Who thinks the Apple Watch is too expensive?

[bjdraw]

the fact that apple is willing to give it to them for 50% cheaper means they markup is abysmal and that they are desperate for people to wear them.

According to Wikipedia, Apple has 190k employees. Based on how quickly pre-orders went up from 2 weeks, I'd say they they aren't desperate for people to wear them.

Not to mention when the iPhone was first released, Apple gave every full time employee one for free. That's a much better deal than 50% off a watch.

http://daringfireball.net/linked/2007/june#thu-28-allhands

 

[nfl46]

Heck, most of the people who buy expensive watches don't even look at them for the time; they buy them for the name. "Oh I have on a Rolex!" But, 9/10, you always catch them pulling out their phone for the time. At least with the Apple Watch, it can function more than just the time. That's why I like it. I have expensive watches, not Rolex expensive, and I only wear them because they look good.

People have to realize, we have to start some where with wearable. You can't expect Apple or any other company to give you this 30 day battery life, with these high def screens. Patience. This is only the beginning. Give it ten years ago or so.

 

[aimbdd]

Your also not taking into account the needed servicing of your Rolex every couple years at 500-1000 each time.

 

[SHNXX]

So it seems that the strongest arguments in favor of the Apple watch are: 1) it does more things than a traditional watch and 2) it is relative thus it's not expensive.

Regarding utility, although we may one day get there, the use case for the Apple Watch is not compelling at all.
Perhaps developers will fill in some useful functions but as it is, Apple is pitching more on the fashion/lifestyle angle than utility.
The only thing that Apple Watch does better than a phone is fitness tracking, but there are also fitness trackers that accomplish this task much better.
Notifications are certainly nice, but I am not sure if it's something that millions of people are dying to have.
At least based on Apple's own messaging, it seems that Apple Watch wants to compete based on being an aspirational product, which is what a mechanical watch is.
A mechanical watch such as a Patek Philippe or Audemars Piguet is entirely about craftsmanship and art, rather than utility, and on this front, these watches are much better at it than the Apple Watch.

Regarding the price being relative, I totally agree. I was making the point that for many people, the idea of spending $1000 on the stainless steel watch that will be either unfashionable in 1 year or completely useless in 3 years is not appealing.
I fully understand that there are people with lots of money or different priorities who may see things differently.
In fact, if you look at how quickly the Apple Watch sold out, there are clearly enough people to buy Apple Watch given current supply.

 

[unclejamaal]

I think for a lot of people including myself an apple watch is a luxury and a fashion statement more than anything. Maybe things will change as apps get developed and we get to Watch 2 or 3, but for now I don't think I can justify spending any money on a gadget for which I can see no use.

 

[JonMPLS]

While I don't consider the watch expensive in the watch world, I have to admit it's the first watch I have ever ordered knowing that it will be updated in a year. Kind of an odd feeling.

 

[spytech]

Definitely expensive, but that's isn't stopping me and most Apple fans/users from buying it. We're pretty used to Apple being a synonym to expensive, especially in countries like mine.

Anyways, if you're going to spend 400+€ on a watch, you might as well spend it in something that doesn't only tell you the time. I've never bought watches beyond 50€ (and I don't see how one needs something more expensive than 150€ to see what time is it)

And for those who have the money and are buying the Edition, I think it's a good call. They would buy a Rolex or something more expensive instead, so the Edition is a good call. And yes, let's face it, next year the Apple Watch will probably be completely outdated (OP is being nice in giving it 2 years), but the Watch will always be a better investment than any other watch, in my opinion.

 

[DreamPod]

I don't think the Sport line is too expensive - $350 or $450 seems reasonable to me for a smartwatch with Apple quality. And the markup for Stainless Steel/Sapphire/Ceramic seems fine. But those link bracelets and Space Black link bracelets...YES too expensive. I'm getting that Space Black SS, but if I hadn't gotten a remarkably huge tax return, there's no way in hell I would have done so.

 

[gorkt]

It is obviously not too expensive or they would not have sold out in a few hours.

I don't get Rolexes or other expensive watches at all. I am not really into conspicuous status symbols or mechanical watches so it doesn't make sense to me to buy a $10K watch that only tells the time. (I don't really get the point of expensive jewelry either). The value is mostly related to status, which is a legitimate benefit, but don't pretend the watch has more utility overall compared to even a basic smartwatch. Like others in this thread, the most expensive watch I owned prior to this is a $150 Skagen that I dumped in 2008 when I bought my first iPhone.

I still think we have barely scratched the surface of what the watch will be able to do, and most people's complaints of limited utility are failures of imagination.

 

[SHNXX]

It is obviously not too expensive or they would not have sold out in a few hours.



I don't get Rolexes or other expensive watches at all. I am not really into conspicuous status symbols or mechanical watches so it doesn't make sense to me to buy a $10K watch that only tells the time. (I don't really get the point of expensive jewelry either). The value is mostly related to status, which is a legitimate benefit, but don't pretend the watch has more utility overall compared to even a basic smartwatch. Like others in this thread, the most expensive watch I owned prior to this is a $150 Skagen that I dumped in 2008 when I bought my first iPhone.



I still think we have barely scratched the surface of what the watch will be able to do, and most people's complaints of limited utility are failures of imagination.

Regarding expensive mechanical watches, they're not particularly useful in conveying status.
A Patek Calatrava costs $36000 but hardly anyone will notice it due to its small dial and thin profile and even if they noticed, hardly anyone will think that it's an expensive watch.
It's really more apt to compare these types of watches art or collectors item than something comparable to a functional utilitarian device.