Ben Bajarin says the battery can be replaced

[Rogifan]

He tweeted that he was told the battery can be replaced. He also tweeted that he asked in detail about swapping out internals and wasn't given a hard no by Apple reps. So I think there might be more to come on that front. Apple was never going to announce upgradability on the same day they're telling you pricing and availability. That's a sure fire way to kill sales. People will just wait because Apple telegraphed a new one was coming. But just because Apple didn't announce upgradeability today doesn't mean they couldn't announce it at a later date.

 

[Cashmonee]

Who doesn't know a new one is coming? Today was exactly the time to say we will do what every other high end watchmaker does, which is support the watch for a lifetime. Instead, they mumbled and coughed while saying the Edition costs as much as an economy car and will be worthless within 5 years.

 

[Urban Joe]

hmn...interesting

Apple's unwillingness to clarify these issues creates uncertainty and that doesn't reassure buyers on the fence at all...

If sales are slow expect Apples position on these points to evolve. Apple should have come out strong and been disclosing about all this. I bet they haven't really even decided yet...they are doing the old "wait and see" and will only concede with information on possible upgradability/service if they think they need to.

 

[Rogifan]

Who doesn't know a new one is coming? Today was exactly the time to say we will do what every other high end watchmaker does, which is support the watch for a lifetime. Instead, they mumbled and coughed while saying the Edition costs as much as an economy car and will be worthless within 5 years.

Who cares about the edition? 99.9% of iPhone users won't be buying it so not worth my time thinking about.

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hmn...interesting

Apple's unwillingness to clarify these issues creates uncertainty and that doesn't reassure buyers on the fence at all...

If sales are slow expect Apples position on these points to evolve. Apple should have come out strong and been disclosing about all this. I bet they haven't really even decided yet...they are doing the old "wait and see" and will only concede with information on possible upgradability/service if they think they need to.

Maybe. But I think it takes away from the current product if you telegraph a new one is coming on the same day you announce availability of the current product. I'm not convinced the OLED screen and S1 chip are going to be outdated in one year. My sister still uses an iPad 2 and it works just fine. I do think if Apple confirmed the battery could be replaced they should have mentioned that. But I thought the Watch portion of this event was the least successful.

 

[taedouni]

I guess it would make sense for Apple to replace internals in a watch for the Apple Watch Edition ($10-17k) but probably not for the Sports Edition. I don't even think for the Apple Watch. The labor involved to do that and the cost of new internals would probably end up being more expensive than just purchasing a new Apple Watch.

 

[Saturnine]

Respectfully, I think the OP is dead wrong. I believe today would have been the perfect time to announce battery replacement and/or future upgradeability.

I might be in the minority, but I'm not going to spend upwards of £500 on an accessory that will be outdated in a couple of years, useable a few years after that and has an unknown potential resale value. I'm going to buy a £299 Sport Edition for the time being.

Had Apple announced that I will definitely be able to get replacement batteries and hardware upgrades at a reasonable price for the next few years, I would have happily paid £819 for the model I really wanted.

 

[KauaiBruce]

I'm not too worried about replacing the base watch in a few years and I know apple is not that worried about whether people will pay to upgrade. We shell out hundreds every few years for phone upgrades then of course we will do the same for the watch.

This is why I do not hesitate to get the $449 SS link bracelet I want. I am certain the bands will work just fine on future editions. There is no reason to make the cases bigger or smaller, just thinner. Watch and strap widths have been the same for many years. I don't even want them to make it thinner. If you thin down the internals, then use up the slack with batteries! Or even better: use the extra space for a kinetic charger that rewards us with longer battery life by exercise!

 

[Saturnine]

I'm not too worried about replacing the base watch in a few years and I know apple is not that worried about whether people will pay to upgrade. We shell out hundreds every few years for phone upgrades then of course we will do the same for the watch.

This is why I do not hesitate to get the $449 SS link bracelet I want. I am certain the bands will work just fine on future editions. There is no reason to make the cases bigger or smaller, just thinner. Watch and strap widths have been the same for many years. I don't even want them to make it thinner. If you thin down the internals, then use up the slack with batteries! Or even better: use the extra space for a kinetic charger that rewards us with longer battery life by exercise!

I agree about upgrading the whole watch body and keeping a nice, expensive strap - I'm just not as certain as you that the current straps will be compatible with models released in three or four year's time. I would personally like Apple to publically announce a commitment to this effect.

 

[samcraig]

Who cares about the edition? 99.9% of iPhone users won't be buying it so not worth my time thinking about.

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Maybe. But I think it takes away from the current product if you telegraph a new one is coming on the same day you announce availability of the current product. I'm not convinced the OLED screen and S1 chip are going to be outdated in one year. My sister still uses an iPad 2 and it works just fine. I do think if Apple confirmed the battery could be replaced they should have mentioned that. But I thought the Watch portion of this event was the least successful.

Can argue either way. Whether or not a watch is an investment to last years is a potential question for those who are looking at the price and value it brings to them. If it's believed they will "have" to (want to) replace it every 1-2 years to have the latest available, then it could weigh in on whether or not they buy one at all. Or at least wait to see. Many won't care - just like with phones, they are always improving, so if you keep waiting, you'll still get tech that will be "outdated."

But if Apple were to say that they planned on supporting/upgrading/trading in older watches with newer tech - then not only could that influence a sale - but it could also increase higher priced sales as the idea of spending more to get what they want (some people do think that way vs going more budget) is more palatable.

 

[Wiesenlooser]

He tweeted that he was told the battery can be replaced. He also tweeted that he asked in detail about swapping out internals and wasn't given a hard no by Apple reps. So I think there might be more to come on that front. Apple was never going to announce upgradability on the same day they're telling you pricing and availability. That's a sure fire way to kill sales. People will just wait because Apple telegraphed a new one was coming. But just because Apple didn't announce upgradeability today doesn't mean they couldn't announce it at a later date.

Uhm.. why is that? upgradability would be the number one reason to buy an Apple watch right now for me.