Any more thoughts on exactly what I’m looking for in order to see if it’s a counterfeit?
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Space Black owners thread.
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Inside the butterfly clasp in an oval, it'll say the size (either 42mm or 38mm), then underneath it will say 316L Stainless Steel.
It's in the trough of the clasp (see pic)
I thought so but couldn’t tell. I would think about selling my S0, but not parting with that link band. Such a great band.
Just sell it with a sport band then (oh...and keep the plastic case it came in....seems Apple doesn't deem the stainless good enough for their plastic case anymore....you have to buy a ceramic to get that now).
They deleted the plastic case from the stainless model strictly just for cost related. It's the same exact reason why they deleted the plastic case from the sport model with the Series 1. But in hindsight, even though I don't agree with it, I do see that if somebody truly wants the most premium package, that would be the ceramic Edition, which also includes the charging dock and plastic case.
Cost related? You meet greed related?
Squeezing every last bit of profit they can out of us? Me, I think it's pretty petty of them. I mean, what could the production cost of that box be in China? $2?
Cost related? You meet greed related?
Me, I think it's pretty petty of them. I mean, what could the production cost of that box be in China? $2?
I'm normally fairly supportive of Apple and their decisions, but the fact that they took away the plastic box from the stainless model, I don't agree with it all. It gave the stainless model some exclusivity with the plastic box and made it more substantial what you were purchasing for the price point. I think that was a poor business decision on their behalf, even if it was cost related
Can't agree more - was a really bad PR move. At launch, with exchange, taxes and AC+, my S0 with link band was $1600. Mind you, they don't sell the combination together anymore. Still, people buying the S3 SBSS with milanese loop are paying $1000 before taxes up here.
Apple used to do things that showed their customers how much they valued them...this nickel and dime stuff.
The plastic boxes were/are nice, but pretty bad environmentally. That could be a reason Apple mostly got rid of them, too.
Perhaps that is a reason. But I question how many consumers actually dispose of the plastic box? And I factored the environment concern when I thought more about why they may have deleted the plastic boxes. But regardless of their reasoning, when you purchase a $600 smart watch, it gave the stainless model some exclusivity with having a plastic box. It made the stainless model actually feel more substantial of a purchase for the amount of money that you were spending. And to me, it's unfortunate that Experience was taken away.
And even without the plastic box away, I would have been fine if they would reduce the price somewhat, but it still remains the same without the plastic box. I don't agree with Apple on this. I know it's just a box, but it made the stainless model appear more premium.
Well, we obviously can't know how many of the boxes have been thrown away, but that is not the primary/only environmental concern. The production of these boxes is already wasting ressources. Also look at the packaging of all other Apple products, even those that are way more expensive than a SS Watch: all cardboard, no plastic in sight; yet the packaging is still nice and clever enough for a "premium" unboxing experience. I also don't think the price of a SS Watch is that much higher than that of an aluminium Watch, making an artificial "premium unboxing experience" unnecessary IMO; for that you have to go to the Edition, which seems right to me. All of this "shiny box" stuff was obviously a result of Ive/Newson aspiring to closely mimick the traditional (expensive) watch industry, back when the AW was presented as a fashion item first. This has fundamentally changed as the demand (and hence marketing) quickly turned to the sportive and other functional aspects. That's also why the aluminum Watch is now way more prominent in the marketing than the stainless one, whch is exactly the opposite from the very first AW; back then Apple even called the aluminum Watch the "AW Sport", marking as a niche model/use case vs the "normal", stainless AW. Hell, even the 149 USD bands like the leather and milanaise loops and the classic buckles at first came in those shiny white plastic boxes, another sign of the misjudged aspirations of Ive/Newson wrt the fashion/premium aspect of the AW; the most obvious sign of those were the gold/rose gold Edition models, a pure vanity project of/for the designers and the only time when I honestly thought "Steve Jobs would not have allowed this".
Btw, for me personally, I much prefer the stainless AW and have bought many of the pricier bands, because I do appreciate the more premium feeling of the materials. I just don't care for the shiny box.
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I know what you mean. I’ve been watching SBSS stock levels on iStockNow for a couple of weeks.
The US got a bunch of them on release, but then stocks dwindled quickly and only a few have popped up since in the US (probably returns?). OTOH, Japan and Western Europe have been getting plenty of stock daily and completely selling out before being replenished the next day. It’s been maddening to watch!
Try Best Buy mobile. They have a few left in a few stores. It’s where I found mine this weekend
To me, it doesn’t matter that Apple “downgraded” the packaging since I throw it out/recycle anyways.
I appreciate your in-depth post, but Your environment argument seems last underwhelmed, it's not really about the environment in some cases (Even though Apple cares about the environment). It's about Apple saving money with reducing packaging that's cost related. They removed the plastic boxes from the Apple Watch sport, the stainless model and the more expensive watch bands. If Somebody truly wants the plastic box, you have to purchase it separately off eBay or it's included with the Apple Watch Edition.
They also removed the plastic housing from the EarPods that are included in the iPhone 7, which went to Cardboard. There are prime examples of Apple being frugal.
This Isn't an uncommon practice with Apple over the years. It wasn't just about the unboxing experience with the plastic box for the stainless model, the plastic box was excellent for transport when I travel or simply just for storage when I'm not using my watch. It's a convenience factor and like I said before, it gave it more ofa premium experience. I think others have vastly agreed with that, which has been discussed extensively if you read through these threads.
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Yeah, I felt the ‘premium’ boxes were pointless.
Don't get me wrong, they're really nice boxes, but several have been sitting in my closet, untouched, for a year or two. If they weren’t so well-made I’d have discarded them long ago. I keep thinking I’ll find a use for them, haha.
Anyway, as it is, they’re just useless clutter. I should bite the bullet and recycle them. I presume they’re recyclable plastic, yes?
To me the change in packaging on the SS models means they no longer view the SS models as a fashion statement and a step above the aluminum. Moreover, the change in the charging cable is more disturbing. I have mine mounted in a stand. It plus into a 6 port USB charger that sits on the floor. The new cable doesn't reach. The old one was long enough that I bundled it up and used a tie wrap to keeps things neat.
Yeah. They were nice...but I got the sense they were heavily over-manufactured and used too many materials for what was essentially just packaging. I left mine in the outer box since I got the Watch, I got it out the garage to sell recently and couldn't stop thinking about how overkill it was and that I was surprised it was ever a thing.
I've also recently sold my original black classic buckle strap, and that came in a full plastic box too. It seems incredibly wasteful. Yes, it gave a premium feel. But can you imagine how many of those boxes ended up in the bin?
42mm Series 3 LTE Space Black Stainless Steel (pictured here with Ultra Violet Sport Band)
Regardless of what the original intention was, a giant plastic box versus a smaller cardboard box makes a difference a decade from now.
I’m not saying you’re wrong to feel how you feel, but I bet most people haven’t even looked at their box since they bought it except when considering to resell.
I love boxes and packaging. As a collectible it’s aweosme. For most people I think it’s just extra junk. JMo of course.
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I see your point. But for me, I own multiple Apple Watches and the plastic box is really nice to have for traveling and protecting the Watch when not in use. Ironically, these plastic boxes sell for a minimun of $20.00 on eBay in the past. The one thing I like about them, is they're very well made and I also converted one into a Charging dock.