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An In-Depth Look at Apple Watch Band Options and Potential Pricing
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Well said. My thoughts exactly. $500 for a nice steel watch for me with a matching band is where I want to be.
I am going to buy the Watch with the cheapest strap option, and then I will buy a nicer strap from a third party manufacturer once there are some good offers.
I want a leather strap, but after the disaster with the iPhone 6 Plus case made from "high-quality leather" that didn't even last for six weeks of normal use, I am not going to buy another leather product from Apple.
I want a leather strap, but after the disaster with the iPhone 6 Plus case made from "high-quality leather" that didn't even last for six weeks of normal use, I am not going to buy another leather product from Apple.
A Rolex, for example, appeals to a wider market that may includes those with less than astronomical wealth, because it has timeless style and appreciates in value. A pre-owned Submariner purchased 20 years ago for $2000 can be easily sold today for $4000+. Meanwhile, the owner enjoyed wearing the watch for 20 years.
A gold smartphone will not have the same appeal. It will only attract people with ridiculous amounts of disposable income for whom $10K is an impulse buy. That's not the sort of mindset that generally builds wealth, so I suspect the customer base will be heavily weighted with drug dealers, celebrities, and lotto winners. Think Bieber and Kardashian, not Soros or Buffet.
Rather distasteful business, I think, but evidently an irresistible opportunity for Apple.
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I agree.. I bought the leather case for my wife's iphone5s when it came out... it was scuffed and pretty dingy looking after only a month of use.
Lamborghini dont update the Murciélago every year and spend all their time effectively telling you how the one you bought a couple of years ago is outdated or unsupported.
Only somebody with more money than sense would pay $20k for an Apple Watch, the market size would be tiny. Apple would be rightly ridiculed.
'But top level watches cost that much' I hear you cry. The big difference is that a $20k watch from a reputable brand lasts 50 years. The Apple Watch has an effective life span of one year until the next model comes out.
'But top level watches cost that much' I hear you cry. The big difference is that a $20k watch from a reputable brand lasts 50 years. The Apple Watch has an effective life span of one year until the next model comes out.
If i do end up buying a watch from Apple it'll be because they've broke the mould and done something different. It would be a shame if they designed a groundbreaking watch and then applied the same old tired sales logic found in the current watch industry. I doubt they will do this.
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Yep, this.
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Yep, this.
Why not? They are marketing it in high end shops like any high end watch. I think they are definitely positioning their product as a high end fashion watch.
No, it isn't. I would define something as a bargain if a) it provides immense utility to the owner exceeding its purchase price or b) it has enduring or appreciating value over time. A $10-20K gold smart watch with less than $2K worth of gold and electronics that will be obsolete in a few short years offers neither.
Most of you here are missing the point. The high price of Rolex and Cartier watches is a feature, not a bug. The price of luxury watches has almost no connection to the cost of manufacture. People buy them so that you'll know what kind of cash they have to splash around.
In fact, a lot of the target market might turn up their nose if the Apple Watch Edition isn't expensive enough. Rolex would never dream of putting their watches on sale, lest people speculate the only reason you could afford one is because you "got a deal".
And if it's a watch that's only top-of-the-line for a year, so much the better! What's better than being able to afford a $10k watch? Being able to afford a new one every single year.
This makes no sense at all to normal people, but this is how rich people operate. The Edition watch is for rich people, not normal people. It will be priced accordingly.
In fact, a lot of the target market might turn up their nose if the Apple Watch Edition isn't expensive enough. Rolex would never dream of putting their watches on sale, lest people speculate the only reason you could afford one is because you "got a deal".
And if it's a watch that's only top-of-the-line for a year, so much the better! What's better than being able to afford a $10k watch? Being able to afford a new one every single year.
This makes no sense at all to normal people, but this is how rich people operate. The Edition watch is for rich people, not normal people. It will be priced accordingly.
I'm not planning on buying the gold version one way or the other, but $10,000-$20,000 sounds insanely high. Sure they would sell a few to people who want to brag about spending that much to own something so exclusive, but Apple would likely make more money selling them at a more reasonable price.
Personally I'm liking the Space Black Sport with the black band. Might go for the Space Black stainless steel watch with the link bracelet if the price difference is not that big.
Personally I'm liking the Space Black Sport with the black band. Might go for the Space Black stainless steel watch with the link bracelet if the price difference is not that big.
I think you're not far from the mark. Your prices for the Edition may be a bit too low.
I think the black Stainless Steel with link bracelet will cost more than the silver. Perhaps $100-$150 more. The DLC surface treatment isn't free to make and I think it will justify a higher price.
The idea of a smartwatch costing $20k implies to me that there would be a significant market in upgrading the internals as time goes on. If you could (for a much smaller figure) take your Edition into an Apple Store and get the insides swapped out for the version 2 or version 3 workings (along with a new battery and whatever other gizmos they have) then it makes more sense. A bit.
The point is that you can't compare these watches with a Rolex or similar unless you can guarantee that they will last 50 years, and still be repairable even then.
The point is that you can't compare these watches with a Rolex or similar unless you can guarantee that they will last 50 years, and still be repairable even then.
Will apple come up with solid gold link strap and make a decent profit? I hope they sell a lot of top end watches to subsidize Macs
Yeah but what if this business becomes so profitable that they abandon the tech and consumer electronics market some day and become nothing more than a high priced fashion label for the 1%?
A steel Rolex, maybe, but not a solid gold one. At least not new. Steel Submariner list price starts around $7500, two-tone (some gold) starts at $13,500, and solid gold starts at $34,250. How about the Datejust? $6,200, $9,050, $18,700 for gold with a leather band, or around $27,000 for gold with a gold bracelet (couldn't find the pricing for a new one, but that was the list for the last model). Dealers will cut some off of the list price, but gold watches are ludicrously expensive.
To be honest I have no interest in the watch at all if I can't buy different bands separately to accessorize it.
The more I think about this watch, the more I think that they are going to surprise us with longevity. Maybe the watch cases will allow you to swap in new internals every few years for the cost of the basic watch plus some labor. If Apple makes $5k on a $15k watch and then makes an additional $500 every year to update that watch to the latest version, it's still a pretty great profit center.
High-end luxury watches hold their value, but only if they are pampered and maintained.
A Rolex that's been beat up, cracked, scratched, and gone a decade or two without cleaning and maintenance will lose most of its value. Maintenance is NOT cheap on a fine watch.
"Pass it on to your grandchild" is an ideal, and I suspect many fine watches don't last that long, in good working order, in the real world.
This "it is a fashion thing, not a tech thing" is a garbage argument to justify the absurd.
If these sky-high prices come to pass, the market will be so full of forgeries that you probably couldn't even trust the "Edition" ones you buy from an Apple store (or where ever the "Edition" models will be sold eventually)
If these sky-high prices come to pass, the market will be so full of forgeries that you probably couldn't even trust the "Edition" ones you buy from an Apple store (or where ever the "Edition" models will be sold eventually
)