Apple Announces Nylon Watch Bands, Drops Starting Apple Watch Price to $299

[doelcm82]

It doesn't help Apple's image either. Other than the original iPhone (which was a brand new market category for the entire cell phone industry - which the watch is not), I don't think Apple has ever dropped the price on a product less than a year old without releasing a new one to take its place.

Very telling.

Those who owned smartphones before Apple came out with the iPhone (and who argued to anyone who would listen, that the iPhone wasn't even very "smart") will take exception to your assertion that the smart phone category was created by Apple, while the smart watch category was already mature.

Or were you talking about some other category? If so, what is that category called in the industry press?

In what ways does lowering the price on the year-old Apple Watch damage your personal opinion of Apple?

 

[netsped]

There are also new colors for both silicone and leather cases. Storm gray leather looks great.

 

[macs4nw]

Seems to me that all of these watch bands are geared towards the females..... Personally i was hoping for better.

Personally I think the Space Black Milanese Loop is pretty cool and 'masculine'.

 

[mfm77]

I was at least hoping for smart bands, particularly one with GPS capability. I've been hanging on to my Microsoft Band (version 1 - early adopter) but would have considered buying the Watch had smart bands been introduced. Now, I figure I'll just ride my Band until it goes and then hopefully will have Watch 2 to purchase. Hopefully the Band lasts through my next two half marathons in May.

Yes, I run with my iPhone and could use its GPS with the Watch, but from what I've heard, the measurements are less reliable than if the Watch had onboard GPS.

 

[Bubba Satori]

Galaxy S7 Edge sales must be terrible then because Verizon is offering buy one get one free right now.

Same deals around on iPhones.

 

[Rogifan]

Same deals around on iPhones.

iPhone 6S is 6 months old though.

 

[Bubba Satori]

iPhone 6S is 6 months old though.

Yeah, that's like five years in phone years.

 

[AliMacs]

Big price drop..
Sales must be lower than they expected/want.

$200 too expensive!

 

[fewlio]

Apple watch what a dog. Plenty of regular watches and smartwatches that look better. And I don't own an iphone! Cook's a fool, iPod didn't really take off until Jobs allowed it to work on windows machines, and then Cook pulls this nonsense. Apple stock? SELL SELL SELL!!

 

[Muk4r0]

You miss the distinction between the original iPhone and the Watch. The original iPhone was a brand new product category for an entire industry, not just a new product for Apple. Also, Apple didn't make phones before, and people weren't secure with the connection.

The Watch is totally different. They've done little else than refine a product already in an understood industry space, something about which they have significant experience with now. Apple already makes similar devices, and has become an accepted and trusted household name -- people will buy anything from Apple just because they made it, something that wasn't true when the iPhone came out.

Dropping the price less than a year after launch without offering something better sends a definite message.

Apple watch what a dog. Plenty of regular watches and smartwatches that look better. And I don't own an iphone! Cook's a fool, iPod didn't really take off until Jobs allowed it to work on windows machines, and then Cook pulls this nonsense. Apple stock? SELL SELL SELL!!

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/10/04/ipod-nano-updated-price-reduced/

I just don't understand ... We where there already in ipod nano gen 6 ... Suddenly ipod nano gen 7 to lose track ... We just needed wifi to get the ball rolling, but nooo .... And now this 299.99 dollars later ... We had a product already and you took it away and rebranded so you could spike the price ... Shame on you apple, i will wait !

 

[Jethrox]

Cook mentioned only 1/3 of all watch customers are changing their bands. Chances are a very large percentage of those customers are women, who do tend to accessorize more than men. So this isn't surprising.

My wife wanted different colors for Christmas so it's true

For me I want a comfortable one that breaths, I returned my melenese aluminum one because it with the hairs out of my arm.

A smart band would have been great to help keep the product alive

 

[maxsix]

Just after I buy it for almost full price!

Apple's influence over consumers is one of the greatest accomplishments of all time. They could make a band out of paper and it would be hailed as life changing.

Proof positive that Apple has never enjoyed as much power and influence over people as they do presently.

 

[Jethrox]

I'm sold on the black Milanese loop.

Also glad to see the price drop even though I already have mine. The Watch right now is an accessory to the iPhone. It shouldn't cost more than the iPhone.

It looks good but I returned mine because it tore the hairs from my arm...guess you could shave
[doublepost=1458618373][/doublepost]

Didn't sell as much as they hoped. Clearing inventory for the AW2

I think they want more market penetration and this will help...keeps the watch in the news too.

 

[Lancer]

$299US is a good price given they are $429 here in Australia for the cheapest one.

Took me 3 years to get my first iPad so might get a watch in 2018 at this rate.

 

[makinao]

Cook mentioned only 1/3 of all watch customers are changing their bands. Chances are a very large percentage of those customers are women, who do tend to accessorize more than men. So this isn't surprising.

Go to watch enthusiast's fora and you'll see how often men swap the straps/bracelets of their watches.

 

[hanpa]

I don't understand why new watch bands is such a big change that Apple Watch is regarded as newly updated in Buyer's guide and "buy now". Very misleading! Same Apple watch hardware!

 

[bingeciren]

Those who owned smartphones before Apple came out with the iPhone (and who argued to anyone who would listen, that the iPhone wasn't even very "smart") will take exception to your assertion that the smart phone category was created by Apple, while the smart watch category was already mature.

Or were you talking about some other category? If so, what is that category called in the industry press?

In what ways does lowering the price on the year-old Apple Watch damage your personal opinion of Apple?

I absolutely agree with that. I was using a Palm Treo 650 before iPhone even existed and Treo had a camera, touch screen (with pen), backlit keyboard, SD card slot for memory expansion, MP3 player, web browser, email, and run programs like Documents to Go for MS office compatibility and even Facebook. It was even smart enough to be able to "copy & paste" which the first iPhone could not even do it. Yes, at that time I thought the first iPhone was really not that smart at all.

Apple certainly did not created the smart phone category, just as it did not create the MP3 player category with the iPod or made the 3.5mm audio jack an industry standard like many believe.

Apple is very good at marketing and re-packaging, that's all.

 

[Mac 128]

I absolutely agree with that. I was using a Palm Treo 650 before iPhone even existed and Treo had a camera, touch screen (with pen), backlit keyboard, SD card slot for memory expansion, MP3 player, web browser, email, and run programs like Documents to Go for MS office compatibility and even Facebook. It was even smart enough to be able to "copy & paste" which the first iPhone could not even do it. Yes, at that time I thought the first iPhone was really not that smart at all.

Apple certainly did not created the smart phone category, just as it did not create the MP3 player category with the iPod or made the 3.5mm audio jack an industry standard like many believe.

Apple is very good at marketing and re-packaging, that's all.

Oh brother. I had a Palm Treo as well. It was NOTHING like the iPhone I immediately purchased as soon as it was available on the market. The smartphone market had seen nothing like the iPhone, and was mostly dominated by the Blackberry. Palm had a sliver of that market share, as did Microsoft.

What Apple did to the smartphone and the mp3 player was monumental compared to what they did with the Watch. Apple brought NOTHING new to the smartwatch game in the way they did with the iPhone and the iPod. There's nothing technologically that Apple brought to the Watch that didn't already exist in other smartwatches already selling for less. About all Apple did was re-package the smartwatch in a high quality, well designed case, which in of itself is nothing new either. But the smartwatch was already a defined category with a target demographic. Apple has expanded the bounds of that demographic, but likely only because it has Apple's name on it. There's nothing revolutionary about Apple's offering, the way there was with the iPhone and the iPod.

 

[bingeciren]

There's nothing technologically that Apple brought to the Watch that didn't already exist in other smartwatches already selling for less. About all Apple did was re-package the smartwatch in a high quality, well designed case, which in of itself is nothing new either. But the smartwatch was already a defined category with a target demographic. Apple has expanded the bounds of that demographic, but likely only because it has Apple's name on it. There's nothing revolutionary about Apple's offering, the way there was with the iPhone and the iPod.

I kind of agree with that. I resisted buying an Watch for a year. Lately I bought one, just as a toy, with an intension to give it as a gift to a family member after playing with it for a while. To my surprise, I liked it better than I thought I would. However, its sole purpose is to be an iPhone accessory. It makes me quickly see and respond to messages, emails and notifications without reaching for my phone. It comes in handy in busy situations to look at a glance to decide whether that call or a message can wait, or needs my immediate response. So, it fulfills its purpose as an extension for my iPhone.

That being said, I really cannot say that Watch revolutionized the smart watch market. In order to do that, It had to appeal to a broader segment, not just the iPhone users, and compete with the existing smart watches.

 

[szw-mapple fan]

They sold for that much around Xmas. They just have room to discount and are taking advantage of that to drive more sales before they roll out an upgrade.

I think they are simply doing what they did with the original iPhone. Set a precedent for a high price and make the later price change seem like a bargain.