The real cost of being the ultimate Apple fan: Nearly $80,000

December 13, 2020

You may not need that high-end graphics chip or added storage, but they’re there, right?

But Apple has always been a premium brand. And for people with cash to spend, Apple offers some mind-boggling ways for people to pay it huge sums of money.

So CNN Business dug into just how much it would cost to go all-out on Apple products. Here’s what we found.

Table of Contents

iPhone

You’ll likely want to start off by upgrading to the new iPhone 12, which comes with perks, such as 5G connectivity and a telephoto zoom lens. The highest-end option is the iPhone 12 Pro Max with a 6.7-inch display ($1,099) and 512 GB of storage ($300). Adding AppleCare+ with theft and loss coverage will add $269 to your purchase.

To go with it, a silicone case with MagSafe ($49) will protect your phone and enable wireless charging with a MagSafe charger ($39).

Total: $1,756.00 (Excluding additional carrier costs/discounts)

Apple Watch

Customers shopping at the Apple Store in George Street on September 18, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. Customers to the Apple stores in Australia are among some of the first in the world to be able to view Apple's newest products. The new Apple Watch Series 6 features a blood oxygen sensor and app, while a new iPad (8th generation) has also been released.

The priciest Apple Watch available on the Apple store (assuming you don’t want to research a third-party vendor to make you a diamond encrusted one) rings in at $1,499. Add AppleCare+ for $149. It has a 44mm silver, stainless steel case with a black leather band and “Single Tour Deployment Buckle” from the Apple Watch Hermès collection. So you can match your Apple Watch with your Birkin.

Total: $1,648.00 (Excluding additional carrier costs)

Mac

To really beef up your home office, you can get a Mac Pro ($5,999) with all the add-ons for $54,447.98. That includes a 2.5 GHz 28-core Intel Xeon W processor with Turbo Boost up to 4.4 GHz ($7,000); 1.5 TB of memory ($25,000); two Radeon Pro Vega II Duo graphics chips with 2X32 GB of HBM2 memory each ($10,800); 8 TB of storage ($2,600); an Apple Afterburner card for better video performance ($2,000); wheels ($400); a Magic Mouse 2 and Magic Trackpad 2 ($149); and pre-installed Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro software ($499.98).

Apple's newest and tiniest iPhone feels like a throwback. You'll either love it or hate it

And of course you’ll also need a monitor. Apple sells the 32-inch Pro Display XDR with Retina 6K and nano-texture glass for $5,999, and a Pro Stand for $999. If you want to mount your monitor, you’ll need a $199 adapter.

And to add AppleCare+ and a cable: $798 and $129.

Total: $62,571.98

MacBook

If you also want a MacBook for when you’re on the go, a top-of-the-line MacBook with all the added features would look like this: 16-inch MacBook Pro in Space Gray ($2,799) with a 2.4 GHz 8-core, 9th generation Intel Core i9 processor with Turbo Boost up to 5.0 GHz ($200); 64 gigabytes of memory ($800); the AMD Radeon Pro 5600M graphics chip with 8 GB of HBM2 memory ($700); 8 TB of storage ($2,200); and both pre-installed software options (Final Cut Pro for $299.99 and Logic Pro for $199.99). All that adds up to $7,198.98. Adding AppleCare+ to protect that pricey purchase will put you back another $379.

You’ll probably need some accessories, too. You can add a USB-C to Lighting port adapter cable to connect your iPhone to your MacBook and another cable to your USB for good measure, all for $36. A leather case ($199) will go well with your Hermès watch band. A keyboard with a numeric keypad will cost you $129 and you could shell out for a hands-free mouse for $994.95. And an adjustable stand for your MacBook Pro rings in at $79.95.

Total: $9,016.88

iPad

Apple touts the iPad as the device that can be both PC and tablet. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is the most costly of iPads at $1649, when you shell out for all the bells and whistles. That’s 1TB of storage and cell service (additional costs will vary by carrier). AppleCare+ adds another $129. With a keyboard attachment ($349) for the latest generation, you’ll get some of the PC-ness going and with an Apple Pencil ($129) you can still scribble your notes and draw in inDesign.

Before you exit the store, you’ll need to get your delicate iPad some protection from falls and daily wear and tear. A case costs $99 and you can match that with a backpack (nothing worse than a bag that’s just a little too small for your iPad!) for another $99. Soon you’ll look like any other tech maven heading to a big conference.

Total: $2,583 (Excluding additional carrier costs)

iPod

Don’t forget about nostalgia! Apple brought back its classic iPod touch in 2019 and it retails for $399 with 256 GB of storage. Add AppleCare+ for $59.

A huge fan — or someone who wants to ignore texts occasionally by only carrying their iPod, say, when they work out — might own the iPod and the iPhone, even if both play Apple Music. A case for the iPod touch? $30.

Total: $488

AirPods Pro

These $249 wireless headphones have been a crowd favorite, despite initial comments circulating on social media that they look weird. (They said the same about AirPods when they were introduced in 2016.) For the price, you get earbuds that sound slightly better than the original AirPods. Add damage protection for $29.

Total: $278

AirPods Max

Because Beats headphones and AirPods Pro just won’t cut it for someone who is always looking for the latest and greatest in wireless audio, Apple has a new product called AirPods Max. They cost a whopping $549, pricier than Apple’s most affordable iPhones, and look like a cross-between AirPods and Beats.

Apple's new AirPods Max headphones cost more than an iPhone SE

If you’re looking to upgrade your audio experience or are just curious about the latest drop, it might make sense to get these. From the look of them, they probably have more bass than the typical AirPods or AirPods Pro can offer. To protect them, be prepared to cough up another $59.

Total: $608

HomePod

If you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem, when picking out a smart speaker for your home, there’s only one kind that will easily sync with the rest of your devices and automatically default to Apple Music: HomePod. While Siri still lags behind Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa in its voice capabilities, Apple charges a premium $299 for the gourd-like speaker and $39 more for AppleCare+. To its credit, it does blend in pretty well with modern furniture.

Total: $338

Apple TV

No home setup would be complete without a TV (and, you know, a couch but we’ve yet to see Apple, Google or Samsung come out with a branded sofa). That’s where Apple TV comes in.

To be clear, you’ll still need to buy the actual TV hardware separately, like a Sony or a Samsung 4K TV. For $199, Apple sells the Apple TV box, which connects to a multitude of apps that some TVs don’t support on their own, like Peloton or MasterClass, and a remote control. If you’ve shelled out anywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands for your TV, the Apple TV box with a $29 protection plan is just icing on the cake.

Total: $228

Services

Finally, Apple is also in the business of selling subscription-based services.

While iPhone sales have slowed in recent years, what’s on those devices is still taking off. Apple has so many services on offer that it created a bundle called Apple One to provide access to all of them. After a one month free trial, Apple One costs $29.95 per month for the premier subscription, which gets you Apple TV+, gaming service Apple Arcade, Apple News+, 2 TB of iCloud storage and Apple Fitness+, which launches on December 14.

Total: $359.40/year

Total

Now, let’s add it all up. If you really decked out your wrist, your pockets and your home with Apple gadgets, how much would that put you in the red?

The total rings in at a whopping $79,875.26, excluding shipping costs, taxes and carrier fees.

Assuming you’re a huge Apple fan, you probably have the branded credit card, too, netting you 3% cash back on your purchases. You’ll earn $2,396.25 back — totally worth it, right?

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