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What to Expect at Apple's 'Spring Forward' Media Event

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With just one day to go until Apple's "Spring Forward" media event in San Francisco, there are still plenty of unknowns about what the company will be showing off beyond a focus on the Apple Watch. As a result, we've put together this summary of what we expect to see, what we might see, and what we probably won't see at the event.

Apple Watch

Given the time-related tagline of "Spring Forward" and today's start of Daylight Saving Time in the United States, it's clear the Apple Watch is the focus of tomorrow's event. We got a first look at the device last September, but now with just a month to go until launch, it's time for Apple to provide final details and shape the marketing message. Expect more details on launch dates and pricing of course, as well as some updates on performance aspects such as battery life.

Also expect apps to play a significant role in the event, with Apple allowing a few developers to show off what they've been able to accomplish over the past few months since guidelines and developers tools for the device were made available.


Pricing will undoubtedly be one of the most interesting topics to be covered, with the company so far refusing to disclose any information beyond a $349 starting price. Daring Fireball's John Gruber has made his final predictions, arguing the stainless steel Apple Watch collection will be more expensive than people think.
[T]he steel Apple Watch, that's something that most people still look at as for them. And so they expect the starting price to be around $500, and the various leather and metal band options to cost $100-300 more.

But if the starting price for the steel Apple Watch is $500, I don't see why Apple Watch Sport exists at $350. $150 difference does not justify the difference. If they were that close in price, there'd only be one of them. [...] With Sport and steel Apple Watches, everything you can see or touch is different. Different metal (aluminum vs. steel), different finishes (matte vs. highly-polished), different displays (glass vs. sapphire), different case backs (plastic vs. ceramic and sapphire).
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With that in mind, Gruber predicts the steel Apple Watch collection will start at $749 while the gold Apple Watch Edition collection starts at $7500. He expects Apple will charge a small premium for the 42mm size compared to the 38mm casing, and various band options will quickly drive up the cost of the steel and gold models.

Gruber is of course only one voice among many who are speculating about pricing, but he offers a clear and thorough argument for his pricing predictions, serving as a solid basis for debate and discussion.


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Article Link: What to Expect at Apple's 'Spring Forward' Media Event
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2015/03/08/spring-event-what-to-expect/
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Because it's not daylight saving time here in the UK (and because of the countdown timer on MacRumors) I'm pretty sure this starts at 5pm GMT.

Am I mistaken - Are MacRumors counting down to their live blog?
 
Whenever a "new" Apple product comes out, I begin to see the waters get muddier. Problems on existing devices will have almost no chances of being fixed with so many devices/products to look after. Shame. Everything will be iWatch now, ZERO chance of getting my iTunes match issues resolved at this point or even continuity problems!
 
It would make sense for most of the buyers to go for cheapest Apple watch this time. This is going to be the public trial version.
 
thekeyring said:
Because it's not daylight saving time here in the UK (and because of the countdown timer on MacRumors) I'm pretty sure this starts at 5pm GMT.

Am I mistaken - Are MacRumors counting down to their live blog?
Click to expand...

We're counting down to the start of the event...it begins in 24.5 hours.
 
so the bigger version will be more expensive right? So my guess is the cheapest 42mm will cost about 400-450, wich is way to much for a smartwatch first generation. You can almost get a used iphone 6 for that price...
 
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i am still not convinced by that sports edition i mean have a look at the video. it looks like some cheap bulky plastic thing. i was actually thinking about getting one until i saw the video ^^
 
sundog925 said:
Whenever a "new" Apple product comes out, I begin to see the waters get muddier. Problems on existing devices will have almost no chances of being fixed with so many devices/products to look after. Shame. Everything will be iWatch now, ZERO chance of getting my iTunes match issues resolved at this point or even continuity problems!
Click to expand...

Just use Google Music. It's free and they allow you to store 50,000 songs now. The iOS app is also better than the trash stock music iOS app.
 
thekeyring said:
Because it's not daylight saving time here in the UK (and because of the countdown timer on MacRumors) I'm pretty sure this starts at 5pm GMT.

Am I mistaken - Are MacRumors counting down to their live blog?
Click to expand...

Yes, will be 17:00 GMT time. Last half an hour of work will not be that productive...
 
I plan on taking a break from my usual morning routine of lighting $100 bills on fire to watch this and decide which Edition watch I really need. :cool:
 
Besides seeing what the Apple watch can do (I'll likely buy one no matter what since I like watches), I'm almost more interested to see how the stock reacts to the pricing.
 
sundog925 said:
Whenever a "new" Apple product comes out, I begin to see the waters get muddier. Problems on existing devices will have almost no chances of being fixed with so many devices/products to look after. Shame. Everything will be iWatch now, ZERO chance of getting my iTunes match issues resolved at this point or even continuity problems!
Click to expand...

It could work both ways. Apple may have less pressure this year to add major features to iOS and OS X because the watch is taking care of telling the world that Apple is "innovating" and not standing still.

This means that engineers working on iOS and OS X may be able to concentrate on fixing stuff rather than struggling to meet release dates for major system wide features like a new interface and extensibility.
 
I think everyone is overstating the price of these watches, curious to see where they land come Monday.
 
Gruber talks himself right out of his own argument. The strategy in pricing in tiers is to induce up-selling. Considering this reality, a $400 premium for the stainless steel watch with the sport band make no sense. Nobody will in induced to spend that much more just to get steel. More like $100-150 makes a lot more sense. Apple already does this all across their model lines. Why Gruber thinks they will take a radically different approach with Apple Watch is beyond me, and unless I missed some deep thinking, I don't see where he's articulated any argument for it.

Edit: Read Gruber again looking for evidence of deep thinking. None found. His argument for the huge gap between the Sport and Apple Watch models is based on something he calls "operational efficiency." What the hell is that? He doesn't say, but he does say it should be convincing. Sorry, no sale.
 
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Wow Mr Gruber, those are some poorly written sentences right there.
 
What to expect....ohhh about 1/2 or more of the rumors to be wrong.

It is amazing how much time is wasted on trying to guess what is coming out and what is being done....Maybe this whole site should seek a rename, MacUNFOUNDEDRumors as you guys just keep tossing more and more garbage up in hopes of luring readers.

It used to be lots of the info here was good, now it is more like it is just a race to outdo the other pundits and "experts" with more claims not founded in reality.
 
Swinson said:
What to expect....ohhh about 1/2 or more of the rumors to be wrong.

It is amazing how much time is wasted on trying to guess what is coming out and what is being done....Maybe this whole site should seek a rename, MacUNFOUNDEDRumors as you guys just keep tossing more and more garbage up in hopes of luring readers.

It used to be lots of the info here was good, now it is more like it is just a race to outdo the other pundits and "experts" with more claims not founded in reality.
Click to expand...

business
 
I'm excited! I don't know what to expect, feet are ready, my car is ready, cash is ready and I hope my diaper is ready too! :D:p:rolleyes::confused:
 
Was the first iPad speculated at $1000? Gruber is no different compared to an average poster in this blog. Apple must be crazy to price it at $750 unless they want no sale. Even me, i want one but would remove myself out if it is more than $500 for stainless steel version.
 
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