Apple Watch Sport will Support 'Non-Sport' Bands

[JayLenochiniMac]

Well the sport model is aluminum and the regular model is stainless steel so how could they match?

I know what you mean by that, but they could have used polished aluminum so they'd be compatible. They didn't, so they're upselling in this way.

 

[Piggie]

Aluminium watch straps 🙂

Just need the connection method changed, which I'm sure they will do very easily.

Nice price also 🙂

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Aluminum...se-For-Apple-ipod-nano-6-Silver-/290890796655

Also:

http://www.dhgate.com/product/silver-lunatik-lynk-aluminum-watch-band-wrist/139948244.html

http://image.dhgate.com/albu_252423317_00-1.0x0/silver-lunatik-lynk-aluminum-watch-band-wrist.jpg

Something like this might look very nice with the sports model and you would have an all aluminium metal watch for minimal cost 🙂

 

[Binarymix]

If Apple doesn't allow the bands to be interchanged or sold separately, who cares?

There will be a plethora of 3rd party bands available shortly after launch. Some will be exact replicas of the Apple bands and some will look better than Apples own, and much cheaper no doubt.

And before someone chimes in about patents and Apple not allowing 3rd party bands - yeah, cause that's stopped all the fake case, charger, and cable makers right?

My stance is Apple won't care what band you put on your watch, therefore selling the bands separately.

 

[lirn8]

If Apple doesn't allow the bands to be interchanged or sold separately, who cares?

There will be a plethora of 3rd party bands available shortly after launch. Some will be exact replicas of the Apple bands and some will look better than Apples own, and much cheaper no doubt.

And before someone chimes in about patents and Apple not allowing 3rd party bands - yeah, cause that's stopped all the fake case, charger, and cable makers right?

My stance is Apple won't care what band you put on your watch, therefore selling the bands separately.

Bazinga right there

 

[surferfb]

Apple has made it official. They stated in the announcement that the bands are interchangeable.

This nonsense about the link bracelet costing a fortune also doesn't make sense to me. Not all link bracelets are made by Rolex and cost thousands of dollars. Why are we assuming that the steel link bracelet from Apple is going to be hundreds of dollars?

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=metal watch bands

I think because of the way it is described on Apple.com:

Crafted from the same 316L stainless steel alloy as the case, the Link Bracelet has more than 100 components. The machining process is so precise, it takes nearly nine hours to cut the links for a single band. In part that’s because they aren’t simply a uniform size, but subtly increase in width as they approach the case. Once assembled, the links are brushed by hand to ensure that the texture follows the contours of the design. The custom butterfly closure folds neatly within the bracelet. And several links feature a simple release button, so you can add and remove links without any special tools. Available in stainless steel and space black stainless steel.

Emphasis is mine, but that doesn't sound like a $99 bracelet to me. I hope you're right and I am wrong though!

 

[Piggie]

I think because of the way it is described on Apple.com:



Emphasis is mine, but that doesn't sound like a $99 bracelet to me. I hope you're right and I am wrong though!

100 parts means nothing
9 hours means nothing, it's how much you price the machine at per hour.
brushed by hand means nothing.

This is ALL marketing speak.

We have guys polishing metal components that will be fitted inside your body, every day of the week, we don't make a big deal or out it either.
It's just normal guys, fed up, bored standing at linishing and polishing wheels mundanely polishing metal.

Chain making machines can sit there year after year churning out cheap chains.
Likewise going on about the number of parts, is just clutching as words and number in an attempt to make the dumb public impressed.

You could take a food mixer and go on and on and on about it.
The 100's or meters of copper wire, precision wound around the motor etc etc.

 

[surferfb]

100 parts means nothing
9 hours means nothing, it's how much you price the machine at per hour.
brushed by hand means nothing.

This is ALL marketing speak.

We have guys polishing metal components that will be fitted inside your body, every day of the week, we don't make a big deal or out it either.
It's just normal guys, fed up, bored standing at linishing and polishing wheels mundanely polishing metal.

Chain making machines can sit there year after year churning out cheap chains.
Likewise going on about the number of parts, is just clutching as words and number in an attempt to make the dumb public impressed.

You could take a food mixer and go on and on and on about it.
The 100's or meters of copper wire, precision wound around the motor etc etc.

Agreed. But the marketing speak is being used to imply something, and my guess is that it is implying a high price. I mean, if Apple charges $50 for a leather iPhone case do we really think they're using that marketing speak to describe a $99 band? I'd love to be wrong, but I just don't see that band being any less than $199. Hopefully we'll find out soon!

 

[Azzin]

This picture shows the "base" 🙂apple: Watch) model, with the strap of the model above (Sport Edition)...

http://www.apple.com/uk/watch/apple-watch/

 

[Night Spring]

This picture shows the "base" 🙂apple: Watch) model, with the strap of the model above (Sport Edition)...

http://www.apple.com/uk/watch/apple-watch/

The plain aWatch is almost certainly not the base (cheapest) model. The Sport model is aluminum, glass screen with composite back. The watch without any modifiers is stainless steel, sapphire screen with ceramic back. All these materials are more expensive than the ones in the Sports model.

Also, the Sports band has to be the cheapest band.

So the debate is whether the more expensive bands, such as the leather and steel bands, can be used with the Sports watch.

 

[hattonna928]

I don't get why people are thinking they aren't universal... Apple said in the presentation that they created an easy to use strap mechanism on the watch. They talked about this way before they even mentioned the different versions of the watch...

People also think they aren't going to sell the bands separately... They mentioned there are millions of combinations and you would be able to get different bands to swap out. So... yeah that's wrong too.

They say the stainless steel link bracelet won't look good with the aluminum case sport model.. I say why not? The link bracelets aren't polished stainless steel like the watch case. They are a brushed steel look that honestly matches the aluminum very well, especially the space gray aluminum and the darker steel band.

Basically: people worry too much about silly things that have already been confirmed or are just plain silly.

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"View -All Ten- Models in the Collection" and notice no other bands are present. This is one of many reasons people have been doubting compatibility. In any event, this doesn't seem to be true as evidenced by the photo in the OP.

By default you can only buy the different models with their specific bands. But all bands should be available separately and the band mechanism is the same so they are all compatible.

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Well the sport model is aluminum and the regular model is stainless steel so how could they match?

The band is brushed stainless steel which actually looks good with aluminum... Especially on the darker model

 

[Piggie]

I don't get why people are thinking they aren't universal... Apple said in the presentation that they created an easy to use strap mechanism on the watch. They talked about this way before they even mentioned the different versions of the watch...

People also think they aren't going to sell the bands separately... They mentioned there are millions of combinations and you would be able to get different bands to swap out. So... yeah that's wrong too.

They say the stainless steel link bracelet won't look good with the aluminum case sport model.. I say why not? The link bracelets aren't polished stainless steel like the watch case. They are a brushed steel look that honestly matches the aluminum very well, especially the space gray aluminum and the darker steel band.

Basically: people worry too much about silly things that have already been confirmed or are just plain silly.

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By default you can only buy the different models with their specific bands. But all bands should be available separately and the band mechanism is the same so they are all compatible.

I agree with what you said.
However regarding your last point, we still have no idea about that.

Some have speculated you will be forced into buying a particular strap that Apple has decided goes with the watch body you have selected, but that's just guessing.
You may be able to select any strap to go with any body and not have anything forced upon you.
Until they go up for sale, we will not know.

Personally if you wanted say a polished steel body, with the shiny black metal strap, it would be a shame if Apple forced you into paying for some different strap you didn't want, and then you had to pay to buy the strap you do want.

But as I say, we are just guessing.

 

[hattonna928]

I agree with what you said.
However regarding your last point, we still have no idea about that.

Some have speculated you will be forced into buying a particular strap that Apple has decided goes with the watch body you have selected, but that's just guessing.
You may be able to select any strap to go with any body and not have anything forced upon you.
Until they go up for sale, we will not know.

Personally if you wanted say a polished steel body, with the shiny black metal strap, it would be a shame if Apple forced you into paying for some different strap you didn't want, and then you had to pay to buy the strap you do want.

But as I say, we are just guessing.

Yeah I should have phrased that better... haha obviously I don't know for sure. I would assume based on the way they are currently displayed on the website that each model can be purchased with any one of its "set" of bands, and that all bands will be available individually if you want more than one/one from a different "set."

 

[Piggie]

Yeah I should have phrased that better... haha obviously I don't know for sure. I would assume based on the way they are currently displayed on the website that each model can be purchased with any one of its "set" of bands, and that all bands will be available individually if you want more than one/one from a different "set."

Myself, I would hope, and every single one of us should alo hope that these are just "suggested" collections and not forced collections.

So you buy the watch body you want, then there are the suggested straps, but also a extra area where you can instead select an alternate strap you would rather have instead.

Personally, my gut feeling is this won't be the case, you will be forced into picking from one of apples per approved straps they think you should have, and if you want something different you have to pay more.

However I do hope I'm wrong, it would be easier for everyone if you picked any body, then any strap, got shown the combined price then went to checkout to but that combination.

Easy, simple and everyone would be happy.
Let's hope that's how it actually is. 🙂

 

[Night Spring]

Personally, my gut feeling is this won't be the case, you will be forced into picking from one of apples per approved straps they think you should have, and if you want something different you have to pay more.

That's my gut feeling too. I'm not that bothered by it, though, because if you don't like any of the "official" combinations, you can simply buy a watch with a sports band, then buy the band you really want. I expect that you will essentially get the sports band for free -- that is, the $349 starting price will be for the aluminum watch WITH a sports band. And whatever the starting price is for the stainless steel watch, that price will include a sports band.

 

[arubinst]

Personally, my gut feeling is this won't be the case, you will be forced into picking from one of apples per approved straps they think you should have, and if you want something different you have to pay more.

They could definitely do that. On the other hand, they state this on the watch website:

There are so many ways to make Apple Watch your own. To help you choose the expression that suits you best, we’ve curated three collections of cases and bands that we feel work particularly well together.

So they say that they want to "help you choose" by presenting some ready-made combinations they like. Doesn't this imply that you have the choice beyond these combinations?

 

[Rogifan]

They could definitely do that. On the other hand, they state this on the watch website:

There are so many ways to make Apple Watch your own. To help you choose the expression that suits you best, we’ve curated three collections of cases and bands that we feel work particularly well together.

So they say that they want to "help you choose" by presenting some ready-made combinations they like. Doesn't this imply that you have the choice beyond these combinations?

Which supports my theory that this is how the watches will be displayed in Apple stores. The open question of course is how they will be sold.

 

[Piggie]

They could definitely do that. On the other hand, they state this on the watch website:


So they say that they want to "help you choose" by presenting some ready-made combinations they like. Doesn't this imply that you have the choice beyond these combinations?

Yes.

If I go to a restaurant for a meal, and they have decided that White wine goes with chicken and red with beef.

Actually I love red wine and I want the chicken.

They could recommend a white, but I say, no thanks, I don't like white wine, I would like a Red please, and I get and pay for a red.

They don't say, well, we are bring you a bottle of white anyway, that you will be billed for, in addition to the red you actually want.

 

[DravenGSX]

Agreed. But the marketing speak is being used to imply something, and my guess is that it is implying a high price. I mean, if Apple charges $50 for a leather iPhone case do we really think they're using that marketing speak to describe a $99 band? I'd love to be wrong, but I just don't see that band being any less than $199. Hopefully we'll find out soon!

The $50 leather iPhone case is exactly why I think that the bands will be $50 for sport bands and $99 for leather and stainless. Gold will obviously be more expensive due to the price of the Gold itself.

It fits within their current pricing model for accessories.. a pricing model that works very well for Apple.

 

[MeFromHere]

The $50 leather iPhone case is exactly why I think that the bands will be $50 for sport bands and $99 for leather and stainless. Gold will obviously be more expensive due to the price of the Gold itself.
...

You really think Apple is going to sell a stainless steel link bracelet that takes 9 hours to machine for just 99 bucks? Have you checked the prices of quality SS link bracelets from the better watch companies?

I expect the SS link bracelets to cost more than an entire Apple Watch Sport.

 

[cambookpro]

You really think Apple is going to sell a stainless steel link bracelet that takes 9 hours to machine for just 99 bucks? Have you checked the prices of quality SS link bracelets from the better watch companies?

I expect the SS link bracelets to cost more than an entire Apple Watch Sport.

Not really sure how significant nine hours really is. Could be nine hours to machine the stainless steel, but it creates 300 bands in that time.

A complete guess and simplification, but you see what I'm getting at.

Most stainless steel bracelets aren't that expensive, just take a quick look on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Watch-Strap...&rh=n:199487031,p_n_material_browse:199502031

Bands made out of 316L stainless steel are about £40. Obviously I don't expect Apple's band to be anywhere near as cheap as that, but it's obvious that they'll be making an absolutely monstrous profit on these if they sell them for $149-199ish (around the price point I'd expect).

 

[Night Spring]

Not really sure how significant nine hours really is. Could be nine hours to machine the stainless steel, but it creates 300 bands in that time.

I would think that one machine can machine only one band at a time, so in order to machine 300 bands at once, you'd need to have 300 machines. Or maybe it is one machine, but it has 300 band-machining parts. You know what I mean.

I have no doubt that Apple has a setup whereby hundreds if not thousands of bands are being machined at once, but that setup will require considerable resources in terms of space, energy, operators, etc.

 

[technosix]

I may be wrong, but it's my understanding that Apple watch Straps / Bracelets affix in a proprietary way.

That's the Apple way.

I cannot imagine they'd make it possible to buy whatever you like, elsewhere. Apple's the master at getting ALL the money. 🙂

 

[Julien]

I may be wrong, but it's my understanding that Apple watch Straps / Bracelets affix in a proprietary way.

That's the Apple way.

I cannot imagine they'd make it possible to buy whatever you like, elsewhere. Apple's the master at getting ALL the money. 🙂

Of course it's proprietary and patented. However that won't stop or even slow down Chinese knockoff straps. Also Apple will likely MFi the latch.

 

[Rogifan]

Btw, on 9to5Mac's latest podcast Mark Gurman agrees with my guess that the models shown on Apple's website are what you will be able to buy and if you want something else then you buy another band.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I may be wrong, but it's my understanding that Apple watch Straps / Bracelets affix in a proprietary way.

That's the Apple way.

I cannot imagine they'd make it possible to buy whatever you like, elsewhere. Apple's the master at getting ALL the money. 🙂

I'd tend to agree; however, it doesn't explain why there are third party smartcovers for the iPad.