Ever walk into an Apple Store for one thing and find yourself tempted by something much more expensive? Happened to me recently. I was checking out the new M4 Air, but the nearby MacBook Pro caught my eye.

Suddenly, the Air seemed... less appealing. The Pro's screen popped, the perceived size difference shrank. Was I stepping onto the first rung of Apple's meticulously crafted Pricing Ladder?

This ladder is Apple's subtle genius (or perhaps menace?). They price the base models attractively ($999 for the Air) to get you interested. But the moment you need just a bit more, the climb begins.

That base M4 Air? Great, but 256GB storage is tough in 2025. Upgrade the Air's memory and storage, and you're creeping towards $1800.

Now, you're in striking distance of the M4 MacBook Pro. For just a little more ($2000), you get the M4 Pro chip, active cooling, and that lovely screen. But wait, the storage is still only 512GB...

One more rung: boost the storage, add an extra like nano-texture, and suddenly you're contemplating a $2500+ machine.

All because those incremental upgrades cleverly bridge the gap between product tiers. Add in 0% Apple Card financing softening the blow monthly, and it's even more tempting.

So, was I expertly guided to spend more than I planned? Absolutely. Am I happy with the potential outcome? Yes...but the journey itself is a masterclass in strategic pricing.

What's your experience? Have you ever gone climbing up the ladder?

For a deeper dive and visuals on how this works, check out the full video: Macbook Air to Pro: Expertly guided up Apple’s Pricing Ladder

YouTube is a marathon, not a sprint.

Can you go viral and get monetized quickly? Yes

Is that sustainable? I have no idea because I haven't done it.

Here is my reality for YouTube: I started posting June 2023. It took 16 months to get monetized, while doing YouTube and working a full time job.

It often feels like there is not enough time in the day to do everything that I want to do. That is ok. This is a long game. There were times where I posted every week for months on end and there were months where I didn't post at all.

I think of this like an extra retirement plan.

I hope I am still doing this well into my 50s and 60s. There is no rush for me to hop on the hamster wheel and spin it as fast as I can while I'm young.

The channel is currently at 1.88k subscribers, 211 videos, which I think includes short form that was clipped from long form videos and podcasts. So as I navigate my new reality of becoming a father in just 4 short weeks, I'm reminding myself that there is no rush.

Business profitability, more subscribers, more videos, new tech and apps can all wait. Thanks for the support, we're in this for the long haul and the journey has just begun!

There is no need for complex to-do lists. Apps like Apple Reminders that serve a single purpose are a welcome change for me in the now busy productivity space.

Do it all apps are hailed as being the way to go, however they can casue more stress and the increased friction can often lead to users to give up on using them altogether.

This month I’m featuring Apple Reminders as the App of the Month. It has been my to do list application for the last year and I’ve checked off over 1800 tasks in Reminders over the years.

So if you are searching for a solution, before you go download yet another app or pay for an additional subscription, you should consider the to-do list that came on your iPhone.

Stay tuned this month for the full video and some new short form tips and tricks for Apple Reminders!

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