What are Apple wheels, and why do they cost $700?

At $700 total, these small wheels are priced at $175 each.

At $700 total, these small wheels are priced at $175 each.

When most people think of Apple, they may think of their leading products such as the iPhone, iPad, iMac, or iPod. But most people don’t know about the Apple wheels, which are available for purchase for $700.

         The product is on Apple’s website, listed as “Apple Mac Pro Wheels Kit”. For such a high price, Apple doesn’t have much to say about their product. “The custom-designed stainless steel and rubber wheels make it easy to move your Mac Pro around, whether sliding it out from under your desk or across your studio,” is Apple’s description of their product.

Apple’s website shows their Apple wheels.

         The question is, who is Apple marketing to that would buy $700 wheels after spending up to $2500 on a new MacBook Pro? Certainly not their typical market, which is the middle-class 18 to 45-year-olds. Not to mention that users have to assemble the wheels themselves after buying them.

         Although the wheels may seem like a poorly made decision by Apple, it’s actually a clever way to keep their target demographic interested in their products while not always selling to them. A lot of Apple products are appealing because of the low prices, like the iPhone SE.

        

The iPhone SE is one of Apple’s lowest-price products, which allows customers to have a taste of a luxury brand at a decent price.

         Apple’s high sales are partly due to Apple’s reputation for being a luxury brand. When customers buy a phone from a company that also sells ridiculously expensive products (like the Apple wheels), they feel that they own something luxurious and expensive. This is a way to psychologically enforce the purchasing of Apple’s products, especially the less expensive like iPhones and iPods.

         So what may at first seem like a pointless product is actually helping sell Apple’s other products, despite the very low number of sells the Apple wheels get. Apple has shown their expertise in the marketing and branding area for many years, and they will undoubtedly continue to do so for years to come.