An In-Depth Look at Apple Watch Band Options and Potential Pricing

[vvswarup]

Even if Apple doesn't restrict bands that people buy, not all of the bands will go well with all three case options. The Sport model is made out of aluminum. The Milanese Mesh band may look out of place because of a mismatch at the place where the band meets the case.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Edition version sells for tens of thousands of dollars. It's clearly aimed at luxury watch customers. If Apple prices it like that, Apple probably isn't expecting to sell very many of them. That version of the Watch may not even be sold in all Apple Stores. It may only be sold in some ultra high-end locations like the NYC Apple Store.

 

[smulji]

$10,000?! That's more than a Mac! Why would you waste your money on that?

Why do people waste $20,000 on a Rolex that does less than the Apple Watch?

 

[MartyF81]

I think he is missing the boat on this one. Except on the Gold Model... and possibly on the availability of bands to purchase separately.

The WSJ has said Apple is speculated to produce 5-6 million of these devices for launch. 5-6 MILLION.

Think about it. Apple typically builds not enough devices for launch.... to create demand. So they are expecting to sell out of 5-6 million at launch.. and then sell millions more of the rest of the year.

People are not going to be being 5-6+ million of these things at the prices Gruber is quoting. This isn't a utility device that people use all day long like an iPhone... people are not going to be able to justify it for a watch... especially in a world where most iPhone users are wearing Fossil price range watches. The market isn't there.

I think it will be $350 to $700 for the Sport and Stainless models.. all band types. Maybe $1000 max for the best stainless with the best band... but even that sounds crazy to me. Who knows, or cares for that matter, what the Gold Models will be.

Look at how Apple Marketed it at the announcement and on their website. Average people wearing these things... It can't be at the price points gruber is talking about. Apple is not stupid enough to think a bunch of people are going to buy the base model with a rubber wrist band and wear it to an office and think it is "ok" for business wear of most of the middle class.

He missed this boat on price.

 

[azentropy]

The thing is that if you buy a $10K designer watch in 10 years it will have deprecated very little and may have even gained in value.

A $10K piece of technology in 10 years is generally worth very little.

So don't know what merging of the two will bring.

 

[coolfactor]

Why someone would (hypothetically) waste $10k+ in a smartwatch fad is beyond my understanding.

You're either cynical because you don't have that kind of money, and you really want to have an AppleWatch, or you truly believe that this smartwatch evolution is just a fad and will be gone one day like how the iPod is currently fading. Or do you view the AppleWatch being a disposable device that needs to be replaced every few years, and therefore paying a large amount of money for "a phone accessory" would be stupid? I hope that Apple has build the watch so the guts can be replaced with a new generation unit, and therefore the casing would not be fully wasted when replaced.

 

[dexterbell]

I can already see whats going to happen. Some of these high end bands will be extremely limited and will be sold for like 3 times their price online, just like the first batch of gold iPhones

 

[H2SO4]

You people aren't reading the analysis. These are priced as fashion watches are. Disregard what tech is inside them. Millions of people spend that much every day on watches that only tell time and not even as reliably.

I bet their watches don’t alarm at the wrong time when Daylight Savings Time comes around. That’s one thing about iOS that was very reliable.

----------

You're either cynical because you don't have that kind of money, and you really want to have an AppleWatch, or you truly believe that this smartwatch evolution is just a fad and will be gone one day like how the iPod is currently fading. Or do you view the AppleWatch being a disposable device that needs to be replaced every few years, and therefore paying a large amount of money for "a phone accessory" would be stupid? I hope that Apple has build the watch so the guts can be replaced with a new generation unit, and therefore the casing would not be fully wasted when replaced.

Makes you wonder why they can’t do the same with the phones then. They’ll either rip you off with the watch, the phone or both. But not neither.

 

[coolfactor]

Why do people waste $20,000 on a Rolex that does less than the Apple Watch?

Those people don't see a watch, they see a status symbol. But the AppleWatch is a "gadget". I think Apple is working very, very hard to position their watch as a status symbol to avoid this very difference. The trick will be to ensure that the technology lasts. With the iPhone doing a lot of the heavy lifting, I think they are hoping that a watch, even the first generation, will last many years.

 

[Night Spring]

He says "I don’t think any of the stainless steel bands will be available for retail purchase". Why on earth would they do that?

I think he gets a lot wrong in his article/post.

I think making guesses are silly. The only thing I will say is I think Gruber is wrong about the bands. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if bands is where Apple hopes to make a lot of money. No way do I think Apple will restrict people from buying bands separate from the watch. I doubt you'll be able to buy a watch without a band but I'm certwin Apple will let you buy as many bands as you want.

Agreed. I also noticed that Gruber lost track of the leather bands. He said that steel bands (link and Milanese loop) won't be sold separately because the bands themselves are so expensive. Then he goes on to conclude that only Sports bands will be avaiable as separate purchases. So what about the leather ones? He just seems to forget about them altogether.

 

[extricated]

I’m curious regarding the bands.
In their “Introducing Apple Watch” video, Jony mentions “six different straps and a mechanism that makes the straps easily interchangeable” (mentioned around 6:50).

In that simple regard, I had wondered if there would be an à la carte option, or maybe an option to buy an extra band for a particular occasion (sporty vs. dressy). However, on the purely fashion/design end of the spectrum, Apple wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) want people to be able to slap any old band on any watch they choose. We all know that certain combinations would be flat out ugly, so I wouldn’t blame Apple for wanting to limit our options to what looks good. Apple watch wearers are advertising for Apple (by nature of ownership), so Apple would naturally want to preserve their good design-sense by keeping the strap combinations aesthetically pleasing.

Could the interchangable "mechanism" be specific to each watch line?
How else might Apple limit that choice?

I mean, surely we can buy extra bands. That's been stated plainly enough. What's to keep you from buying the "wrong one" unless the means of attachment is somehow slightly different for each line of watch?

But then, someone posted an example in the forums that looks to be a Sport with the leather loop.
Source.

 

[CmdrLaForge]

Mine will cost $350 no matter what.

 

[freediverx]

Why someone would (hypothetically) waste $10k+ in a smartwatch fad is beyond my understanding.

Unlike, say, a Rolex, the value of a gold smart watch will depreciate considerably over time. So with that in mind, I think this product is aimed at the nouveau riche: "people who have recently acquired wealth, typically those perceived as ostentatious or lacking in good taste." And where is there a gigantic and growing market of nouveau riche? China.

The gold Apple Watch will be the darling of tacky upwardly mobile Chinese and gaudy celebrities, people more concerned with flaunting their wealth than in a product's quality or good taste.

 

[coolfactor]

Makes you wonder why they can’t do the same with the phones then. They’ll either rip you off with the watch, the phone or both. But not neither.

You're right. I think the difference is the execution. When the iPhone came out, it was virtually a brand new platform, device....there was nothing else quite like it. Sure there were PDAs and other "smart" phones, but the iPhone redefined the phone and PDA spaces overnight. They launched with one phone that broke the mould.

Watches go back eons, though. There's a lot of tried and true history to utilize in designing and building the AppleWatch. They are launching with *two* sizes and many different styles. I hope that is a tactic to start with a very mature product that doesn't change radically from year to year. However, they are now competing with the expectation that companies release new products at a fast pace. If the AppleWatch does not change much from year to year, they will appear to be outpaced by the competition.

It will be an interesting show to watch.

 

[extricated]

Agreed. I also noticed that Gruber lost track of the leather bands. He said that steel bands (link and Milanese loop) won't be sold separately because the bands themselves are so expensive. Then he goes on to conclude that only Sports bands will be avaiable as separate purchases. So what about the leather ones? He just seems to forget about them altogether.

Yes! I wish I had seen this before I made my ramble just now.

 

[TXCherokee]

Actually, I'm guessing that the internals of the Edition Watch will be swappable down the road. Considering the internals probably cost less than a $100 that might be a cheap way to justify the value. And if designed to be fairly easy to repair (which I know is very un-Apple), then the labor cost for a swap and repair would be cheap as well. Since Luxury Watches regularly get serviced, Apple might take a cue from that.

^This. I've said this very same thing in a previous post.

 

[squirrrl]

Have people lost their minds? I'm not sure if it's been said already because I've only skimmed the comments, but there WILL be third party bands and pricing will have to take into account the price of third party bands. If Apple's price is wayyyy too high over these (Apple's price for it's own iPhone/iPad cases is high, but not outrageous) then Apple won't sell any of their own bands.

 

[Southshore]

I'll take the other side of his bet

It's not a rumour, it's posted on Apple's web site.

I believe their goal is not to sell a few million units, but rather sell hundreds of millions. Cook and his team know all too well that their products command a premium, but they will not alienate the masses with a watch that costs as much as a car.

With respect to their web site, Apple indicates that their metallurgists have crafted a case from 18 karat gold that is twice as hard as standard gold - which can only be accomplished by adding another material. The watch will not be machined from a block of gold. I suspect this will be the first real use of the Liquidmetal technology they acquired in 2010. While there will be a selection of ultra-premium watches, the vast majority sold will be for less than $500.

 

[freediverx]

I hope that Apple has build the watch so the guts can be replaced with a new generation unit, and therefore the casing would not be fully wasted when replaced.

Assuming Apple plans to do so, how long do you realistically think they could offer such upgrades?

Given Apple's focus on miniaturization, combined with the fact that the Apple Watch in its current incarnation is a rather chunky beast, it is an almost certainty that within a couple of years the "guts" will have a completely different size and configuration that cannot be retrofitted into an old case. Personally, I don't expect Apple to offer any such upgrades unless the original models are found to have some manufacturing defects.

 

[leo8877]

I believe their goal is not to sell a few million units, but rather sell hundreds of millions. Cook and his team know all too well that their products command a premium, but they will not alienate the masses with a watch that costs as much as a car.

With respect to their web site, Apple indicates that their metallurgists have crafted a case from 18 karat gold that is twice as hard as standard gold - which can only be accomplished by adding another material. The watch will not be machined from a block of gold. I suspect this will be the first real use of the Liquidmetal technology they acquired in 2010. While there will be a selection of ultra-premium watches, the vast majority sold will be for less than $500.

Edition is not for the masses.

 

[winston1236]

I hope he's wrong.

I was hoping the stainless steel apple watch would start at $500. Otherwise you're buying an iPhone accessory for almost the same price as an iPhone would cost you sim-free.

The Edition - whatever, they can price that wherever they want. I don't have a particular want or need for the gold one. But if these are where the prices hit then I guess I'm downgrading to a "Sport".

No worries, when they don't sell they will cue the buy an iphone get a free watch promos.

 

[cheesyappleuser]

You're either cynical because you don't have that kind of money, and you really want to have an AppleWatch, or you truly believe that this smartwatch evolution is just a fad and will be gone one day like how the iPod is currently fading. Or do you view the AppleWatch being a disposable device that needs to be replaced every few years, and therefore paying a large amount of money for "a phone accessory" would be stupid? I hope that Apple has build the watch so the guts can be replaced with a new generation unit, and therefore the casing would not be fully wasted when replaced.

Well, if I own a bought-new Macbook I can definitely buy one of those
With that said, I can't see a use for it just yet. However, yes, it would be more sensible if you could only replace the watch. Nevertheless, it would be crazy expensive since it is made of gold.

 

[heehee]

Analysts and Meteorologists can be wrong most of the time and still keep their jobs.

 

[squirrrl]

Assuming Apple plans to do so, how long do you realistically think they could offer such upgrades?

Given Apple's focus on miniaturization, combined with the fact that the Apple Watch in its current incarnation is a rather chunky beast, it is an almost certainty that within a couple of years the "guts" will have a completely different size and configuration that cannot be retrofitted into an old case. Personally, I don't expect Apple to offer any such upgrades unless the original models are found to have some manufacturing defects.

I'm more worried about the battery replacement... We all know that after a year or two of heavy use, our iPhone batteries are really pretty krappy. I can't imagine it would be much different for the apple watch.

 

[Black Magic]

Those people don't see a watch, they see a status symbol. But the AppleWatch is a "gadget". I think Apple is working very, very hard to position their watch as a status symbol to avoid this very difference. The trick will be to ensure that the technology lasts. With the iPhone doing a lot of the heavy lifting, I think they are hoping that a watch, even the first generation, will last many years.

I hope so and sounds like you are spot on. Introducing a new spec watch every year will be a turn off.

 

[rmatthewware]

The problem with pricing the gold watches that high is that this is still a gadget. Next year the $350 watch will have better specs and in my eyes be "better". They will need to
Have a trade-in program or upgrade program of some kind for this to fly.

The Apple Watch Edition isn't for people who think like you. It's for big spenders who want a smart watch that is also a luxury watch, that says "I'm better than you." It doesn't sound nice, but it's the mentality of people who are willing to drop $10k on a time piece.

There is already an after market that takes iPhones and swaps out the covers for high end materials: gold, platinum, etc. If the Watch Edition does well, I could see future iPhones being offered with luxury options.

And look at the auto market. Lamborghini doesn't sell a lot of cars each year. But they make a killing on the ones they do. Most Apple Watch sales will be around the $350 price point, but the Watch Edition will have a killer profit margin.