Apple Watch Chipmakers Said to Be Gearing Up Production

[TallManNY]

Here's what Apple says about some of the bands on their website:











So one link bracelet takes nine hours to complete. And it appears that the materials for the others are coming from Europe. That makes me wonder if all the components of this device will be manufactured in China or if China will just be for final assembly? Or will the Edition watch not be manufactured in China at all? Notice on the marketing materials the back of the watch doesn't say anything about where it was made/assembled.

Thanks. Maybe you are right. Still got to be easier to build those bands then the watch with all its electronic components. Some of those bands might end up being as expensive as the aluminum watch itself. Also you can build up supply for the bands as they will "keep" in a way that you can't for the watch (which needs the iOS loaded to it which is presumably still a work in progress as we speak). Also less security needed for the bands, so Apple should be comfortable with a million of them sitting in a warehouse somewhere. Obviously the watch itself needs to be a securely stored as possible as competitors want to reverse engineer it as best they can.

 

[proline]

My take is the Apple Watch is going to be a huge rush of early adopters and apps in the store. A few will pay off their mortgages with this platform.

Yup, there will be a reward for the people who adopt watchKit the best. That said, WatchKit app development will not bring a lot of revenue to most people as there is little room for ads and the market will be smaller than the iPad.

I'm quite curious to see how a social significance of wearing an Apple Watch will come about. I hope it does not create "gl*******" phenomenon.

There won't be any social issues. The Apple Watch is thoughtfully designed and quite unlike Google glass. In person, it will look like a nice watch- people judging the style off a couple photos are as ignorant as people who said the iPhone 6 would be ugly before they ever saw one. There is nothing about it that screams "I'm a douchebag" the way there is with Android Wear, and it won't be marketed in a creepy misogynistic way like the Galaxy Gear.

 

[Thunderhawks]

Lmao at those prices. First real apple failure coming ZUNE I guess.

Made that a little clearer.

At this point my wait and see attitude towards Apple products is telling me not to wait, because I can't see it.

But, for every nay sayer there seem to be anxious customers ready to jump.

BTW: A lot of money for a Beta product in any version.

 

[e-coli]

I agree. It has very little appeal. Had it been something much more classy (like some of the "band" mockups shown up till when it was revealed), with all sorts of next gen. health sensors I might have done it. But this failure of a non-feature product? No way... Able to "send a heartbeat"? C'mon... if that's a feature they have to highlight, they know they are in trouble...

Actually that type of human interaction (touching the screen and making their wrist vibrate, or sending a heart) is really unexpected. I think it's quite nice. One of the product's most charming features.

 

[veronica.m]

Battery life of 1 week MINIMUM needed before i touch any "smart watch",

its not a usable device if i NEED to carry a charger around for my watch when i go overnight for business
.

Amen to that!! I have about 3 chargers - one at home, one at work and one in my bag. It's really insane that it seems normal.

 

[Keirasplace]

I think a lot of MR members are going to be shocked when Apple announces the prices for these bands.

Real watch bands are EXPENSIVE, so no one who actually owns those kind of watches would be surprised, only those that never bought one would. That's why the cheapest one comes with a rubber band .

 

[scottwaugh]

30-40 millions. Wow that's an ambitious goal. I am still on the fence myself as I am not sure if it really adds value for me. The design I find ok but not great.

I feel much the same. We have several Mac's, and multiple iPhone's and iPad's in the house. I like Apple's hardware, the experience they provide and their very slow rate of depreciation compared to alternative products.

I'm still not seeing why I'd want to spend $500-$2000 for another 2 year lifespan device that won't add alot to what I can do with my iPhone and a dedicated (& much cheaper) fitness tracker (which would be water resistant)...

Beyond all that, while the design is exquisitely polished, I don't find it particularly attractive/desirable. I did not feel this way about the Mac, iPhone or the iPad, this is different.

While there will be lines when they first go on sale, after the true believers buy them, this thing could seriously disappoint in sales if they're expecting to sell 30-40 million units in that first year.

 

[Kenobijedi]

Bet they couldn't wait to use that pun

 

[Glenny2lappies]

Fugly!

Is it me, or do others think these are fugly as something beaten with an ugly stick. You'll need long sleeves to hide this blinged up toy.

 

[OllyW]

Is it me, or do others think these are fugly as something beaten with an ugly stick. You'll need long sleeves to hide this blinged up toy.

I think it's the best looking smart watch I've seen so far but it's a bit bland looking when compared to traditional watches, especially when the display is turned off.

 

[diipii]

That's a lot of "infra red grills".

 

[Chupa Chupa]

because it WILL be updated every year. You're forgetting that this is not a classic mechanized watch, its a digital device and in this day and age, 1 year old product is already technologically obsolete. Its not like some Rolex that maintains its value, this watch will already lose 20% of its value after purchasing it. Thats just how it is with digital things. Apple and some folks are expecting too much from this.

The tech in my $55K BMW is obsolete too after a year. BMW is always updating its tech and rarely makes a retrograde available. That's how all tech is. But just the same my BMW doesn't stop working after a year, its just not compatible with the latest and greatest features.

I doubt the Apple Watch will stop working after a year too. Since it's just a "pass through" accessory device, not a stand alone watch, I'm guessing it will be technically relevant for years. Apple will offer newer models with more features. That's up to the consumer IF they want to upgrade. It won't be a FORCED upgrade.

 

[brendu]

....while chasing MP3 players with an iPod, chasing Netbooks with an Macbook Air, chasing smart phones with an iPhone and chasing tablets with an iPad.

To be fair the MacBook air didn't chase netbooks, it crushed them and ushered in the era of the infinitely more capable "ultrabook"

 

[Chip NoVaMac]

I'm getting déjà vu from this comment. Reminds me of June 2007 and October 2001.

Yep, Apple redefines a category when they enter in to it....

----------

I doubt the Apple Watch will stop working after a year too. Since it's just a "pass through" accessory device, not a stand alone watch, I'm guessing it will be technically relevant for years. Apple will offer newer models with more features. That's up to the consumer IF they want to upgrade. It won't be a FORCED upgrade.

Add to that in Apple looking at this as a fashion accessory, so updates year to year will be about both style and function is my guess.

 

[Sodner]

Count me in! Stainless steal 42mm with a black leather classic buckle band! Can't wait!!!

If I find it to be a useful device I'll be getting the wife a "small" one with the Miianese Loop band.

 

[Sasparilla]

Just had my card details stolen (don't know how) and have been defrauded $2.5k. I'll get the money back but not having the card for a week and the temporary reduced balance is a hassle.

The price of the Watch at $350 is justified for me solely for Pay, especially as I do not want to upgrade my iPhone 5S. Pity there is no news of Pay rollout here in Australia. We are ready! 90% of my payments are already 'tap and go'.

Running off topic, but I'm looking forward to international deployment of Pay. I think the rest of the 1st world is much more ready to really use Pay as NFC is often everywhere.

Would assume Canada, Europe and Australia will be in that first wave and probably much more successful in use than the U.S. (as long as Apple/Banks don't seriously screw something up during that 1st year...).

Not that it isn't successful in the U.S. but you have to look for places you can use it here - that would be radically different if we could just use it everywhere.

 

[Glenny2lappies]

I think it's the best looking smart watch I've seen so far but it's a bit bland looking when compared to traditional watches, especially when the display is turned off.

Bland, and then the dog and pony show that is the strap takes over...

Kind of reminds me of the iPhone v1. That was massively improved when it shrank. Problem with the watch is there's nowhere to hide the ginormous battery.

It'll be better when we see them in the flesh. From those photos, I'd be embarrassed to be seen wearing one.

 

[bobenhaus]

cellphone makers - are just trying for dear life to create a new category that nobody cares for.

Steve jobs once said not to chase the trends but to create them

Apple has failed

Only the true loyal no questions asked will purchase the iWatch.

 

[Sandstorm]

I'm only interested in it as a fitness band. If the reviews will be positive in this regard, I'll most likely buy the sport version.

 

[brianvictor7]

Ladies and Gentlemen. Start. Your. Engines! Awesomeness is coming soon!

 

[Plutonius]

1) You need an iPhone to use them.
2) Battery life.
3) Cost.

They will sell but not in the quantities Apple is hoping for.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I can see it taking people 30 minutes or more to decide on what watch they want with long lines on launch day.

 

[Sasparilla]

When did Apple say you have to upgrade every two years? We know nothing about this device except that the cheapest model will start at $349.

Because this is a first generation device and there will be some serious functionality/capability updates made to it during the first couple of models as Apple figures out cool stuff to add and make it do that they didn't think of or couldn't put in for the initial release.

Of course after 2 years of updates of wOS (or whatever Apple calls it) the watch will be noticeably slower as all the extra new services bog down the CPU as we see happens with iThings - those that don't update the wOS will see their certificates and capabilities slowly expire (like those running iOS 6 last year who lost facetime capability).

 

[CodeSpyder]

If I buy what I want, the stainless steel 42 mm version with Milanese loop, it will probably be obsolete in a year and then I'll have an expensive piece of last year's tech on my hands (not on my wrist as I'll buy the newest). If I go in at the lowest price point, then it's less of a hit when the tech improves, but at what point do I buy the version I really want? You know that they're already working on the S2 chip and maybe the S3 and S4.

 

[bflowers]

I think I'd like one, but probably not version 1. Get the price point down too.