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Planned Obsolescence????

chasescott66

chasescott66

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 6, 2011
122
25
Knoxville, TN
Is Apple going to release a new one every year or how is this going to work?? I just don't see paying $1000 a year for a new watch. I would rather go buy a $12k Rolex and be set. Just not sure I can justify if this watch is gonna be "out-of-date" in 6-12 months.
 
chasescott66 said:
Is Apple going to release a new one every year or how is this going to work?? I just don't see paying $1000 a year for a new watch. I would rather go buy a $12k Rolex and be set. Just not sure I can justify if this watch is gonna be "out-of-date" in 6-12 months.
Click to expand...

I still use a first generation black MacBook, iPad 4, and an iPhone 3GS.

Apple products stand the test of time if you take care of them and clean the OS often.
 
chasescott66 said:
Is Apple going to release a new one every year or how is this going to work?? I just don't see paying $1000 a year for a new watch. I would rather go buy a $12k Rolex and be set. Just not sure I can justify if this watch is gonna be "out-of-date" in 6-12 months.
Click to expand...

An Apple Watch from today is still going to have more uses than a Rolex in 10 years. They're two very different devices that happen to be competing for your wrist space. It's up to you if you want to upgrade the Watch.
 
JayLenochiniMac said:
It won't be obsolete in 6-12 months. AC+ is 3 years on the Edition models.
Click to expand...

Apple Care doesn't make a product relevant. Remember when they started to release the new versions of the iPhone. The latest iOS with the ghee-wiz factors usually only were available one version back. However saying that, we'll have to wait until year 3 to find out.
 
chasescott66 said:
Is Apple going to release a new one every year or how is this going to work?? I just don't see paying $1000 a year for a new watch. I would rather go buy a $12k Rolex and be set. Just not sure I can justify if this watch is gonna be "out-of-date" in 6-12 months.
Click to expand...
Yes, in all probability, the current Watch will be obsolete in 12 months. In 12 months, I fully expect to see an Apple Watch that is half as thick with 3x the battery life, plus additional features not possible on the current model.

If you have a problem with that, don't buy one, or buy the $349 model.
 
I guess Tim could have said something like "..and for those of you wondering, no, we're not going to be bringing out a thinner version 2 model within the next 2 years.. "

But they never mention future refreshes, until they're ready to announce it.
 
KenAFSPC said:
Yes, in all probability, the current Watch will be obsolete in 12 months. In 12 months, I fully expect to see an Apple Watch that is half as thick with 3x the battery life, plus additional features not possible on the current model.

If you have a problem with that, don't buy one, or buy the $349 model.
Click to expand...

When people say stuff like this, they make it sound like the prior version will stop functioning. It's not obselete.
 
sk1wbw said:
When people say stuff like this, they make it sound like the prior version will stop functioning. It's not obselete.
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Being obsolete has nothing to do with failing to function.

The iPhone 3GS still functions just fine. But it is obsolete.
 
Its going to be no different to carrying on using an older iPhone or iPad. I spent 3 years on a 3GS and now into my 3rd year on an iPhone 5 with no issues that included updating to the latest iOS yesterday. I also have an iPad 3 still going strong on the latest iOS with no real issues.

No one is forced to buy a new watch in a years time and there will be no reason, i expect, that a first gen watch will work for a few years getting most of the software updates. Yes, like iPhones, it may look different from a 3rd gen watch somewhere down the line but it will work.
 
bransoj said:
Its going to be no different to carrying on using an older iPhone or iPad. I spent 3 years on a 3GS and now into my 3rd year on an iPhone 5 with no issues that included updating to the latest iOS yesterday. I also have an iPad 3 still going strong on the latest iOS with no real issues.

No one is forced to buy a new watch in a years time and there will be no reason, i expect, that a first gen watch will work for a few years getting most of the software updates. Yes, like iPhones, it may look different from a 3rd gen watch somewhere down the line but it will work.
Click to expand...

I think the difference is that Apple is not only selling the Apple Watch as an yet another electronics product but also a fashion accessory (if you only look at the feature set, it is not great value for money compared to an iPhone - a lot of the value comes from the fact that it is meant to be a personal accessory that will look good on you, and the higher you go in the product line the more true this becomes).

Now, people buying a nice enough (regular) watch will expect it to last for decades. Clearly this won't be the case with the Apple Watch. Maybe people will still see value is the combination of fashion and technology and accept the trade-off, but I don't think that will think about it in the same way they think about their phone.
 
chasescott66 said:
Is Apple going to release a new one every year or how is this going to work?? I just don't see paying $1000 a year for a new watch. I would rather go buy a $12k Rolex and be set. Just not sure I can justify if this watch is gonna be "out-of-date" in 6-12 months.
Click to expand...

It's a valid point, but for the two low price points it doesn't matter much, people already spend that amount of money every couple of years for all sorts of things. And for the :apple: Watch Edition, anyone that can afford it will not care about buying another. True, it's not a Rolex, but I don't think it's trying to be one.
 
douglasf13 said:
An Apple Watch from today is still going to have more uses than a Rolex in 10 years. They're two very different devices that happen to be competing for your wrist space. It's up to you if you want to upgrade the Watch.
Click to expand...

Will a 1st gen Apple Watch even still function after 10 years of regular use ? nonetheless still be compatible with whatever Iphone and IOS version you have at the time ?
 
why I think it might age well.

The real answer is we won't know how the Watch stands the test of time until we see a generation or two. Some Apple products age way better than others. Will it be on a yearly update schedule? Probably but who knows.

One thing in its favor though is the watch doesn't do much. It's largely a second screen for phone so in theory upgrading your phone (software and/or hardware) will extend the usability of a watch.

Of course the next one will likely be thinner, have better battery life, and added sensors but such is the curse of the early adopter.
 
I wonder if for that price, apple will sell editions on the fact you can upgrade for X years. like Tesla. Might not be something they brag about, but i mean how much can the Hardware cost? (minus the gold)
Sure, there is a 'premium' but how much does that face/CPU/battery cost? Maybe 300?
Is it possible that for 10K they'll offer to upgrade or trade up to watch 2 when its available, since the hardware is so little of the cost, as an incentive to those buying the edition?
Course they could also just assume that the resale value will stay within the price market for customers who buy the 1 to buy the 2 and resell the one. Or just give a crap...
 
I think you are all thinking the wrong way about obsolescence.

You are thinking about it as a piece of technology which will become obsolete. Try thinking about it as its primary purpose - a watch to tell the time. It tells the time now, it will always tell the time, it is a watch.

Sure, in the future in might look different, maybe thinner, nicer, but that is the same as any other watch you'd buy.

All the apps, notifications etc. are just a bonus. It's a watch, a piece of jewellery.
 
You mean in the same way an original 2007 iPhone can still make phone-calls...?
 
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