Price tag! Is it really worth it?

Everything in life has a price but the big question for me this week is - is it worth it? And how much something is worth is subjective and dependent on so many factors you would need to be Einstein to work it out!

If like me you are an Apple avid fan you would have been holding onto the edge of your sit as Apple announced the much awaited release of the Apple watch to the market this coming April. And if like me you were holding onto the edge of your sit waiting for the details so you could rush out and get yourself a brand spanking new apple watch, shortly after you would have fallen off my chair when they announced the price tags of these devices!

I don’t think I have ever been so disappointed in my life! As I picked myself up form the floor and threw a glass of water over my face to make sure I was not dreaming, it began to sink that I was probably not going to get myself a new gadget this summer.

Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple and all it means, and I am always prepare to pay top dollar for their products, but I think this time they push the needle too far. To have what I consider a gadget or accessory to the already expensive I-phone costing as much or even more than the phone itself it’s beyond my understanding. You need to realise that for the watch to work you need to have a phone, so how can it cost as much as the phone? Where is the logic in that? And not only it is expensive, this is first generation and many features or enhancements have not been brought in to their customers, so technically it is a watch that tells you the time, your heart beat and will send messages all for the price of a fully functional smart phone… am I missing something here?

The disappointment really got me thinking about what this all means (I guess knowing I won’t own an apple watch for a while gives me time to do other things with my life, like thinking!) I realise that everything in life has a price tag but it is not always worth the figure is written on it, or at least not to everyone. And that perception of worth goes with everything, not just material things. I have often seen people asking for more money because they think they are worth a lot more than what they get paid. In some cases they are right, but most of the times no one has held a mirror against them and showed them what they are really worth. This is the issue that occurs when people share things like salaries, once you know what someone is earning, you think you are much more expensive than them and start to demand more money.

We shop at Lidl, the German supermarket that a few years ago in England was considered a shop for lower classes. They sell products for much lower prices that some other supermarkets but this does not mean they are lower quality; they are, in many cases, just unknown brands to the UK. After the recession hit hard, many which in the past would have turned their noses up to products they thought were cheap (which they were but also tasty) are now regular consumers of these products and the company has grown bigger than ever. So why do some people still pay higher prices for similar branded products in other shops? I guess the answer is similar to why Apple has brought a watch that cost as much as a smart phone, there is still a market for those who think that paying higher prices means they are getting something better. I guess is all a matter of status and choices, and if you think that it is worth it, you will go out and get it, no matter how much it costs.

We all have things we value and are prepared to pay for them if we think they are worth it, no matter how much they cost; a car, a house, a television, a computer or smart phone or even a watch, but for me at the end of the day you have to keep in mind - is the price you are paying is in proportion and value to everything else around you?  Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense and you will be better off finding something that really represents its value and that you are getting what you are paying for. Believe me, as an Apple loyal customer, I can tell you right now that 600 USD for a watch is not worth the money.

I shall sit and wait, to see how this goes and if the prices eventually will drop. I just hope that my addiction for apple products doesn’t over take and I end up paying too much money to know what time it is and how many steps I took today!