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Apple Watch Launching in 'Spring' According to Apple Retail Chief Angela Ahrendts

nikaru said:
Jan-Mar - early
Apr-Sept - mid
Oct - Dec - late

The Spring in the USA starts on Fabruary 2nd, but since Angela is from UK for her, the Sping starts in March. So, in order to respect the deadline mentioned/promised by Tim, the Apple Watch should be released by the end of March. Apple should finish the hardware side by the end of January in order to start production in March and they have almost until the last minute to polish the software. My most optimistic prediction based on the rumors we are getting and the stage of development we saw in September, is release in April-May together with the new Macbook Air redesign and Apple TV update.
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How does the country you're in (assuming they're in the same hemisphere) determine when Spring begins? Are there official terms for when each season starts and finishes? I always thought it was vague and kinda up to the flowers.
 
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peterdevries said:
The new Microsoft Band. It is for me much more interesting than the Apple Watch, because it doesn't look like a watch. I don't need a replacemant for my own watch.
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Of course when the rumors pointed to a fitness band people around here knocked that and the whole obsession around fitness tracking. I have no doubt if Apple released a nondescript plastic fitness band there would have been just as many negative comments, lots of "meh's", lots of "that's it, a Fitbit clone?" comments. Though I wouldn't be surprised if Watch follows the iPod (the shuffle and nano came later) and a year or two from now we get a smaller device specific to health and fitness. In the last year or so Apple has hired doctors and others with medical/medical devices backgrounds. They're probably working on stuff we don't know about. Cook did tell Charlie Rose Apple's working on stuff that hasn't been rumored about (yet).
 
mazz0 said:
How does the country you're in (assuming they're in the same hemisphere) determine when Spring begins? Are their official terms for when each season starts and finishes? I always thought it was vague and kinda up to the flowers.
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It is a question of whether conditions, culture, traditions, religion, astrnomy, etc.

I assume that since Angela is British, for her the Spring starts relatively late in comparision with date that what most americans would consider the start of the Spring, and from that assumtion I try to reach some remote conclusions on what she refers as Spring in the context of her statement.

What we know for sure is that the Apple Watch is not coming before March, since the Chinease new year is February 19, and according to her the watch is coming after that.
 
Rogifan said:
Of course when the rumors pointed to a fitness band people around here knocked that and the whole obsession around fitness tracking. I have no doubt if Apple released a nondescript plastic fitness band there would have been just as many negative comments, lots of "meh's", lots of "that's it, a Fitbit clone?" comments. Though I wouldn't be surprised if Watch follows the iPod (the shuffle and nano came later) and a year or two from now we get a smaller device specific to health and fitness. In the last year or so Apple has hired doctors and others with medical/medical devices backgrounds. They're probably working on stuff we don't know about. Cook did tell Charlie Rose Apple's working on stuff that hasn't been rumored about (yet).
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I agree. Other project lines from Apple have shown quite some differentiation a few generations after the first introduction. Look at the iPad and iPhone also.

If Apple would release something like the MS Band or the Gear Fit in addition to the current Apple Watch than that would be very compelling to me.

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nikaru said:
I assume that since Angela is British
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She was born in the USA.
 
Spring 2015 means that they will come with iPhone 6S and iPhone 6+S.

Some of the features will only work with S models so that ppl have to buy more phones.
 
I find it hard to believe that Apple would sell a $5000 version of their watch, even the gold one. Who in their right mind would pay 14 times the price on the base model for gold when it will do exactly the same thing.

IMO the top gold model will be $999, no more.
 
Lancer said:
I find it hard to believe that Apple would sell a $5000 version of their watch, even the gold one. Who in their right mind would pay 14 times the price on the base model for gold when it will do exactly the same thing.

IMO the top gold model will be $999, no more.
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I'm expecting the stainless steel model with the bracelet to be closer to that price.
 
I wish people would stop comparing the impact of the Apple Watch to that of the iPhone. The iPhone really was (still is) a revolutionary change in the market, which swept all of the competition away - a totally innovative product. It showed all the other manufacturers what a phone could be - it was just better.

However, the Apple Watch is a "me too" - I don't think it does anything better than what's already out there. It's a solution looking for a problem.

Unfortunately, this is Apple playing catch up but in this case, not adding anything new/innovative to the game. And before you all say "Digital Crown", that looks very fiddly to use - they could have used a ring like a traditional divers watch to do the same thing and it would have both looked and worked better IMO.

I know they will sell a boat load of these and good luck to them with it - it's not something I would buy.
 
KPOM said:
That's disappointing. I was hoping for February. "Spring" could be June 20, but hopefully it is more like April.
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Yeah, that's what caught me. Looks like Apple is trying to reset the launch period. Spring is not "early next year" to me. It's 1/3 way through. They didn't even bother to say "late winter," just plowed on to spring. I want Apple to release the watch when it's ready, but this shifting release period isn't helping Apple's public image of the product. It gives off the idea Apple is scrambling.

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spacemanspifff said:
I wish people would stop comparing the impact of the Apple Watch to that of the iPhone. The iPhone really was (still is) a revolutionary change in the market, which swept all of the competition away - a totally innovative product. It showed all the other manufacturers what a phone could be - it was just better.

However, the Apple Watch is a "me too" - I don't think it does anything better than what's already out there. It's a solution looking for a problem.

Unfortunately, this is Apple playing catch up but in this case, not adding anything new/innovative to the game. And before you all say "Digital Crown", that looks very fiddly to use - they could have used a ring like a traditional divers watch to do the same thing and it would have both looked and worked better IMO.

I know they will sell a boat load of these and good luck to them with it - it's not something I would buy.
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The iPhone entered a similar market as the Apple Watch: a market that is in its infancy with some manufacturers providing comparable solutions. Touchscreen smartphones did exists before Apple introduced the iPhone.

In that sense the iPhone was a me-too product in the same definition as you use it for Apple Watch. And that makes the comparison valid.
 
himanshumodi said:
I can not imagine what segment of users will buy this. For folks who wear watches as an accessory... they aren't going to move away from their Rolexes. For folks who want health related stuff tracked, there are cheaper options available. There simply can't be a value that the watch will provide being a part of an ecosystem that's worth 350 bucks.

Edit - But then hey... Apple knows what I want better than I do I guess
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Personally, the Apple watch is more and more appealing to me. As a Mac and iPhone owner, if I was going to spend a few hundred pounds on a watch, I'm going to pick the one which can also track my health and connect to my iPhone.
 
WatchKit

bmunge said:
The Mac Pro had a very long wait as well. It's pretty typical of Apple and this is arguably their most difficult product from both a hardware and software engineering project.
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Also, the watch needs third party support, an SDK, and time.
A new product line needs buzz as well. It cannot start well if people don't know about it, look for it, lust after it.

And, after the holidays, maybe save up some cash for that $4999 model.
 
Lancer said:
I find it hard to believe that Apple would sell a $5000 version of their watch, even the gold one. Who in their right mind would pay 14 times the price on the base model for gold when it will do exactly the same thing.

IMO the top gold model will be $999, no more.
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The gold alone will be worth more than that.
 
When I first saw this was - "Apple VPs are not supposed to be talking about time lines like this!".

Spring in Canada starts in March, like UK and other countries.

Im surprised about above poster saying in USA, Spring starts in February. Snow is still falling in Toronto - which is south of some US cities!

peterdevries said:
Touchscreen smartphones did exists before Apple introduced the iPhone.
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Touchscreen smartphones most certainly did exist before the iPhone...
 
With all the design bugs I found in iPad Air 2... I am looking at Google now left with no choice.

I used to think and agree that once I got into the Apple ecosystem, it is quite hard (and lazy for me) to jump out from it. But the iPad Air 2 bad overall user experience did motivate me to think for the plan B.

Are we experiencing the 2nd Post Jobs Era? ...sadly, this time, no 2nd chance.. :confused:

Suddenly flashed the memory of Cook saying Jobs is still with us in Apple or something like that.. Well, really? Doubt, fully doubtful.
 
peterdevries said:
The new Microsoft Band. It is for me much more interesting than the Apple Watch, because it doesn't look like a watch. I don't need a replacemant for my own watch.
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I agree. I am using a Gear Fit now (which is quite similar to the Microsoft Band in shape and size) and clearly prefer that form factor instead of something that looks like a large traditional watch. I am not interested in a pure fitness band without screen though - the device needs to do a few more things than just being a bunch of sensors. And the Microsoft Band (and Gear Fit) does just that.

That the Microsoft Band supports different platforms and can be used with both Win Phone, Android and iPhone is a huge plus in my book.

The huge waiting time from announcement to availability for the Apple Watch is very un-Apple-like. New (and good) products arrive in this category every month now, and the longer they wait the harder the potential fall will be.
 
I don't think anyone was expecting the watch to come out in January. Even if it was released sometime in February I'd say that would be considered more of a spring launch than a winter one.
 
Silly product. Only myopic MacFans will buy. This is what Apple wants you to want.
 
Rogifan said:
I don't think anyone was expecting the watch to come out in January. Even if it was released sometime in February I'd say that would be considered more of a spring launch than a winter one.
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Don't make such big assumptions. I, for one, took Tim Cook at his word that when he said "early," he meant it. Maybe not January, but certainly by end of Feb. Otherwise he should have just said "1st half," which is what this is really coming to be it looks like. Winter is "early" in the year. Spring is not.

As I said in an earlier post, Apple shouldn't force it out on a phony time schedule. It needs to work 99% perfect right out of the gate. Cook didn't do the team any favors announcing an overly optimistic release time frame, even a loose one, if there was doubt Apple couldn't meet it.

So why did they bother announcing it so soon? Tim Cook's ego? It certainly didn't stave off buyers from the competition. Seems Apple would have been better off to announce this during or right after CES for a spring launch... like the original iPad. That would have given them more time to get their "s" together, which they clearly need it seems, and still given Ive time to promote it ahead of the launch.

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diipii said:
Silly product. Only myopic MacFans will buy. This is what Apple wants you to want.
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Silly why? I agree it has flaws like not being a stand alone product or having GPS, but conceptually why is it a silly product?
 
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