Is it just me, or is Apple planning on selling next years watch without bands (hence why they're sold this year as separate units). They'll probably drop the price by $10 and not include bands.
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Packaging thoughts
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As others have mentioned, I think it's to make different combinations of case and band easier in order to have more options.
Selling the watch without a band would be selling an incomplete product.
Yeah, Apple would never do that. It's like shipping a phone with a large battery, capable of fast charging and not including a fast charger... Or a lightning to 3.5mm converter.
You can't remove anything and sell it back to you as a dongle on the watch so I wouldn't put it past them with the bands.
No.
This is a completely separate product category. Does Rolex sell watches without bands?
Also, the bands are arguably one of the nicest parts about the product design.
They are not going to sell Apple Watch without a band for $20 less so that you can put a $10 Amazon band on it.
You'd be surprised. Most people would just add an Apple band to the checkout order.
I suppose an alternative theory would be that they did this to allow Apple to add a customization feature on their site to allow us to buy any watch/band combo. Personally, I'd love to get a SS black watch, but don't like either band they offer it in.
It could be that in the Spring they will offer a different collection (different bands than current) like a fashion line does.
This would make it easier for Apple to switch out the bands in unsold product to the current collection...
Apple isn’t going to sell the Apple Watch without a band, that’s not a really smart business practice. I think it doesn’t also makes sense for them to not include a band of some choice for the consumer when making the selection of purchase, they just changed the packaging this year to make it more ‘unqiue.’
Further more, Apple releases two refresh of watch bands on an annual basis, typically in spring and summer, so that’s another indicator that I don’t see them not including an Apple Watch band in the package.
Further more, Apple releases two refresh of watch bands on an annual basis, typically in spring and summer, so that’s another indicator that I don’t see them not including an Apple Watch band in the package.
So I'm leaning more to Apple providing a customization option. Ie, go to apple.com and pick/choose the watch/band combo you like to be delivered. Same for in-store, seeing that the watches just include independent retail packages, the sales person can swap out your band for what ever other one you want (charging accordingly).
With the Apple Watch, look how much customization they actually allow right now. *Not much*. They don’t even allow band selection upon check out aside from the model and color, let alone even having third-party watch faces is available yet. Apple really isn’t much about having that many customization options when it comes to the Apple Watch.
It’s packaged separately now to make it easier to fulfill orders.
Curation.
Not that I always agree with it, but that's the philosophy from Services to Products.
Would be fine with me. Always thought you should be able to pick the style watch you want then pick the band.
I think eventually you will be able to buy the watch without a band, and that the current packaging shows this:
- The internal watch box has the serial number information repeated on it, as well as it being on the outer packaging. If these were never intended to be sold separately, there would be no second serial number label on the inside box - I can't think of another Apple product with this duplication.
- The idea that the current situation makes fulfilment/manufacturing/logistics easier isn't entirely true. The model number of the watch unit - viewable in the about page in settings - is unique to each retail combination. Therefore each watch is destined for a particular band to ship with during manufacturing.
One minor (?) issue with selling without a band. No way are they going to lower the price $50 or even half that. It will lay rather bare just how egregious the sport band pricing is.
Not that we don’t already know, but it’ll certainly shine more light on it.
Not that we don’t already know, but it’ll certainly shine more light on it.
The $49 pricing on the band that solved the problem of bands having a little flap sticking out is egregious?
I'm so glad I'm not you.
Have you ever tried any third-party sport bands? I have, and they are not _nearly_ the quality Apples flueroastamer bands are. I Will gladly pay the $50 for the quality, durability and overall construction of the sport band.
Like the lightning to 3.5mm adapter with the iphone?
I can fully see apple removing the band and keeping the price as is in the future.
Side note, I just found a lightning to 3.5mm adapter on the floor on my way back from the school run. Take that apple. You aint getting my £9
We will see in the future but I am betting that Apple will keep tossing in the sports band that could not cost them more than a few bucks just to have a complete watch.
I see this happening, makes sense, just easy to package it all up in a few different boxes for each color of the AW and alloy/SS. the bands then can be purchased at your liking separately. For example the SS 44mm comes with a rubber sports band, i hate those, so ugly in my opinion, if i could choose another band in the same price category and check out, way easier for apple.
Plus lots of people have bands already, so only a minor inconvenience for new buyers. for people that have the AW already they save themselves some money on not having to buy another of the same band, and can choose another color/ type if they desire.
Plus lots of people have bands already, so only a minor inconvenience for new buyers. for people that have the AW already they save themselves some money on not having to buy another of the same band, and can choose another color/ type if they desire.
The move is just a convince and cost savings move by Apple. Cheaper/easier to package all bands the same as they come off the line and the same to put together the combos boxes and no human labor needed to put the bands on.
Really, I think it’s just more of a cost saving measure with the cheaper packaging versus the theory of it being cheaper labor to manually pair the band.
If you look at the Apple Watch packaging over the years, it progressively has become cheaper the way they have packaged the contents, from when they were first offering plastic boxes for the sport and stainless models with the first GEN, then the Series 2 offering the plastic boxes for the stainless and where the aluminum was transitioned to cardboard (And a shorter charging cable), then the Series 3 stopped offering plastic boxes altogether (Except for the Hermès), and went to cardboard inserts. I don’t think it’s much about human labor as it is Apple just trying to save money.
Same thing applies for the iPhone, they no longer include the plastic housing for the EarPods, its cardboard.