brand. But in fact, the price of the iPhone is almost the same as that of the domestic machine, and there is no so-called superiority in using the iPhone.
In addition, on some e-commerce platforms, such “ordinary” polishing cloths and wiping cloths can often be bought for a few dollars. Even some very good quality polishing cloths and wiping cloths cost dozens of dollars. Of course, most mobile phones, computers, tablets and other Electronic devices put a film on it, which is actually a good way to protect the screen.
Therefore, Apple’s launch of this “magic” screen polishing cloth this time, probably the biggest role is to verify the influence of the Apple brand.
Anyway, for those who are willing to buy this polishing cloth, the value of this Logo may be far more than 145 yuan, so are they all taking advantage of it? Is this cloth an IQ tax?
Let’s not talk about whether they are taking advantage of them or not. Anyway, Mingmei said that she can’t make this friend with Apple. Mingmei’s own computer and mobile phone are obviously not worthy of this expensive polishing cloth!
In fact, this cloth has also appeared on Apple’s official website before. In the packaging of the Pro Display XDR, which sells for 47,999 yuan, has a nano-textured glass panel and a resolution of 6K, it exists as a gift; however, Apple Now it has been generously “delegated” to the list of items for sale. In this wave of “reverse upgrades”, Mingmei can only say: Excuse me! It’s not that you are not good enough, the logo is not bright enough, it’s that we are not suitable.
Apple selling high-priced accessories is nothing new
Apple has always been confident in the pricing of its own products. In terms of peripheral accessories, Apple’s pricing has always been high. Looking back on some of the products launched before, the prices are not low.
On September 8, 2016, Apple released the iPhone 7 series mobile phones, canceled the 3.5mm audio interface on the mobile phone, and launched the wireless earphone Apple AirPods, priced at 1288 yuan. This earphone, which is not a random gift and needs to be purchased separately, caused a huge controversy once it came out, but Apple created a cultural scene with the leading of the trend, which has been sought after by users. Because of its unique design, Apple AirPods are frequently lost, and there is a saying that “Apple Bluetooth headsets ruin the New York subway”.
Apple has not separately disclosed AirPods sales. However, according to market research firm Strategy Analytics, AirPods shipped 15 million units, 35 million units, and 60 million units from 2017 to 2019, respectively.
There’s also a MagSafe wireless charger that Apple costs $329. In December 2020, Apple blocked some third-party MagSafe wireless chargers through the iOS 14.3 update, making Apple’s own accessories the only choice for users. Focusing on smart hardware products, Apple is also trying to allow more users to “actively” purchase original accessories. By stripping off accessories, Apple has created an accessories business and realized the diversification of its revenue system.
Not only that, but Apple has continued to strengthen its luxury label, creating many expensive non-tech products.
Previously, a Belkin anti-glare screen protector was priced at 148 yuan; a MagSafe transparent protective case for iPhone 13 Pro was priced at 399 yuan; and the Mac Pro roller, which was mocked as four wheels, was priced at 5,249 yuan.
In addition, in 2020, Apple also launched an AirTag wireless tracker, priced at 229 yuan for a single pack and 779 yuan for a four-pack. According to Apple’s description, this is a coin-sized positioning device, which can be used alone, or it can be used as a pendant with various exquisite buckles, and put it on frequently lost items such as keychains, briefcases, wallets, etc., which is convenient for users to lose. use the Find function to find the item.
Last year, Apple’s iPhone 12 canceled the charger and earphones, and according to the statistical agency Counterpoint’s BOM cost study of the iPhone 12 128GB, each iPhone 12 is $4.2 less than the previous generation iPhone 11 (about 27 yuan), This part is mainly in terms of packaging and accessories, which is also the one with the largest cost reduction of all materials.
According to the forecasted shipments of the iPhone 12 series of about 63 million units in 2020, Apple can save at least 1.7 billion yuan in 2020 alone. For Apple, after the cancellation of chargers and headphones, users need to pay for the corresponding accessories themselves, which is obviously another huge amount of income.
According to the financial report, in Apple’s third fiscal quarter of 2021, the sales of wearable devices, home and accessories (hereinafter referred to as “WH&A” business) reached 8.76 billion US dollars (equivalent to about 56 billion yuan), a year-on-year increase of 40%. From the perspective of fiscal year 2020, WH&A can be regarded as the most beautiful segment of Apple’s growth rate, with revenue of 30.62 billion US dollars (equivalent to about 195.8 billion yuan) that year, a year-on-year increase of 25% over the previous fiscal year.
In addition, data shows that from 2016 to 2020, the compound annual growth rate of Apple’s WH&A business reached 28.78%, from only 5.2% of total sales in 2016 to 2020. of 10.8%. This also means that Apple’s “money level” in the field of wearable devices, home appliances and accessories is still increasing.
This time the polishing cloth was sold out quickly, and to a certain extent, it was seen that many users were willing to pay for it. The drunkard’s intention is not to drink wine. Apple does not want to rely on such products to increase revenue, but to give ordinary products a high premium to distinguish them from other brand products, maintain a high-end style, and also bring topical heat.
The rapid sell-out of polishing cloths made netizens call Apple “it will make money”. However, behind the controversial voice of this product, if we take a closer look, we can also see that Apple has struggled to achieve innovative highlights in its core products.
There are more examples, Mingmei Infinite will not list them all here. I saw some comments say that Apple: The business structure is getting bigger and bigger, but the core product innovation is getting tired, but it is still selling high-priced accessories!; There are also comments saying: Apple is a honey juice operation! In fact, in Mingmei unlimited personal view Come on, these evaluations are a bit too extreme. When you generate the price of a product, don’t doubt it! It may just be that you are not positioned as the user group of the product~ In layman’s terms: the target group targeted by this product Not including you, understand?
Screen wipe tips
In addition to using the screen cloth, there are actually many ways to wipe it clean, and Mingmei will teach you some tips below.
1. Use a cotton pad dipped in water to wipe, not only clean, but also leave no marks.
2. After tearing the transparent tape, stick it in reverse, and then stick it facing outwards. Roll back and forth on the screen of the phone a few times, the screen of the phone will become very clean, and the gaps and edges of the phone can be cleaned. If your phone has grease, you can use baking soda to wipe the screen.
3. Baking soda water can break down grease very well and can also achieve a cleaning effect.
In the end, what Mingmei wants to say is: In general, the apple polishing cloth has different meanings to different people, and the value of it also varies from person to person. In addition, the best-selling products have proved that China’s light luxury market has huge potential for mining, and it has also made many brands aware of the gap between themselves and Apple. It can be seen that domestic manufacturers still have a long way to go to replace Apple.
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