Transcription
You've probably been inside an Apple store a 100 times, but I bet you've never noticed this. See this tilted display? Apple trains their employees to tilt MacBooks to exactly 76° to manipulate you into touching their products.
"Is it true that you guys are trained to like put these at 76°?"
"Yeah."
Like, but this is just one of the seven hidden psychological tactics that Apple uses to print $391 billion per year. And they'll silence anyone who exposes their secrets. You're on Shark Team, right?
Yes, I saw the choice with another Apple store. Yes, I'm like Apple is a $3 trillion company and it's not because of their products. It's because of their ability to brainwash people into their cult. They are so good that people have actually sold kidneys for Apple products. So, today I'm heading into the belly of the beast to expose the tactics that they use to brainwash the masses and sell billions. Is Apple really a cult? Let's find out.
To bring Apple's hidden tactics to light, I'll be heading into multiple stores with different objectives. First, I'm looking for a new iPhone case. Let's see how Apple tried to hook me in. Oh, that's not the ones I need. It's these ones. This one down here. 30 seconds in and Apple store security is already aggressively stalking me around the store. And you're probably wondering why.
"Eyes on us."
"Absolutely. Yeah."
So, this isn't my first tango with Apple. I made this Tik Tok exposing their tactics and I am now on their watch list as a known threat and they do not want this video being made. So my mission is simple. Don't get recognized. Don't get seduced and do not join their cult.
The case I need is nowhere to be found and Apple does this intentionally because when something's missing, you're forced to ask for help. I'm just looking for a new cover of these, but I think they're sold out on that wall. There's none over there. And that's when Apple pulls you into their one-on-one sales funnel. Tactic number one, some people could say it's sinister, but it makes Apple billions and it is the missing piece effect.
Apple sells you a product that feels incomplete on purpose. You buy an iPhone, it doesn't come with the charger. There's no headphones in it. So now you're buying a $19 charging cable or AirPods for $169 just to make your iPhone feel normal. But here's the kicker. Apple removed the headphone jack in 2016 in the iPhone 7 and months later, boom, they launched AirPods. That missing piece became a $14 billion product line. They did the same move with their MacBooks in 2016 when they removed the SD card slots and photographers were up in arms. There were dongles everywhere. And then a few years later in 2021, they reintroduced the SD card slot and people cheered. Let that sink in. Apple creates the pain, then they sell you the fix, and then they get an applause for removing the pain that they just caused. And that right there is the missing piece effect. That is not just upselling. That is manufactured dependence. It's like a cult leader isolating you from your old life and then presenting themsel as the only source of truth. They create the gap and then they convince you that they are the only ones that can fill it.
And the reason this works so well is because you are designing your core offer to be incomplete. And this naturally ascends people to your other products that are fully complete. So this is how you can specifically apply this tactic in your own business. Let's just say that you're a fitness coach. You might sell a fitness workout program for men in their 30s, but you don't include a detailed run through of all of the macros and a diet plan. That is a perfect ascension point. It's about breaking up your whole suite of products and instead of cramming it into one and having a higher price point is breaking up what those steps would be that someone has to go through to actually achieve the desired end result that they have. So they come in thinking, hey, I just need to just work out. But then you show them the gap of like it's not only about the workout. You need to get your macros dialed in. You need to get your meal plan. And now your customer wants to solve the gap that they didn't even know existed. Done ethically. This is not manipulation, it's mastery.
If you thought that that tactic was sneaky, wait until you see this Apple genius try to manipulate me into a $4,000 upsell. 4 grand, man. My first car cost $4,000. I do these breakdowns on some of the most powerful brands in the world. So, if you want to see me take apart Rolex, Hermes, and more, hit the subscribe button now so you don't miss it.
So, we just hit the first Apple store, and what do you know? Your boy gets recognized straight out of the gate. We're on our way to another store. Let's see if they can catch your boy this time.
"What do you reckon? I swap out the rolly and get one of these."
"You don't think that's vibey the internet daddy?"
"This could be rocking this."
"I don't think so. Not the vibe."
Apple doesn't stop at leaving their products incomplete. They even control the feeling that you get when you open it. Let me show you. This next strategy is Apple's dopamine box design. Apple's design team. They prototype 50 boxes before releasing these things. And the whole thing is just engineered for maximum dopamine.
[Music]
From the delayed pause of when you open it up to how the product is so smooth and just glides out to the minimalistic design of how the product just sits in here. They then get neuroscientists and they literally measure the dopamine receptors in somebody's brain when they come into contact with their packaging. It's the same as how cults use robes, chanting, and incense for emotional imprinting with your first experience. They want you to feel something so that you bond before thinking.
And it's all about surprising and delighting your customers. Thinking about all the different touch points that your customers come into contact with your business. It's from the moment they go to your website to they book in a call with your team. or if you're selling physical products from when the product actually arrives and it's the whole unboxing experience. And this is specifically how you can apply this tactic to your own business. You want to inject some showmanship into your product or service. What's the mailer look like that you send it out? Is it some generic crap plain gray mailer or is it branded? Does it have messaging and quirky quotes on there? What does it say about your brand? Think about Salt Bay with his steak restaurant. His whole salt bay meme became viral sensation because it's the showmanship. It's about what was something that was ordinary, just delivering your meal to you and turn that into an event in itself.
So, I'm on my way to another Apple store now and I have made an appointment at the Genius Bar for a basic iPad checkup, right? Wrong. This puppy is over 12 years old. Look at this case. It's all falling apart. Let's see if they bite and turn my problem into their next sale.
This next tactic is the ecosystem prison. Apple's real product isn't the iPhone. It is the ecosystem that locks you in. Every device, feature, and update is designed to tether you tighter to the system until leaving feels almost impossible. At first, the ecosystem feels magical. Seamless syncing, effortless handover, and cross device continuity. And the longer you stay, the more that your life depends on it. Notes, remembered passwords. You are locked into their walled garden. Leaving isn't just inconvenient. It feels like cutting off a limb because you have spent thousands of dollars over the year for all these devices that all sync together. But the moment that you try to sync something outside of the Apple ecosystem is when things become broken and clunky and they just don't work. And that is by design.
Cults use the same tactic. They isolate you from outsiders. So even the idea of leaving feels dangerous. So the way that you can apply this specifically to your business is to think about the problem that you solve for your core customer and then think about all the other steps that are required that they must walk through in order to get the desired end result. The more of those things that you can take onto your plate and you can design products and services around. Then you can fully control the entire customer life cycle.
On to the next Apple store and it's time for my genius appointment. "Um my iPad is just becoming slower and slower. I was just wondering if there's anything that can be done."
The hard part with this one is that a lot of the applications will be running older versions of them which can lead to some pretty severe performance decreases. So, what can we do to juice this thing up? Two things. Update and free up more space.
"I'm only using 4 gig."
"You've only got 4 gig available. You you want more."
Even though that they didn't try to sell me a brand new iPad on the spot, the message is crystal clear. This old iPad might be time to upgrade. It's implied, subtle, and repeated. just an incredibly small capacity device. This is exactly how they lure you into shopping for a new device. Watch as they use this strategy to capitalize on the opportunity. Have you ever felt like when the new iPhone gets announced that your current phone feels like it's getting slower or the battery is dying quicker and then you start to justify in your head upgrading to the new phone?
Back in 2018, Apple faced multiple class action lawsuits globally over allegations that it intentionally slowed down older iPhones through software updates, a tactic widely described as planned obsolescence. Over time, software updates suddenly reduce performance on older devices, not enough to enrage you, but enough to frustrate you enough to want to upgrade. The claim was that Apple deliberately degraded performance of older iPhones via iOS updates without notifying users, pushing them to upgrade to newer devices instead of replacing batteries or continue use. They said it was to protect your battery, but it felt like they were protecting their profits. In 2020, Apple paid half a billion dollars to settle a class action lawsuit in the US where people got $25 per iPhone. Apple never admitted any wrongdoing, but they paid for it to go away.
And here's where it gets financially dangerous, because the way they upsell you is brutal. Straight after my appointment, I'm ushered to the next stage of the salesunnel, standing in front of a suite of shiny new iPads. Watch as they try to persuade me into buying their most expensive one.
"How much are this?"
"This is $799. 999 starting price."
"We jump over to the bigger iPad. This one is a little bit slower than the iPad mini, so it's not as powerful. That's why this one's more expensive."
"Correct. Got it."
This next tactic is the ascension ladder. What Apple do is they constantly hit you with these justifiable upgrades that are just within reach that force you to upgrade to the next tier of their product. You start with their base level iPad at just $329 and it comes with 64 gig of storage and a lightning port. Right away, we're faced with two problems. 64 gigs of storage is not enough for apps and music and having a good photo library, and a lightning port is outdated. So, you look at their next option, which is the newer iPad that comes with USBC, which is $449. Not a huge jump in price, but that price upgrade, it feels worthwhile. But you still only have 64 gig of storage. So, then you upgrade to the 256 gig storage and immediately you're up at 599 as a price point. And here's where it gets sneaky because that's the same price as an iPad Air. And then all of a sudden, you're looking at a next tier and a next range. And then that whole price escalation begins again with the storage and all the other added inclusions.
The most expensive, the most powerful iPads we've got. These are what we call the iPad Pro. Um, starting at 169. Wow. 1699 and 219, I believe. Cheap. 2,000 for this bad boy. What does it do? Fly or something?
You walked into store for a $329 iPad and every single step felt completely justifiable, especially considering they also offer the iPad Pro, which starts at $9.99 and goes all the way up to $2,299 for the full maxed out one.
"What is the big one coming in the base?"
"Oh, this one starts at $256. So, it can also configure up to 2 terab."
"And now we're $3,949."
"4,000."
So, you tell yourself, "I don't need all the bells and whistles with the iPad Pro. I'll just settle for the iPad Air at $749 because that feels like the responsible thing to do." But that's exactly what they want you to think. They've walked you all the way through their lineup. You came in for a $329 iPad. Then you got upsold to the $749 and you justified that purchase by being price anchored incredibly high at their $2,299 price point. 4 grand, man. My first car cost $4,000.
And this is exactly how cults escalate commitment. They first start with a small ask, like read a book, then attend a seminar, and before you know it, you're throwing half of your income at them. You're attending 3-day retreats, and you're isolating yourself from the outside world. But it doesn't stop there, because one of the big selling points for iPads in recent years is the ability to use their Apple Pencil to use as a stylus on the iPad, which then you have to buy for an additional $79. But then, if you want wireless charging and pressure sensitivity, you're going to need to get the Apple Pencil Pro, which is going to run you an extra $129. You're in this deep, and you're probably going to want something to protect this. Look no further than the Magic Keyboard case, which will run you an additional $269. All in. Now, I'm spending $1,147.
This is all by design because in business when it comes to making sales, you don't want your customers deciding whether or not to buy. You want them deciding what to buy. And this is how you can apply this exact same strategy in your business. You never want to have only one product to sell. You want to have three different price points. And you want to sell to your higher tier packages or your middle tier packages. And then when somebody wants a deal and they go back and forth with you and try to negotiate on price, you've always got the low tier to downell to, but you build all of your value to the high-end packages. And then that way their middle package, it feels like a deal. And the beauty of this is by having a higher tier package, 20% of your market will always opt for that. You want to put the most desirable things in them. You find out what is it that your market wants the most. And you want to frontload and stack the value of those high tier packages with those things. So when they come to buy, they're really trying to justify to go for those more expensive packages cuz they want all of those little additions.
After the genius walked me up the product ladder, out of nowhere, he says this.
"Yeah. Yeah. Perfect."
I've been recognized and the heat is on me. So I decide to make a break for it and get to the next Apple store.
"All right. So it definitely wasn't coincidence. That is the second spotting of the internet daddy. I believe that they have my name or my face printed somewhere in these stores because it feels like as soon as I head into these joints, there is serious heat on me straight out of the gate. So, we're going to go hit another location right now."
You know, I have to go and try the Vision Pro. I want to go in and see what the fuss is all about. I've never actually tried this product, so I'm going to be very interested to see how they kind of fandangle me into believing that it is magic.
When Apple first launched the Vision Pro, their loyal followers weren't ecstatic. They were confused, skeptical. Memes flooded the internet, critics called it a tech flex for the elite. But Apple didn't flinch because they didn't release the Apple Vision Pro like a normal product.
"Am I able to try on these crazy goggle things?"
"Yeah, I just wanted to try on the Apple Vision Pro. It's a 30-minute session. You got time today?"
"You guys want to do the demo now? I can do one of the demos. Let's hit it."
You don't just try an Apple Vision Pro. You book a private session and are guided through the experience. No talking specs. It's all about this new spatial computing and this new dimension of reality. The whole demoing experience becomes a sacred place. And their staff, they're not employees, they're missionaries.
This next tactic might just be the most wild and crazy of them all. And that is worship marketing. Apple presents its products like sacred objects at launch events and also in store. In their retail locations, they use the shrine effect from the big bold wooden tables to the spacing to no price tags on anything. There's no music playing. It's a calm, quiet place. It feels like a church. Their launch events are delivered like a sermon.
"Good morning. Good morning. Good morning."
You can see that they meticulously plan and rehearse every single line from the pausing to the cadence in between how they deliver it to really enhance the drama. "We are bringing dark mode to iOS." Even minor updates like their USBC feels like this huge revolutionary breakthrough by the language that they use because they are reframing this not to just be a product but for it to elevate your status of you to have an emotional connection to that product and it creates reverence before ownership which just drives up the craving to want to buy this thing. It mirrors how cults treat their temples and their scripted rituals. Reverent tones and specific language that heightens everything to a spiritual experience. That's not sales, it's worship. You have people literally waiting in line and paying deposits to secure these products before they're available to the public.
And the reason this works so well is because you're turning ownership into identity. Apple users feel superior not because of the features of what their product has, but it's about what the product says about you and how it makes you feel. And this is how you can apply this specifically to your business. You do not want to be selling products. You want to be creating a movement. And a great way to do this is by giving your customers a name and an identity. Create Facebook groups and Discord servers where you get your customers to congregate around this movement and mission. And when it comes time to launching a new product or service, really create a launch event around that, build the anticipation. Put out snippet videos hinting that something is coming. You want to create as much anticipation and desire before you ever announce your products or services. Offer exclusive merch that make your customers feel like that they are a part of a tribe. A great example of this is the famous Glossier pink hoodies. Glossier, the beauty brand, launched a plush pink hoodie that when they first launched it, wasn't even available for sale. And they gifted them to their power users and everyone was talking about this thing. It created a whole lot of chatter online and this pink hoodie became a status symbol that people would wear as a badge of honor. And that is worship marketing.
The Vision Pro demo is about to begin and then all of a sudden the sales assistant says this.
"You're on chart, right?"
"Yes. Want to go sell you from another office?"
"Yes. Yes."
I thought for sure that we were busted and just seconds from getting the tap on the shoulder and being escorted out the building. But to my shock, they didn't do anything. And the genius hands me the Apple Vision Pro. The lights fade. The world around me disappears. And now I'm floating inside Apple's future. It's immersive, powerful, and emotional. And for a moment, I forget that I'm being sold anything at all. It's a religious experience.
"I just watched Super Mario Brothers."
"You did?"
"Yeah. Phenomenal."
But then it hits me. The language, the ritual, the emotion, it's all too perfect. So, I have to ask the question, is Apple a technology company or are they a cult? Let's break down the traits of a cult and compare them to Apple.
Cults often start with a magnetic, charismatic leader, somebody who is the visionary, who is casting the vision and having the disciples walk behind them. and a figure who inspires near religious devotion. So we have Steve Jobs, turtleneck, stage presence and a real charismatic visionary. Steve wasn't just a CEO, he was a prophet. And even after his death, his philosophies still guide the company.
And the second thing that a cult has for Apple, this is their design ethos, their simplicity, their whole mantra of it just works. They have literal internal documents of how to craft the perfect corner radius.
The third thing that a cult has is rituals and ceremonies. Regular gatherings or certain actions that reinforce loyalty. Their product launches are global sermons and their unboxing feels like a sacred ritual. Even plugging in their AirPods feels ceremonial. It's not just tech. It feels like it's the way.
The fourth thing that a cult has is the us versus them mentality. And Apple are masters at this. It's not something that is just portrayed by their customers. It is something that their brand fully adopts when they launch their own ads about Mac versus PC. "Hello, I'm a Mac and I'm a PC." And they do this all throughout their product design from their green bubble and the blue bubble of iMessage. When you see that and you see a blue message come through from somebody, you know, okay, this is an iPhone user. And that immediately increases their social status.
The fifth thing that a cult has is a closed ecosystem or control where you are restricted to outside ideas or tools. And you don't want to let anybody else belief system penetrate your little cult. From their app store to their certain cables that you have to use with their devices to their default apps like Safari or their mail app, the entire thing is a closed ecosystem from the get- go.
The sixth thing that a cult has is financial commitment as a belief. You often see at congresses, there's people donating and that is the sign of how committed that you are to the group. Whether it's spending $1,299 on an iPhone or $1,000 for a monitor stand, and we justify it.
The seventh thing that a cult has is worship of symbols. Logos, phrases, and objects take on a religious meaning. The Apple logo is sacred. People put Apple stickers on their car. They say boxes. Even the ding of an Apple booting up holds emotional weight. And it even goes so far that scans of the brain shows that Apple loyalty mimics family love where the same empathy zones light up. Whereas Samsung users didn't show love, they only showed spite for Apple.
Apple doesn't tell you what's coming up. And that silence is strategic. It drives millions of customers into Reddit threads, Twitter theories, and YouTube speculation trying to guess the company's next move. And they leverage this curiosity gap as a marketing tool. Apple isn't just a company. It is a belief system wrapped in aluminium.
So, they are all the sneaky cultlike tactics that Apple uses to brainwash the masses and sell billions. I reverse engineered all of these tactics and put them in a cheat sheet that you can download so you can swipe and deploy them in your own business to ethically hijack attention and explode sales. If you liked this deep dive, you are going to love this one I did on Rolex. Like, subscribe, and I'll see you in the next one.
I just watch Super Mario Brothers.