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macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Gold-Apple-Watch-250x255.jpg
KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a good track record in providing information on yet-to-be released Apple products, today released a report predicting that up to three new casing options for the Apple Watch will launch sometime this fall.

Kuo points out that the Apple Watch's sale momentum could stall entering the fourth quarter of the year, and thinks the release of new casing options for the device could reinvigorate it heading into the 2015 holiday shopping season.

Rumors stating that Apple was looking into a platinum casing for the Watch right before the "Spring Forward" event could point toward the option becoming available down the road.
Aside from current casing materials of aluminum, stainless steel and 18k gold, we believe 1-3 new versions of Apple Watch featuring new casing materials are likely to go into mass production in 4Q15. If this is the case, we think it could boost Apple Watch shipments momentum in 4Q15-1Q16.
Though impressed by the "outstanding designs" of the Apple Watch and new MacBook, Kuo sees the Watch underselling the market expectation of 20-30 million units in 2015 to about 15-20 million devices sold throughout the year. The analyst sees the Watch selling between 5-6 million units in the first half of the year, and the new MacBook about 450,000 units in that same time frame.

Kuo notes that as with many first-generation products, the Apple Watch will "focus on verifying whether the user behavior and business model are right", with subsequent generations honing in and expanding on the device's features and adding new ones, as well. As a result, he expects shipments to "grow significantly" in these second or third-generation Apple Watches in comparison to his predicted numbers for the first-generation model.

Article Link: Apple Watch May Gain Additional Casing Material Options Later This Year
 

TheRealTVGuy

macrumors 6502a
Jul 21, 2010
704
1,156
Orlando, FL
Aside from the fact that I cringe everytime I see the name Ming-Chi Kuo, I think from other reports we've seen published that Platinum won't be coming to the Apple Watch this year. We know they looked at it as a possibility, but backed off.

Now, next year... who knows!

Sorry Ming Chi, not this time. :cool:
 

SpiderDude

macrumors regular
Jan 29, 2008
224
320
Portugal, Europe
my stooooock!!! no!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Apple sticking it to the investors again.
If perspectives of sales of current gen were already a bit iffy, this is gonna wreck it, really hard.

:mad:
 

Ries

macrumors 68020
Apr 21, 2007
2,313
2,827
Maybe they are pulling an "ipad 4". 6 months down the road, the new improved apple watch, the S2 :)
 

Menopause

macrumors 6502a
Feb 26, 2011
663
1,807
Which will soon be "pushed back" to Q1 2016 "due to production issues", oh wait, that's a year from now, the usual product cycle of handheld Apple products. FFS, why do we have to do this every time?
 

heeloliver

macrumors 6502a
Sep 6, 2014
639
423
I'd rather a round watch than new material. Just my aesthetic preference.

won't happen anytime soon. Ive chose the square screen so text works well with the display, and they still have the freedom of circular watch faces with the OLED screen.
 

nagromme

macrumors G5
May 2, 2002
12,546
1,196
Platinum wouldn't reinvigorate anything. I can see maybe some anodized aluminum colors (pink, green, project RED, even "gold"). Or 5C-style sturdy plastic for a lower entry price.
 

Tankmaze

macrumors 68000
Mar 7, 2012
1,707
351
I'm thinking plastic with lower price point then the sport, about 100 dollars less perhaps. $249 would be a sweet spot.
 

kmj2318

macrumors 68000
Aug 22, 2007
1,669
712
Naples, FL
Platinum sounds like a stretch to me, but given the Edition, who can say.:p

I don't understand the desire for platinum. It's indistinguishable from SS unless you hold them next to each other. A little bit whiter but that's it.

Rolex gets around this because you can easily tell a platinum version because they usually have a blue dial.

If Apple makes one, I expect they would want to differentiate the Platinum from the SS version somehow. Most likely with an exclusive type of band.

What other materials could be on the reasonable priced tier ? Maybe a titanium? I can't think of anything else right now.
 
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