Now that reviews are out it's fairly clear that the APMs are being marketed towards the prosumer, similar to the target market for the Bose QCs/Sony XM4s. At least to me, it's fairly clear that most consumers in this market will pay $200-250 more for:
- The "best" ANC in the market (in quotations because it's only marginally better than the XM4s/QCs but still measurably so)
- Better build quality
- Sound quality that is the same/better than the XM4s/QCs
- The style
- The Apple brand and integration with other Apple products
Apple has a long history of shocking consumers with seemingly high prices, and I don't see how this initial price shock is any different than:
- The release of the original Airpods (still remember co-workers laughing that I paid $170 for them-- now they all own a pair)
- The "high" prices of iPhones relative to "similar" android phones that were a constant talking point back in 2010-2014
- The release of the $100 Apple pencil (gen 2 now 30% more expensive at $129, no one bats an eye)
I know, it's easy to look back and say something like, "oh yeah but these products were clearly worth it." But hindsight is 20/20, and we've been around the block too often to be surprised again. In 2 years people are going to be saying the same thing about the APMs. Every tech YouTuber will have them on their desk in their videos. APMs will be on Christmas lists, not XM4s. Then Gen 2 will be released and the focus will be on new features, not the price, and Apple's dominance over the XM4s/QCs will be cemented.
The simple fact is that these things are flying off the shelves, and although supply constraints have a lot to do with the current 12-14 week ship times, no one can deny that the demand is there. For the most part, if people can afford them, they'll buy them. Can't call it overpriced if people are willing to pay...