That's about the same as two and a half months' rent for the average American.

大概是一般美國人兩個半月的房租。

Let's face it; Apple products have never been cheap.

面對現實吧，蘋果的產品一直都昂貴。

And the cost of some of its products has increased dramatically over time.

而且隨著時間過去，有些產品的價錢大幅上漲。

Just look at how the price of the iPhone has increased over the years.

看看 iPhone 這幾年上漲的價格就知道了。

What started at $499 in 2007, now starts at $999.

2007 年時 499 美元的基本定價，現在要 999 美元起。

So what makes these products so pricey?

究竟是什麼原因，讓這些產品那麼要價不菲？

Well, some say it boils down to no other reason than the fact that Apple can convince us to pay the hefty price.

有些人認為主要的原因在於蘋果就是能說服大眾掏出更多錢來購買。

There's even an unofficial term for this phenomenon.

這個現象甚至有個非正式的名稱：

It's called The Apple Tax, which describes the extra money customers are willing to pay for an Apple product over a competitor product with similar features.

叫作「蘋果稅」，指的是即使競爭品牌有相似的產品特色，消費者仍願意為蘋果產品付出額外的價錢。

And, often, it's attributed to the so-called "cool factor" associated with Apple.

此外，這也歸咎於跟蘋果有關的「酷炫元素」。

It's those premium prices that helped catapult Apple into becoming one of the world's most valuable companies.

昂貴的定價讓蘋果躋身成為全球最有價值的公司之一。

And, at the start of 2019, it announced it was holding a whopping $245 billion in cash reserves.

在 2019 年初，蘋果公布他們驚人的現金儲備，高達 2450 億美元。

But Apple would argue customers are paying a premium for a reason.

不過蘋果主張消費者並不會平白付出這麼高的價格。

In 2018, Apple's CEO Tim Cook defended the company's most expensive iPhone yet, saying, quote, "It's the most advanced iPhone we've ever done," pointing out it had replaced the need for other devices like a camera, video recorder, and music player.

2018 年，蘋果執行長 Tim Cook 為目前最貴的 iPhone 辯護：「這是我們有史以來最先進的 iPhone」，指出有了它就不用買相機、錄影機、音樂播放器等其他設備。

He argues creating, quote, "the most innovative product available" is, quote, "not cheap to do".

他主張打造，「市面上最創新的產品」本來就要「付出高成本」。

And Apple will never sacrifice quality for price.

而且蘋果絕對不會為價格因素來犧牲品質。

So all that money you're shelling out for your new iPhone is, at least in theory, helping to fund future innovations like it.

因此你為新 iPhone 掏出的每一塊錢，至少在理論上，都是用來挹注未來類似的創新發明。

Innovation is what helped Apple earn its stripes.

蘋果出類拔萃的地方就在於其創新的發明。

It's a phone, first and foremost, as you'd expect from the iPhone.

首先，它是一支電話，這是你對 iPhone 的基本期待。

So you've got all your contacts on there, um, but it's different to most mobile phones; it syncs with your computer.

裡面存著你所有的聯絡資訊，但與其他手機不一樣的是，iPhone 可以和你的電腦同步。

The original iPod and the iPhone have both been touted as products that changed the world.

第一代的 iPod 還有 iPhone 都被頌揚為改變世界的產品。

When the original iPod came out in 2001, it cost $399, a staggering price for a personal music player at the time.

2001 年第一台 iPod 推出時要價 399 美元，是當時個人音樂播放器中很嚇人的價格。

Apple aggressively marketed the iPod as a device that could store 1,000 songs in your pocket, all of this at the cusp of the digital download revolution.

蘋果積極地銷售，他們說口袋裡的 iPod 可儲存 1000 首歌曲。而這一切恰巧碰到數位下載革命。

In less than six years, Apple announced more than 100 million iPods had been sold, making it the fastest-selling music player in history.

不到六年，蘋果就宣布已經賣出超過一億台 iPod，成為歷史上銷售最迅速的音樂播放器。

In 2005, Apple announced its annual profits shot up 384%, largely due to the smashing hit of its new digital music player.

2005 年，蘋果公布年營收大幅上揚 384 個百分點，絕大部分得益於熱賣的新數位音樂播放器。

Its profits would continue to grow through to 2012.

它的營收會一路持續成長至 2012 年。

For a lot of those customers, the iPod would become the first of many Apple purchases, so, ultimately, that $399 purchase would make them more inclined to, not just potentially buy new versions of the iPod, but ultimately move on to buy iPhones, MacBooks, iPads, and Apple Watches.

對許多消費者來說，iPod 只是他們入手的眾多產品之一。最後，這 399 美元不但會促使人們買下新 iPod，還會去買 iPhone、MacBook、iPad 還有蘋果手錶。

You get the idea.

可想而知吧。

Suddenly, you're locked into Apple's ecosystem, which, some experts say, has allowed the company to increase prices faster than its competitors.

一瞬間你就被吸進蘋果產品的生態系；有些專家認為正是因為如此，蘋果能比他的競爭者更快拉高價格。

Think of it like Apple sort of having a monopoly on a customer's digital life.

也就是說蘋果壟斷了消費者的數位生活。

The iPhone, which debuted in 2007, would ultimately replace the iPod, and this was responsible for even more impressive growth.

2007 年首次上市的 iPhone 最終會取代 iPod，而這點促成了更加亮眼的成長。

Worldwide shipments of the iPhone increased year on year until it reached its peak of 231 million in 2015.

iPhone 的全球運輸量年年上漲，直到 2015 年達到 2.31 億的高峰。

That's more iPhones than there are people in most countries.

這數量甚至比許多國家的人口數還多。

But now there's some concern around Apple's ability to continue innovating, and even some signs that its growth and industry dominance is under pressure.

然而現在有人質疑蘋果是否能持續創新，甚至有跡象顯示，蘋果的成長和產業主導態勢正受到挑戰。

You see, Apple hasn't been able to surpass that iPhone peak ever since.

看這個，蘋果自從 iPhone 的巔峰期後就再也沒有超越過。

And profits have begun to fluctuate, too.

蘋果的營收也開始動搖。

So, why the peak?

為什麼達到頂峰就停下了？

Well, it's part of a larger trend we're seeing across the entire industry.

這得歸因於我們整個產業裡正在經歷的大趨勢。

The lifespan of a smartphone is getting longer, which means customers just aren't upgrading as often as they used to.

一台智慧型手機的壽命變得更長，也就是說消費者不再像以前那樣經常汰換手機。

But as a publicly-traded company, Apple is expected to grow for its shareholders, and one possible way to combat declining sales is simply to raise prices.

但身為上市公司，蘋果的股東會期待看見成長；而想突破銷售走弱，其中一項方法就是提高價格。

That enables it to have higher profit margins.

這樣就能獲得較高的收益。

In 2018, the price of the base Apple Watch went from $329 to $399.

2018 年，蘋果手錶的基本定價從 329 美元漲到 399 美元。

And don't forget the time it tried to sell the Apple Gold Watch for $10,000.

別忘了蘋果當時還想販售 K 金版的手錶，售價要 1 萬美金。

An analysis in 2017 found that the iPhone X cost 25% more than the iPhone 8 to make, yet it retailed for 43% more.

2017 年一項研究顯示，iPhone X 的製造成本只比 iPhone 8 多了 25%，然而零售價格卻提高了 43%。

According to one firm, the iPhone X costs $357.50 to make, but since it sells for $999, that gives it a gross margin of 64%.

根據某家公司的說法，iPhone X 的成本為 357.5 美元，出售價格卻是 999 美元，毛利率達 64%。

In recent years, to help grow its business, Apple has made it a priority to grow sales in the world's most populous country, China.

近幾年來，為了事業擴張，蘋果的首要任務就是提升在全球人口最多的國家—中國的銷量。

And while it's been met with some success, it also faces serious competition.

但即便有所收穫，蘋果也同樣面臨到激烈的競爭。

Ironically, the sheer expense of Apple products has hurt sales in countries like China, India, Brazil, and Turkey, emerging markets the company desperately needs to keep growing.

諷刺的是，蘋果產品的定價衝擊到中國、印度、巴西和土耳其的銷量，但這些都是蘋果極度需要擴展的新興市場。

Premium smartphone prices have been rising across the board, but compared to its competitors in China, iPhones cost a lot.

頂級智慧型手機的價格不斷上揚，可是相較於中國其他競爭對手， iPhone 是真的很貴。

Take, for instance, the iPhone XS Max.

我們以 iPhone XS Max 當例子。

It costs close to $1,400 in China, essentially twice the price of Huawei's Mate 20 and three times the cost of Xiaomi Mi's Mix 3.

在中國它賣到將近 1400 美元，是華為 Mate 20 雙倍的價錢，更比小米 Mix 3 貴了三倍。

Throw a stronger dollar, tariffs, and an economic slowdown into the mix, and it's no surprise that in mid-2018, Apple's iPhone fell third place amongst the list of world's most popular smartphones.

再考量到美元走強、關稅、經濟成長放緩的因素，難怪在 2018 上半年，iPhone 跌落至全球最受歡迎手機排行榜的第三名。

That's when Chinese tech giant, Huawei passed it.

中國科技龍頭的華為，也就在那時候急起直追。

Just look at the percentage change in Apple's share of the smartphone market compared to its competitors.

比較一下蘋果和競爭對手的智慧型手機市占率變化就知道了。

That same year, Apple announced it would no longer report units sold of iPhones, which Wall Street interpreted as a likely sign of more declining sales.

同年，蘋果宣布將不再公布 iPhone 的單位銷售量，《華爾街日報》解讀為那是銷量進一步減少的信號。

At the end of the day, most experts agree that Apple needs to come up with new innovations and not just raise prices in order to hold onto its place as one of the world's most valuable companies.

總結來說，若想坐穩全球最有價值公司的寶座，多數專家都同意蘋果該推出更多創新，而不能一味地提高價錢。

Hey guys, it's Uptin; thanks for watching!

嘿我是 Uptin，感謝你的觀賞！

For more of our videos, check out my day inside Huawei's headquarters in China here.

想看更多影片，點擊這裡看我在華為中國總部的一天。

And get inside Alibaba's grocery store and robot restaurant here.

點擊這裡看阿里巴巴的零售商店與機器人餐廳。

We're also taking suggestions for future CNBC Explains, so leave your comments in the section below.

我們也希望獲得 CNBC Explains 節目的內容建議，你可以在下方留言。

And while you're at it, subscribe to our channel.

最後既然你都來了，訂閱我們的頻道吧！