As iPhone 18 series launch nears, the price of staying loyal to Apple is rising

Every Apple user eventually gets an offer they can't refuse: buy another Apple product. An iPhone leads to AirPods, which leads to a Mac, then an Apple Watch, iCloud, Apple Music and AppleCare+. The ecosystem has always been designed to pull users deeper in. Now it's asking them to pay more at every step. There was a time when buying into the Apple ecosystem meant paying a premium once and then enjoying the benefits of seamless integration across devices and services. That premium was never small, but it was relatively predictable.