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Apple Rumored to Offer Personal Engravings on Apple Watch

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Apr 12, 2001
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Apple may give customers the ability to engrave personalized messages onto the upcoming Apple Watch, according to French Apple and tech site iPhonote [Google Translate].

According to the website's source, who remained anonymous due to their "involvement at Apple", the company would offer an engraving option similar to that of products like the iPhone, iPad, and iPod lines.

The contact, however, remains unsure of whether the feature would be available on the Apple Watch's launch date or not. They remain "almost certain", however, that the customization option will emerge for the device eventually.

An engraving option certainly makes sense for Apple's new fashion-focused wearable, especially considering that essentially all of the company's mobile products include the personalization option, but the small footprint of the Watch does raise questions on where the actual engraving would be located.

The heart rate sensor located on the device's backside takes up nearly all of the real estate of the 38mm or 42 mm device, although drastic character count limitations could perhaps fit truncated messages around the sensor. There's also a possibility that more room could be found on the device's side opposite the Digital Crown, but until Apple officially announces the engraving service, it remains to be seen where the personal messages would fit onto the wearable.

Despite being announced nearly six months ago, a number of details on the Apple Watch have yet to be revealed in the lead-up to its April launch. Last week, the company sent out invites for the "Spring Forward" media event to take place Monday, March 9 and for which most evidence points towards a heavy focus on pricing and launch day details for the new wearable device.

(Photo: aBlogtoWatch)

Article Link: Apple Rumored to Offer Personal Engravings on Apple Watch
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/05/engravings-apple-watch/
Further killing any resale value these things will have in a couple of years when they are already out of date and the battery lasts for 6 hours.
 
"Your $10,000 Edition Watch has a Best Before End date of 2 years."
 
It would probably be engraved on the side, the opposite side of where the Digital Crown is.
 
Not sure how this is newsworthy as Apple currently offers engraving on other products. :confused:
 
I remember back when iPods were popular, the ones that had engravings would sell for a lot less on eBay.
 
hmm is there a possibility there will be a way to update your iwatch by keeping the skeleton? werent the internals all cased?
 
Why would this be surprising to anyone since they've engraved iPods and iPads for a long time now.

Why would anyone buying an edition watch care about resale value? Even if it destroys resale its no different than engraving, say, a Rolex. People who engrave do it because the item is a gift to someone so they don't think the recipient is going to sell it. Anyone who engraves their own watch is an egomaniac and also probably relishes more than someone is wearing a watch with their name on it vs not getting top dollar.
 
rmbpuser said:
hmm is there a possibility there will be a way to update your iwatch by keeping the skeleton? werent the internals all cased?
Click to expand...
Yes. There absolutely is...a possibility...that this will be the case. We'll likely find out on Monday.

The argument against is that it's not the way Apple does things, and Apple never does anything differently. We might also find out on Monday that the Apple Watch was an elaborate practical joke and that Apple will never make a watch, because the watch would never sell if Apple did every thing the old Apple way, and Apple is unable to adapt to new markets.
 
rmbpuser said:
hmm is there a possibility there will be a way to update your iwatch by keeping the skeleton? werent the internals all cased?
Click to expand...

Many people think this will happen, but it won't. Not because Apple "never does anything differently" as the comment above mine suggests sarcastically, but because it makes zero sense from a business perspective.

Apple will focus on getting people to purchase their new watches with the newest features, not limiting their future design flexibility nor wasting money and Apple Store resources for an "internal swap" program just to keep old watches in circulation for as long as possible. Apple has too much to gain from getting everyone to have the latest product.
 
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filmantopia said:
Many people think this will happen, but it won't. Not because Apple "never does anything differently" as the comment above mine suggests sarcastically, but because it makes zero sense from a business perspective.

Apple will focus on getting people to purchase their new watches with the newest features, not limiting their future design flexibility nor wasting money and Apple Store resources for an "internal swap" program just to keep old watches in circulation for as long as possible. Apple has too much to gain from getting everyone to have the latest product.
Click to expand...
My thought is that Apple will offer updated internals for the pricier models, including the sensor array on the back of the Watch. So for a nominal fee (say, $348), you can renew your Watch to the latest technology.

Someone who likes their Stainless Steel or Gold Edition Apple Watch, but doesn't want to pay the premium to replace it with a comparable model might be likely to pay the upgrade fee. From a business perspective, it's better to sell the upgraded internals than to sell nothing at all to a customer who decides to hold on to her current Watch for another year.

I don't have any inside knowledge, but that is how I would escape the inescapable trap set by those who argue that no one will pay $10,000 or more for a watch that will be tossed in the trash in two years because it is obsolete.

We'll all find out Monday, most likely, how Apple plans to address the absolute impossibility of selling gold watches the way they currently sell iPhones.
 
Chupa Chupa said:
Why would this be surprising to anyone since they've engraved iPods and iPads for a long time now.

Why would anyone buying an edition watch care about resale value? Even if it destroys resale its no different than engraving, say, a Rolex. People who engrave do it because the item is a gift to someone so they don't think the recipient is going to sell it. Anyone who engraves their own watch is an egomaniac and also probably relishes more than someone is wearing a watch with their name on it vs not getting top dollar.
Click to expand...

Engraving has been done for years, so you're exactly right; not surprising.

This isn't about the edition watch per se. It's about all :apple: watches. Your premise still applies. Not everyone who purchases Apple products buys with an eye toward the resale market. As for reasons, a gift is one. Being an egomaniac would probably be further down the line.:rolleyes: More close to the front is security. Harder to move stolen watch with engravings. Easier to prove ownership if recovered.
 
doelcm82 said:
My thought is that Apple will offer updated internals for the pricier models, including the sensor array on the back of the Watch. So for a nominal fee (say, $348), you can renew your Watch to the latest technology.

Someone who likes their Stainless Steel or Gold Edition Apple Watch, but doesn't want to pay the premium to replace it with a comparable model might be likely to pay the upgrade fee. From a business perspective, it's better to sell the upgraded internals than to sell nothing at all to a customer who decides to hold on to her current Watch for another year.

I don't have any inside knowledge, but that is how I would escape the inescapable trap set by those who argue that no one will pay $10,000 or more for a watch that will be tossed in the trash in two years because it is obsolete.

We'll all find out Monday, most likely, how Apple plans to address the absolute impossibility of selling gold watches the way they currently sell iPhones.
Click to expand...

$10,000 every few years is better than $350 every year. If the edition folks upgrade once every 28 years Apple would have made more money not allowing them to upgrade.
 
doelcm82 said:
I don't have any inside knowledge, but that is how I would escape the inescapable trap set by those who argue that no one will pay $10,000 or more for a watch that will be tossed in the trash in two years because it is obsolete.
Click to expand...

People spend that much for a plane ticket or a hand bag. The Edition is not intended to be a priceless heirloom that people save up to buy as an investment. It's for people who don't need to ask how much it cost. $5-10K is a drop in the bucket for the people who will be buying it. They'll just buy a new one in a year or two when its updated, no problem.

Celebrities, pro sport players, CEOs, hedgefund babies, etc etc. are Apple customers and tech enthusiasts. There will be *plenty* of buyers like this. I used to work at an Apple Store and I assure you there is no shortage of black-card customers.
 
filmantopia said:
People spend that much for a plane ticket or a hand bag. The Edition is not intended to be a priceless heirloom that people save up to buy as an investment. It's for people who don't need to ask how much it cost. $5-10K is a drop in the bucket for the people who will be buying it. They'll just buy a new one in a year or two when its updated, no problem.

Celebrities, pro sport players, CEOs, hedgefund babies, etc etc. are Apple customers and tech enthusiasts. There will be *plenty* of buyers like this. I used to work at an Apple Store and I assure you there is no shortage of black-card customers.
Click to expand...

Excellent post!

Especially in Silicon Valley, SF, LA, and San Diego, four very wealthy areas in CA alone. Add in other wealthy communities across the U.S. Including New York and other areas of the Eastern Coast and within the U.S.A. by itself there's vast potential.
 
doelcm82 said:
My thought is that Apple will offer updated internals for the pricier models, including the sensor array on the back of the Watch. So for a nominal fee (say, $348), you can renew your Watch to the latest technology.

Someone who likes their Stainless Steel or Gold Edition Apple Watch, but doesn't want to pay the premium to replace it with a comparable model might be likely to pay the upgrade fee. From a business perspective, it's better to sell the upgraded internals than to sell nothing at all to a customer who decides to hold on to her current Watch for another year.
Click to expand...

Sure, that makes sense from a business standpoint. The problem is that this constrains Apple's future designs to support the older form factors. I'm not sure they would be willing to do it unless they already have next year's product fully specified on paper.
 
If I'm getting my $10,000 Edition watch engraved, Apple better give me back the microscopic gold etching that's removed from the back of the phone.
 
I could see this, if you could replace the battery (since it will gradually loose its capacity over time) and you could keep the thing for a long time.

But if the battery isn't replaceable (which seems Apple's design standard these days) then this is an expensive but disposable device (as another commenter said - with a Best Before date of 2 years from release) and you'll resell it for much more (before it naturally degrades) without any personalization.

I'm fascinated with the idea of being able to replacing the guts (and battery?). That would be marketing genious on Apple's part as now instead of just really rich people you would open up the market to folks who have the money, but do have to think about it and can tell themselves...but I can upgrade this when I need to. The battery has to be part of the upgrade though or it won't be worth it.
 
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