Apple Looks To New Markets For Customers—But Does It Fit?

The launch of Apple Corp's AAPL latest array of products has raised many questions about whether or not The Fruit has bitten off more than it can chew. Its souped-up iPad Pro has been designed to fill the needs of businesses while new versions of the Apple Watch are expected to tap in to the luxury market. As Apple has always had mass appeal to the general public, some are questioning whether the firm can reach into these new spaces and still retain its primary customer base. Luxury Watch Apple's watches have been accepted enthusiastically as an improvement over previous wearable technology. However some expect that its $1,500 luxury version could be a hard sell. The company has partnered with French fashion giant Hermes to design the watch, whose customers are known to wait for months just to buy Kelly bags worth tens of thousands of dollars. The watch uses Hermes' name as well as some of the brand's design features, a break from the norm for Apple. Luxury Tech? Apple's Hermes watch isn't its only luxury offering, the company also offers an Edition model priced at $17,000. Some are skeptical about whether or not Apple will be able to break into the luxury goods market as consumers may not respond to luxury tech. The partnership with Hermes hopes to bridge the gap between ‘geeky' technology and fashion, but some wonder whether or not there is a customer base for such products. Business Apple's new iPad Pro marks a major step forward in the company's latest initiative to market iPads to the business world. While iPads equipped with software that appeals to specific industries represent an interesting opportunity for firms in many sectors, the decision to switch vendors can be a difficult one. New technology means training and troubleshooting costs, not to mention the difficulty associated with transferring information from one system to another. Not only that, but Apple's iPads cost more than similar options made by competitors like Microsoft Corp MSFT, so the initial investment costs can be off-putting to some firms.