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i liked the iPhone 5c very very much.
young. vibrant, fun. low cost.

i also was a big fan of the white ceramic watch as well. which was of course very expensive.

i think the discussion within apple for what an iPhone SE and a Watch SE means for users needs to centre around what level of value can be created for a lower priced model.

if some kind of environmentally friendly plastic-ish material can be used for the case that would be best. but usually these kinds of materials are a lot more expensive than first-use plastic.
possibly 80% recycled plastic might create a story and cost benefit.

i think it is likely that all of the health features that are currently in the Series 9 will be in the next Watch SE.
so making the case out of "plastic" would be perceived as one way to differentiate by the bulk of customers.

reducing the cost of the case would be used to offset what will probably be a hefty price increase for the next watch.so apple is looking to merely mitigate what would otherwise be an unaffordable cost for an entry level SE.
they will not be reducing their SRP by anything at all.

in any event, i wouldn't accept it or buy it f were not an environmentally friendly "plastic".
nor do i think apple is likely to use anything but an environmentally friendly "plastic" either.
 
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Seriously? How much does a metal case cost per item when you are mass producing it using robots? I know a cheap plastic molded case is just pennies in high enough quantities but really? If it was going to be a $50 watch ok but you know it's going to still be $100 or more. How many years behind will the hardware be on that? Or are they going to skimp on that too and put a worse screen and tech in it? Apple Watch isn't meant to be a dumb watch, it's all the stuff it does that makes it useful. They just priced themselves out most peoples budgets because greed. Now they miss getting the poors money but they'll sell them 5 year old tech to get it. You can get a decent one used that'll probably be faster.
 
The best part of the story is the assumption that Apple will use the cost savings to lower the price instead of pad profits. The case doesn't cost $50 right now, so there's no way they are dropping the price by $50 based on single digit dollars (at best) of cost savings. They will probably raise the price of the Series 10 to make the SE feel cheaper... "be happy we didn't raise it too"

When Apple improves their manufacturing processes, supply chain or changes materials, they are doing it for themselves. A consumer won't notice $1 in materials saved, but Apple will, because they can multiply that savings across 10s of millions of devices. This is what Tim Cook is good at, and why he's CEO.
 
I don't know where the idea set hold that anything but black, silver and white is for preschoolers.

I like bright colors and I'm a straight married 44 year old man. Sorry for not being boring.

There’s nothing wrong with being you, and you’re not old at 44. I don’t consider having a sense of humor is boring, but nothing having one might be.
 
Swatch watches, many big-box retailer digital watches, and pretty much every watch made for kids, ever?

Right. G-Shock watches and most Casios are plastic. SWATCH is 100% plastic. Lots of quartz, digital and a fair number of “fashion” watches (Michael Kors etc.) are too.

ALL mechanical watches practically without exception are made of stainless steel, titanium or alloys of precious metals like gold. Oh, and some are bronze.

In other words, serious watches are metal (not aluminum). Toy watches and fitness trackers are plastic.
 
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Aren’t iPhone 5c’s sought after by collectors now?

I didn’t think they were too bad looking, especially the all white one.

Now that multi-circle case…now that was hideous.
 
Agree. My girlfriend at the time had the iPhone SE and she loved it. Any complaints were more due to it being underpowered (even for those days), not the design or plastic casing, which were great.

Unfortunately, the glass screen wasn’t as strong as the plastic back: I remember it cracked one time just from being dropped from coffee-table height.
Yeah the front screen was universally weak across all the iPhones.
 
As someone who runs a lot and have problems with corrosion on both my S3 and SE, plastic seems like the perfect material. My first AW, the S3, had it's digital crown corroded to a point it couldn't turn. My current SE has corroded to a point where the button is stuck and the button and any functions tied to it is basically dead to me.

But I'm just worried that Apple's not going to price it as low as we think they would.
 
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Just what we need: more plastic.

But of course the bigger problem is all these Apple (and others') devices (watches, phones, tablets, wireless earbuds, laptops, etc., etc.) without easily user-replaceable batteries, memory, storage, CPU/SIP, & screens.

So they're all disposable landfill within 10 years, if not sooner.
 
I wonder if the performance will be throttled if true. I don't think plastic disperses heat as well as aluminum or SS.
Will probably scratch easier too.
I could see the lineup though:
Apple Watch SE: Plastic - no cellular option
Apple Watch Series 10: Same aluminum - GPS + Cellular option
Apple Watch Pro: Stainless Steel - Cellular only
Apple Watch Ultra: Titanium
I have to disagree about the plastic model not having cellular. These will sell to plenty of parents getting a device to communicate with their children.
 
Excluding the solid-gold Edition, is the case really a significant part of an Apple Watch's price?
This!!! It’s literally pennies per watch! If people don’t realize this then don’t understand material pricing for mass production for something as small and light as the casing for Apple Watch.
 
By design, and necessity, Apple Watch is a very low power device and doesn’t have thermal issues. If it gets warm then something is wrong (and the battery will be dead in an hour).
It’s not unusual for the Apple Watch to get noticeably-warm when charging. Mine occasionally does (particularly during summer). Not dangerously hot or anything (never had a warning about charging being on hold due to the temperature), but it does get noticeably-warm.

I do use a Rhino Shield plastic bumper type case around my Apple Watch, so it’s not able to radiate away the heat as easily (compared to there being no case at all).

And no, my battery isn’t got to be dead in a hour (I presume, lol). I’ve had the same Apple Watch for three or so years and this is all typical for my Apple Watch (with a case).
 
Aren’t iPhone 5c’s sought after by collectors now?

I didn’t think they were too bad looking, especially the all white one.

Now that multi-circle case…now that was hideous.

I fell for the scam trap of buying a used 5C, handing over the money, and then sitting with the seller to try and activate it. I foolishly believed it might just take extra time, so we parted ways, only for them to later admit that I was the sucker.
 
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And so it begins ... profit margins trump environmental responsibility.

I look forward to hearing how Apple is going to justify making plastic devices.
I can quickly do the marketing for them:

All Apple Watch SE are made from 100% reclaimed ocean plastic. Each purchase of an Apple Watch removes plastic equal to two ghost fishing nets from our oceans.

(Incidentally: Ghost fishing nets are a huge problem. You don’t need the Apple Watch to be plastic to address the problem. But if Apple wanted to justify an economic decision using environmental marketing, that would be a way to do it.)
 
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I wonder if the performance will be throttled if true. I don't think plastic disperses heat as well as aluminum or SS.
Will probably scratch easier too.
I could see the lineup though:
Apple Watch SE: Plastic - no cellular option
Apple Watch Series 10: Same aluminum - GPS + Cellular option
Apple Watch Pro: Stainless Steel - Cellular only
Apple Watch Ultra: Titanium
A plastic watch would most certainly have a cellular option. You need it for family setup. Lots of kids get cellular watches to communicate with their parents without needed to have a phone and they would be the prime target for a cheaper apple watch option.
 
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It's actually not a bad idea, if the price will be 199$.

The SE should be the budget option, and any solution that can help lower the price, is good.

I'm in the market for an SE2 in the immediate future, so I won't wait for this one.
That doesn't make me any less curious.
Yes, if Apple prices it for $199, I'd rather have a plastic case with top-tier accurate sensors than aluminium case with a so-so sensors found in the numerous reviews of Watch FE.
 
Prefer to have aluminium only. Not sure how much Apple will reduce the price if plastic is used. $199 probably will be the new price but still better to have aluminium.
 
Marx55 said:
and built-in camera, ideally telescopic rotating retractable camera inside the watch crown.

I am genuinely curious as to what type of pictures you are planning to take with such a camera, that would make it a more suitable tool than the phone you also have in you pocket.

It is not to take the highest-quality pictures at all. It is, for instance, to scan QR-codes, Apple Live Text, and take casual pictures. More about it:

Time For The Apple Watch to Separate From The iPhone

It’s Time for the Apple Watch to Break Free From the iPhone

Future Apple Watch Update to Enable Pairing With Multiple Apple Devices Rather Than Just One iPhone, Claims Leaker

But most importantly, it is to prevent and stop the obnoxious smartphone dependency. The perfect device for people who want to live a phone-free life is a smartwatch. But not the Apple Watch (yet; see below). Because it should be a truly standalone smartwatch, without any dependency (does not require any other device for anything, including setup, although I would accept it if it required a Mac; I do NOT want to own a standard smartphone, not even for free!) and has a telescopic rotating retractable camera, protected from dust and sweat when hidden in what seems the crown neck. Besides, the telescopic camera is a great safety and privacy bonus, since it is only visible and active when you extract it manually.

It is like a miniaturized smartwatch with all its capabilities. You carry it in your wrist and do not notice it. Your hands and mind are free. You do not drop-break it or lose it. Not even thieves look for it. You can sleep with it and use a vibrating alarm to not disturb others when needed.

Amazingly, it costs about 100 USD ($), although I would buy one for ~1,000 from Apple if they made it as well. Unfortunately, they do not do it yet. But at least I have the cheaper one.

One last word. It is really amazing. It has changed my life!
 
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I see no other reason than to increase margin by 1% by decreasing the quality by 20%.
 
High quality plastic shouldn't be a problem. Heck if Apple made a MacBook with high quality plastic it wouldn't be a problem either. The plastic used in the earlier MacBooks was not great so if it's like that, forget it on all counts.

You mean the carbon fiber casings that were almost bullet proof? Or are you talking the clamshell iBooks of yesteryear? If the latter, ok, but if the former, were you two when those products were made? Lots of people preferred them over the aluminum... the only problem was Apple wouldn't put any hardware with balls in them. I still have my white iBook G4 and it looks great and has been through the war without looking like it.
 
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