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Ceramic Apple Watch Rumored to Return With Series 12

Diopter said:
My guess: it'll be the new signature material for the Hermès model only.
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Interesting idea.

They’d be able to offer rich, exclusive colors to match the bands. Colors which aren’t just a superficial surface treatment at risk of scratching off.
 
choreographics said:
Noticeable? I mean, if Apple continues where they left off, it will be white. It is something you’ll probably notice. ☺️ Other than that, it’s basically impossible to scratch, although ceramic is more prone to breaking if it takes a heavy impact.

I still have the Series 5 Ceramic in White, and it still does everything an Apple Watch needs to do for me, even without running the latest OS. Battery was replaced last year, so it is back at 100% capacity. That’s probably why I strongly disagree with calling the Apple Watch “disposable electronics.” But I understand that everyone has slightly different expectations and ways of using their Watch. I’d definitely be happy to see an updated ceramic version.
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Well, not every country allows you to replace your old battery with a new one. In such cases, they simply replace the old, refurbished model and call it a day.
 
Vincent Hanna said:
This is how luxury products work. Your math is correct, but it ignores the value that luxury product buyers attach to things like nice watches/jewelry/clothes etc. Call them dumb all you want, but they exist in huge numbers and spend 100s of millions of dollars.

Apple is uniquely positioned to address this market in a way that no other tech company can, so it would be financial malpractice to not give these buyers exactly what they want. They sure as hell can't get it from Samsung or Dell.
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I guess the disconnect for me is considering an Apple Watch a "luxury product." I collect mechanical watches, the kind of things I'll pass along to my kids, but the AW will eventually be junk. I never look at someone wearing an Apple Watch and thought "man, they've really made it, what a person to look up to" Nothing wrong with an Apple Watch-I have one-but even the fanciest models don't project any sort of status. If anything, the gold ones look tacky.
 
DribbleCastle said:
If ya don't like scratches on your watch face during those years, they are.
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my watch is almost 3 Years old now and I have 2 tiny scratches on the edge of the screen ya barely every notice... I could buy a second watch of even a third compared to the price of these high end finishes 🤷‍♂️
 
TigerNike23 said:
As of right now, I see no need to replace my Series 8. At this point, I might just go for a dumb watch and a fitness tracker.

I bought my S8 in February 2023 and the fact it’s already gonna be EOL’d really rubbed me the wrong way.
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another year or 2 and the battery will be worthless. things things only have like a 5 year lifespan.
 
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Umacga said:
I guess the disconnect for me is considering an Apple Watch a "luxury product." I collect mechanical watches, the kind of things I'll pass along to my kids, but the AW will eventually be junk. I never look at someone wearing an Apple Watch and thought "man, they've really made it, what a person to look up to" Nothing wrong with an Apple Watch-I have one-but even the fanciest models don't project any sort of status. If anything, the gold ones look tacky.
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No watch makes me think "man, they've really made it, what a person to look up to". In fact they are the type of person I laugh at, buying mass produced goods to demonstrate 'wealth' and 'success' - whatever you think success is [I personally dont believe money = success], but each to their own.

I know many very 'successful' people, some wear Apple watches, some Patek Phillipe and some very garish oversized watches.

I understand their taste and attitude from their watch rather than anything else.
 
Umacga said:
I guess the disconnect for me is considering an Apple Watch a "luxury product."
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You don't live in LA then. The Apple Watch Ultra is de rigueur for men, and I've seen many women with the Hermes model.

The point is that the Apple Watch line overall is underpriced, and Apple is right to expand the product matrix upwards to capture revenue they are currently leaving on the table. A $2500 ceramic model will sell out immediately, and eBay scalpers will get $4K through Christmas.
 
Happy_John said:
Yep. This is the elephant in the room. It's what would put me off buying an Ultra or even a standard Apple Watch with non-aluminium frame.

Spending a lot of money on a mechanical watch made from expensive, durable materials makes sense. Spending a lot of money on an Apple Watch doesn't, or at least it doesn't until the internals are more geared towards repairability and upgradability.

Being able to reuse old enclosures would make buying a very expensive, durable enclosure far more compelling. This is the way with straps/bands already.
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Yes, except that straps are not fully compatible between Series. My steel link band from my original (Series 0) Watch does not look right on the Titanium cases of the latests Watches (and I wouldn't buy a Hermes just to get steel). Another example is the Braided Solo Loop: the widths of the ends have actually been changing between case revisions, so that older Loops don't fit exactly on newer watches. So this is another reason only to get the cheaper models and stick with the straps they come with; mechanical watches are where it makes sense to splurge.
 
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Rychiar said:
another year or 2 and the battery will be worthless. things things only have like a 5 year lifespan.
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AW is rated for 1000 charge cycles so 5 years is a good estimate. And if you have AC+ you get a refurb or you pay $79 (I think) and get a refurb.
Do smartphone batteries last longer than 5 years? Or any consumer electronic battery powered devices?
Why is it a problem for the AW?
 
jz0309 said:
AW is rated for 1000 charge cycles so 5 years is a good estimate. And if you have AC+ you get a refurb or you pay $79 (I think) and get a refurb.
Do smartphone batteries last longer than 5 years? Or any consumer electronic battery powered devices?
Why is it a problem for the AW?
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The comparison isn't really between an Apple Watch and an iPhone. The comparison is between a mechanical watch and an Apple Watch.

I love my Apple Watch, a basic 10 series. It's coming up on two years old, and I won't change it until it starts to die, so I hope to keep using it for at least another two years.

I have a mechanical watch. I'm in my early 50s, and this watch is twice as old as I am. It belonged to my grandfather and he left it to me after he passed. It was given to him by its previous owner, his father, I think. It's been professionally cleaned and serviced, but all parts are original, as far as I am aware. It works perfectly. Much as I love my Apple Watch, it will never have the same value, financially or emotionally, as this mechanical watch.

I don't expect an Apple Watch to last over a century.
 
Mechanical watches have style and emotional value, but no one under 30 is ever going to invest in one. The functionality is just too limited.
 
Vincent Hanna said:
Because some people have an irrational hatred for anything that is even partially valued by aesthetics.
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That's a very odd take. It's very little to do with aesthetics, and a lot more to do with disposability.

Investing in something that has been specifically designed to be disposable is not a wise move.

If you're bringing aesthetics into it, do you not think that a fundamental aspect of aesthetics is to be impervious, as much as possible, to time?
 
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Happy_John said:
The comparison isn't really between an Apple Watch and an iPhone. The comparison is between a mechanical watch and an Apple Watch.

I love my Apple Watch, a basic 10 series. It's coming up on two years old, and I won't change it until it starts to die, so I hope to keep using it for at least another two years.

I have a mechanical watch. I'm in my early 50s, and this watch is twice as old as I am. It belonged to my grandfather and he left it to me after he passed. It was given to him by its previous owner, his father, I think. It's been professionally cleaned and serviced, but all parts are original, as far as I am aware. It works perfectly. Much as I love my Apple Watch, it will never have the same value, financially or emotionally, as this mechanical watch.

I don't expect an Apple Watch to last over a century.
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The post I replied to did t say anything about mechanical watches ...
Sure, some but certainly not all mechanical watches last a very long time, but, comparing an AW to a mechanical watch is also not an apples to apples comparison.
The AW is basically a computer with only a touch screen, take the band off and look at it.
It happens to be in a watch form factor but that is the only similarity, it is today far more capable than an IBM PC, so, for me, I do not wear a "watch" I wear a capable computer that resembles a watch and has enormous capabilities.
And it'll function as it was intended to be for just as long as an average mobile computer, just needing a new batter after 5 or so years. There are quite a few folks here reporting still using a S3 which is almost 9 years old...
 
Happy_John said:
Investing in something that has been specifically designed to be disposable is not a wise move.
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people, at last most, do not invest in consumer electronics, most people do know that consumer electronics have a finite life, or, to use your words, consumer electronics are disposable ...
 
jz0309 said:
people, at last most, do not invest in consumer electronics, most people do know that consumer electronics have a finite life, or, to use your words, consumer electronics are disposable ...
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Yes, that's my point. I wrote "Investing in something.."
 
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