I Spent 60 Days Analyzing Apple’s Silent Psychology Tricks That Made Me Buy 4 Products I Didn’t Need | by Jano le Roux | The Startup | Jul, 2025

What I learned about desire engineering changed how I see marketing forever.

I’m a marketing strategist.

I help brands craft marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing.

I thought I was immune to manipulation.

But Apple proved me wrong.

In the last 60 days, I bought:

• AirPods Pro 2 ($249)
• iPad Pro M4 ($1,299)
• Magic Keyboard ($349)
• Apple Watch Series 10 ($399)

Total damage: $2,296.

The scary part? I didn’t plan to buy any of it.

Here’s how Apple’s silent psychology tricks work — and how you can use them.

Apple doesn’t sell you everything at once.

They give you breadcrumbs.

First, they got me with the iPhone 15 Pro. I needed a new phone anyway. Logical purchase.

Then the AirPods Pro 2 went on sale for $189. “Perfect match for my new phone,” I told myself.