London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Feb 27, 2026

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

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

Picture this: You are the ultimate Apple fan. You've got an unlimited budget. And you want all of the things: top-of-the-line devices, fancy accessories and services.

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

Times are tough, and Apple (AAPL) has been trying to position itself a more financially accessible brand, releasing the budget iPhone SE earlier this year.

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.

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).

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.

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?

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Dyson Reaches Settlement in Landmark UK Forced Labour Case
Barclays and Jefferies Shares Fall After UK Mortgage Lender Collapse Rekindles Credit Market Concerns
Play Exploring Donald Trump’s Rise to Power by ‘Lehman Trilogy’ Author to Premiere in the UK
Man Arrested After Churchill Statue Defaced in Central London
Keir Starmer Faces Political Setback as Labour Finishes Third in High-Profile By-Election
UK Assisted Dying Bill Set to Fall Short in Parliament as Regional Initiatives Gain Ground
UK Defence Ministry Clarifies Position After Reports of Imminent Helicopter Contract
Independent Left-Wing Plumber Secures Shock Victory as Greens Surge in UK By-Election
Reform UK Refers Alleged ‘Family Voting’ Incidents in By-Election to Police
United Kingdom Temporarily Withdraws Embassy Staff from Iran Amid Heightened Regional Tensions
UK Government Reaches Framework Agreement on Release of Mandelson Vetting Files
UK Police Contracts With Israeli Surveillance Firms Spark Debate Over Ethics and Oversight
United Airlines Passenger Hears Cockpit Conversations After Accessing In-Flight Audio Channel
Spain to Conduct Border Checks on Gibraltar Arrivals Under New Post-Brexit Framework
Engie Shares Jump After $14 Billion Agreement to Acquire UK Power Grid Assets
BNP Paribas Overtakes Goldman Sachs in UK Investment Banking League Tables
Geothermal Project to Power Ten Thousand Homes Marks UK Renewable Energy Milestone
UK Visa Grants Drop Nineteen Percent in 2025 as Migration Controls Tighten
Barclays and Jefferies Among Banks Exposed to Collapse of UK Mortgage Lender MFS
UK Asylum Applications Edge Down in 2025 Despite Rise in Small Boat Crossings
Jefferies Reports Significant Exposure After Collapse of UK Lender MFS
FTSE 100 Reaches Fresh Record Highs as Major Share Buybacks and Earnings Lift London Stocks
So, what's happened is, I think, government policy, not just under Labour, but under the Conservatives as well, has driven a lot of small landlords out of business.
Larry Summers, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary, is resigning from Harvard University as fallout continues over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
U.S. stocks ended higher on Wednesday, with the Dow gaining about six-tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 adding eight-tenths of a percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq climbing roughly one-and-a-quarter percent.
From fears of AI-fuelled unemployment to Big Tech's record investment, this is AI Weekly.
Apple just dropped iOS 26.4.
US Lawmakers Seek Briefing from UK Over Reported Encryption Order Directed at Apple
UK Business Secretary Calls on EU to Remove Trade Barriers Hindering Growth
Legal Pathways for Removing Prince Andrew from Britain’s Line of Succession Examined
PM Netanyahu welcome India PM Narendra Modi to Israel
Shadow Diplomacy: How Harry and Meghan’s Jordan Trip Undermines the Monarchy
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, comments on immigration in the UK.
Bill Gates, the UN and the WEF are attempting to construct "a giant digital gulag for all of humanity" via digital ID, CBDCs and vaccine passport infrastructure.
Britain’s Channel Crisis: Paying Billions While the Boats Keep Coming
Downing Street’s Veteran Deception Scandal
UK HealthCare Expands ‘Food as Health’ Initiative Statewide to Tackle Chronic Illness in Kentucky
Leonardo Chief Says UK Set to Decide on New Medium Helicopter Programme
UK Slows Chagos Islands Agreement After Concerns Raised in Washington
European and UK Stock Markets Reach Fresh Highs as Banks and Miners Lead Rally
UK Government Insists Chagos Islands Negotiations Continue After Minister’s ‘Pause’ Remark
No Confirmed Deal for Engie to Acquire UK Power Networks Amid Market Speculation
UK Reaffirms Updated Entry Requirements for Travellers as of February 25, 2026
General Atlantic to sell equity stake in ByteDance, valuing the company at $550 billion
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Secures Pledge from China for Greater Imports of Quality Goods
Lord Mandelson Condemns Arrest as Driven by ‘Baseless Suggestion’ He Would Flee Abroad
Former UK Ambassador Released on Bail Following Arrest in Epstein-Linked Investigation
UK Parliament Orders Release of Former Prince Andrew’s Government Vetting Files
Reddit Fined £14 Million by UK Regulator Over Failures in Age Verification Controls
UK Moves to Tighten Regulation of Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video Under New Media Rules
×