I totally agree with this. The Edition is an attempt to capture some of that Swiss market. The regular Watch is designed to create a whole new market. That won't happen if Apple prices it at top three figures and certainly not if it prices it at low four figures.
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Gruber is tripling down on his price predictions
- Thread starter Rogifan
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I totally agree with this. The Edition is an attempt to capture some of that Swiss market. The regular Watch is designed to create a whole new market. That won't happen if Apple prices it at top three figures and certainly not if it prices it at low four figures.
Not necessarily. Apple sells 20 million Macs a year, and they start at the top 3 figures and sell mostly in the 4 figures. They don't sell based on price. There's no reason to think that Apple or anyone else can't create a new market in this range.
That was the poster's point - the midnight blue is gender-neutral, so it shouldn't be seen solely as a feminine strap.
I'm not sure why people think the Modern Buckle is feminine (apart from the soft pink one) - anyone care to explain why?
I just think Apple will be leaving more money on the table by pricing too high than the other way around.
But, this is an accessory. Not your main computing device.
I would pay 1k for a Mac without thought, yet there's no way most people would pay 1k for a Watch without thought.
And Ford sells 20 million cars a year and they start in the high four figures. (Probably. I'm making this up.)
I use my MacBook for hours a day. I use my iPhone for hours a day. I'll use my Apple Watch a few times a day. Yes, I'll probably wear it all the time, but mostly it will just sit there doing nothing. Occasionally I'll look to see what time it is. Or I'll be out and hear a ping on my headphones and wonder what the notification is -- looking at the Watch will be easier than looking at my iPhone.
The Watch is wholly different thing. Different rules apply.
And what fun that they've made us wait so we can have these arguments!
I disagree. You are either buying an Apple Watch, or you aren't. If you think it looks "geeky" no matter what it's made of, a lower price point isn't going to convince you otherwise. If you think it looks good and gives you a reason to wear something on your wrist again, you'll probably be willing to pay $700 or more for it.
If you were thinking about getting a "regular" watch for $1,000 you just might. The value proposition is that this is a lot more functional than a Tag Heuer while offering a similar aesthetic (at least that's what Apple wants us to think).
We'll know in 24 hours.
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You can get a perfectly good Timex for $20 at Walgreens that has the same quartz movement as a Tissot or Tag Heuer. Why would anyone buy the latter?
Exactly. His guesses are BS and nothing just trying to get attention with his ever rising price flip-flopping guesses. The higher price he guesses (or it must have a huge difference vs. what other bloggers say), the more people focusing / talking about his blogs / guesses. And he does not care if he is not even remotely close because if he is right - he has the bragging rights and if he is wrong, oh you all know, he has this fancy cover for his _____, "I have a disclaimer that I am just guessing, as well".
A $2,000 Tag is a completely different thing from a $20 Timex. They look different, they feel different.
This is obviously a personal view -- I don't speak for the whole world -- but I don't think the SS is so different from the Sport that I'm willing to pay double for it.
I've been an Apple Fanboy for 27 years. I bought the most expensive iPhone they sell. I've paid $2,000 for a watch. I'm their market for the SS, surely? But I have a line. It's at $600. The SS is not worth double to me.
Midnight blue is a color. Unless it's a feminine shade like bright red, rose gray or pink, the existence of a color doesn't make a particular clasp masculine or feminine so I fail to see a point in this.
I used to think the Modern Buckle was unisex but looking closely I think Gruber is correct. This clasp is quite large and contoured like what you find on a ladies bracelet.
In 2013, 1.2 billion watches were sold, with over 29 million of them being Swiss, and the average cost of a Switch watch was $739...which happens to be about what I'm expecting the steel Watch with simple leather band to cost.
I really think it's $1000-$2000 Swiss watch that Apple is gunning for with the steel Watch.
Source: http://www.statisticbrain.com/wrist-watch-industry-statistics/
Case material and sapphire is often the main distinguishing features between a $250 and $1000 watch.
Definitely in pink and brown it is more feminine. In blue I can see some men pulling it off. What I like about it is that it should wear more evenly than a classic band, since the two bands contact over a larger area. Traditional bands tend to wear out right at the point where the pin and buckle meet. This is true even on "good" bands.
I used to be obsessed with mechanical watches. I used to lust after them. I nearly spent $5-6,000 on one. They're beautiful objects and the craftsmanship is breathtaking.
They also suck at their primary function, which is to tell the time accurately. I fell out of love with them when I missed a train because of one.
I currently have one of the cheapest mechanical watches money can buy. It's a Mondaine and cost about $500.
My primary motivation for buying an Apple Watch is that it will keep perfect time. My secondary motivation is the convenience of not having to dig my large and heavy iPhone 6+ out of my pocket when I'm outdoors.
The prettiness of the watch is only my third consideration. If I had infinite money maybe I'd buy a gold Edition with the blue leather loop. But I don't. I buy expensive phones and laptops because I can make a "business case" for them to myself.
The Apple Watch is more of a luxury (as opposed to being a necessity). The black Sport looks pretty good to me. The shiny SS with leather loop probably looks better. But I'm not placing a huge dollar value on that.
Others will choose differently.
Actually, if you read his September post more closely, he did say $9999 was his barroom bet. He threw $5000 as his low-end estimate and suddenly that became "Gruber predicts the Edition will sell for $5,000." The $20K is for a mythical Edition with a gold link band. Maybe some day, but not tomorrow.
There isn't even much difference between a $450 Hamilton and $2000 Tag. It's just brand positioning and selling a dream. You generally have to get past $2000 to start really differentiating internals...except for Seiko. I'd rather have a $500 automatic Seiko than many watches in a higher price category. They punch well above their weight.
Whatever the final pricing is, Apple has certainly done a good job keeping it a secret. Less than 24 hours to go, and not a single leaked pricing sheet (other than that mockup).
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Exactly. My point is that within this range, it's about image. That's why I can see Apple selling a stainless steel watch for twice as much as a functionally identical aluminum watch. It's no longer about the technology at that point. It's all about the image. "I'm getting a stainless steel Apple Watch because I can."
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Exactly. My point is that within this range, it's about image. That's why I can see Apple selling a stainless steel watch for twice as much as a functionally identical aluminum watch. It's no longer about the technology at that point. It's all about the image. "I'm getting a stainless steel Apple Watch because I can."
To be honest, as I've said, I'm really hoping you and Gruber are right. I want the SS to be so clearly much more expensive than the Sport that I have a really easy decision to make. If it's only a couple of hundred dollars more (all in) that's much tougher for me. It's "only" a bit more and it's "so much prettier" . . .
And that's why I think you and Gruber are wrong. I think Apple want me to struggle and push myself to pay that little bit more. I don't think they want the decision to be easy for me. If they make the decision easy it's because I'm buying the cheaper one.
I think so, too, and they need to differentiating things for people who don't want to be "seen" with the same watch as a 19 year old student. Apple's brand, being American, design-centric, and loved by celebrities, gives them a big advantage over LG or Samsung, who would have a much tougher time marketing an expensive watch. LG or Samsung will have to partner with someone to pull something similar off, which I expect will happen.
Oddly enough, in my peer group, I'm often a little embarrassed to wear a nice watch, which is why I switched from Rolex to Omega, since Omega is less recognizable. I'd probably get the Sport Watch, if it weren't for the sapphire screen of the steel version.