Potentially major draw back for the Apple Watch related to cost...

kataran

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Sean your approach to this all wrong. This is not jewelry. This is technology that you wear on your wrist. It may come in different levels of trim to satisfy the customers need for fashion, or individuality, but it's functionality is why you purchase it, not because it will hold or increase in value over time. Think of it much like buying a car, the purpose is for transportation, the different levels accessorization depends on how good you want to look while driving it. Not to mention the majority of cars depreciate the second you drive them off the lot, they're not a investment ...

I'll agree to a point in regard to electronics even thou the early Macs were bought for there usage but were retained as an investment by the most savory of the bunch

But your way off when it comes to cars as an investment. There's a whole culture like Jay Leno that use cars not only as a tax shelter but a major investment
 

Just_Me_D

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'D I know you're standing by a statement made with a poor choice of words. Buying a house is an investment, buying stock in Apple is an investment, buying old coins, or antiques is an investment ...
Never confuse "decision making", "future proofing", or "purchasing" something you can ill afford an investment...

You mean like buying a house, buying certain stock as well as old coins or antiques? Those things that many people can ill afford? Okay, got it...;)
 

Not Quite Right

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I'll agree to a point in regard to electronics even thou the early Macs were bought for there usage but were retained as an investment by the most savory of the bunch

But your way off when it comes to cars as an investment. There's a whole culture like Jay Leno that use cars not only as a tax shelter but a major investment
Cars that are bought for personal transportation which most are, are not an investment. They depreciate the second they're driven off the lot. Yes there will always be antiques, rarities, and collectibles of all types. An antique early american table would most likely be considered an investment, buying a couch at Ikea is not an investment ...
Just so you know The Jay Leno crowd doesn't think of the Apple Watch as an investment either, they just see it as a watch that does cool stuff ...
 

Not Quite Right

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You mean like buying a house, buying certain stock as well as old coins or antiques? Those things that many people can ill afford? Okay, got it...;)


Heck, paying full price for a smartphone is an investment for some people and many of those people will consider the  Watch an investment.

That's not an investment ... You're just ...I don't know what you're doing there, someone paid too much for their smartphone then bought a pretty cool watch ...
Oh you think you're toying with me, but you're not ...
 

anon(4698833)

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Sean your approach to this all wrong. This is not jewelry. This is technology that you wear on your wrist. It may come in different levels of trim to satisfy the customers need for fashion, or individuality, but it's functionality is why you purchase it, not because it will hold or increase in value over time. Think of it much like buying a car, the purpose is for transportation, the different levels accessorization depends on how good you want to look while driving it. Not to mention the majority of cars depreciate the second you drive them off the lot, they're not a investment ...

I don't feel my approach to this is wrong at all...while I do agree that it's a piece of consumer technology, the same as an iPad or Macbook, etc...but it's ALSO a piece of jewelry in that it is defined as a WATCH...and offers options which price it reflective of a piece of jewelry (gold model and rose gold models being the upper tier of this range).

Why doesn't Apple sell a real gold iPhone or Macbook? For starters, it wouldn't be feasible for the kind of usage those devices are made to do...and they wouldn't sell them because they'd cost far too much and people do not associate either device with something wearable.

The Apple Watch though is sold as both technology and fashion...and my initial point was that if you are going to sell it as a piece of fashionable jewelry (even if that is only a portion of its appeal), are consumers going to have an object they can still use 5-10 years down the road in some legitimate way? Because a person EXPECTS that kind of longevity out of a normal watch, especially if it comes with a steep cost (even watches that only cost hundreds of dollars).

What I question though is say you bought a $1,500 gold Apple Watch...and 5 years from now the device (apart from the gold exterior) is completely useless (much like smart phones are after 5 years or so after release). Will they be worth anything aside from the weight of gold included in the watch itself? Will it retain watch value like a normal watch would? Can the market overlook an outdated OS/UI on the watch in the event the owner wants to sell it?

Or would the $1,500 watch become a $100 watch after just a few years?

The car analogy doesn't really work because, while they are truly not investments, cars do hold value respective of what they are...if I buy a BMW M3 today for $65,000, in 10 years, it will still be worth a relevant amount of money reflective of the kind of luxury item it is. Will the Apple Watch reflect the same kind of market relevance given the nature of it being a luxury item in the segment?

My concern, ultimately, rests in the idea that a gold, upper tier Apple Watch would follow value trends of a piece of consumer technology, and not follow watch/jewelry value in any way at all...which kind of negates the realistic idea of purchasing the expensive gold Apple Watch over just the entry level models.
 

kataran

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Why doesn't Apple sell a real gold iPhone or Macbook? For starters, it wouldn't be feasible for the kind of usage those devices are made to do...and they wouldn't sell them because they'd cost far too much and people do not associate either device with something wearable..

Although Apple never made a real gold iPhone there's still a market for them as evident in the many 3 thousand dollar gold plated i5es sold on eBay in the last few years
 

Haalcyon

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I haven't researched this but wondered if the Gold ones were some kind of very nicely done and durable gold plating. That could reduce costs a lot. As neat as I expect the 🍎watch to be its still is just a piece of tech that will be out of date very soon after release. Making one really expensive just seems like it'd only sell to folks that have money to burn. I don't see it as jewelry because I don't see it as having the longevity of jewelry. The bottom line though, I think, is that Apple couldn't care less about my aforementioned perspective. I think all models of the 🍎watch will sell beyond expectations. I know I'm looking forward to getting one.
 

dimitrist

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I don't think they will do as well as they think they will with the watch, I wouldn't buy it for a few reasons, its first gen, its very thick and the display is small.
I will not spend 400 dollars in an *entry level* watch.
I am sure a few people will buy it for the sakes of having one, but I oddest think its gonna be a huge hit
 

Haalcyon

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I don't think they will do as well as they think they will with the watch, I wouldn't buy it for a few reasons, its first gen, its very thick and the display is small.
I will not spend 400 dollars in an *entry level* watch.
I am sure a few people will buy it for the sakes of having one, but I oddest think its gonna be a huge hit

There seems to be a lot people (if Android is any indication) that really like being able to get notifications and such without whipping out their phones. Phone in purse? No problem, she could see the notifications on her wrist or take the call on her wrist if she chooses. I don't know, I think it's gonna be another success for Apple. ... more so than it has been for Android.
 
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anon(4698833)

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Although Apple never made a real gold iPhone there's still a market for them as evident in the many 3 thousand dollar gold plated i5es sold on eBay in the last few years

Thing is though...those devices follow a tiny demand, which is why they aren't produced in massive numbers. You might see 100 of them over the course of an entire generation of smart phone. When I say Apple MAKING real gold products, I'm talking mass production as they would with anything else...obviously this Apple Watch isn't going to be made in numbers matching the iPhone, but they will also not be custom, made to order watches either.
 

Haalcyon

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I don't know, think it's gonna be very well received. When people start to recognize the utility of the smart watch I kinda think it'll be a hit, but perhaps I just want it to be (Apple's implementation does look pretty darned good compared to what's already out there). I actually see people wearing them that might not normally wear a watch like a lot of the generation Y crowd. If they price the Gold ones high as heck it'll still remain attractive to the A-list types and others with more money than brains.
 

anon(4698833)

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I don't know, think it's gonna be very well received.

Agreed...I think it's going to sell like crazy honestly, especially the sub $500 models. I don't wear a watch, and I wouldn't ever wear one for that purpose, but some of the other benefits to it, especially int terms of exercise, have actually made me consider one of the entry models.
 

qbnkelt

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Agreed...I think it's going to sell like crazy honestly, especially the sub $500 models. I don't wear a watch, and I wouldn't ever wear one for that purpose, but some of the other benefits to it, especially int terms of exercise, have actually made me consider one of the entry models.




I'm getting one but I see it like a luxury present to myself. Certainly not going for the rose gold. Not THIS year.
 

Not Quite Right

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Agreed...I think it's going to sell like crazy honestly, especially the sub $500 models. I don't wear a watch, and I wouldn't ever wear one for that purpose, but some of the other benefits to it, especially int terms of exercise, have actually made me consider one of the entry models.

I wish it could be referred to as something different than a watch. Something like a wearable data center companion device that also tells time. It's like calling Smartphones phones, They're more like compact mobile computing, entertainment, gps, data consumption devices that also makes phone calls.
I think by taking the watch out of Apple watch, would make it easier for folks to grasp that they're buying high tech to strap to their wrist that gives added functionality but will depreciate quickly like all electronics devices do, rather than buying a piece of jewelry that will maintain its value ...
 

anon(4698833)

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I wish it could be referred to as something different than a watch. Something like a wearable data center companion device that also tells time. It's like calling Smartphones phones, They're more like compact mobile computing, entertainment, gps, data consumption devices that also makes phone calls.
I think by taking the watch out of Apple watch, would make it easier for folks to grasp that they're buying high tech to strap to their wrist that gives added functionality but will depreciate quickly like all electronics devices do, rather than buying a piece of jewelry that will maintain its value ...

I totally see where you're coming from here...I'd be 100% behind you with your opinion on it if there were only the lower end spectrum versions, but we have obviously seen they are dabbling in the upper tier watch category with the gold versions, and those are the ones that really present the issue in my opinion. People buying a $1,000+ Apple Watch that depreciates in value WAY more than the entry model because they all follow the same tech death time line, but the higher end gold models don't retain jewelry style value retention.

I dunno, maybe I'm over thinking this, but it just really stuck out as a problem to me when thinking about it.
 

BreakingKayfabe

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I remember hearing John Gruber ask this very same question not too long ago. I don't remember who the discussion was with but he wondered if the gold edition would be somehow upgradeable when it came to internals. I'm sure Apple has considered this question and probably has a solution that they'll reveal before the watches go on sale. One thing that I am most positive of is that this product is going to have a yearly new generation cycle like iPhones and iPads.
 

Sammuel1973

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SeanHRCC and others, very valid points. For me, I don't think timeless watches and smartwatches should be combined. A timeless Rolax watch could last 10+ years, a smartwatch could only last 2 years tops cuz of wear & tear, battery life...and the next big thing will always be "better", imo.