When is Apple going to come clean about the range of prices for all versions of the Apple Watch? It’s got to be soon, since they are going on sale in January. Obviously Apple want us to bask in the apparent glory of these devices so that we’ll be hungry enough to pay just about anything for them once they hit the shelves. But we wonder if people will be ready for the sticker shock when it finally arrives.
Let’s recap. Apple announced three distinct models of the Apple Watch. There’s the classic Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Sport, and the Apple Watch Edition.
Their “starting price” of $349 would obviously apply to the model with the cheapest components, and that is clearly the Apple Watch Sport. The Sport model is made of light aluminum and has a cheap, rubbery sweat-resistant band in several brightly-colored hues.
The standard Apple Watch has a steel case, sapphire cover and an impressive choice of high-quality metal bands. Most experts are guessing that this model will cost at least $549.
And then there’s the Apple Watch Edition, with its specially-made 18-carat gold and rose-gold cases, sapphire glass screen, and beautiful Venetian leather bands. The fine watch experts at ablogtowatch said that given the gold content, they see the Apple Watch Edition selling for between $5,000-$10,000. Ouch.
When something is said to be 18-carat gold, that means solid gold, otherwise they would say “gold-plated”. A reasonable guess would be that the Apple Watch Edition would need about two ounces of gold for the case. Given the current price of gold, that amounts to $2,400 just for the raw materials. And Apple has also said its has invented a gold alloy that’s twice as strong as regular gold, which would further boost the price.
On the other hand, Apple’s China-based manufacturing centers certainly bring great economies of production compared to the Swiss watch manufacturing operations. Apple also clearly works on smaller margins than typical watch manufacturers, and that could bring the price down in a big way. Furthermore, Benjamin Clymer of Hodinkee, another watch enthusiast site, said that a solid-gold watch with sapphire crystal, with the most basic of technology inside, would start at around $3,000.
So the best guess is that the Apple watch Edition will sell for no less than $1,000. We are hearing the number $1,200 bandied around a lot. Either way, it will be a luxury product out of reach for the average consumer. Who could have ever imagined an Apple product becoming a status symbol for the wealthy?
The primary question in my mind revolves around whether or not it will have a replaceable battery (not necessarily user replaceable, but replaceable _at all_).
It’s one thing to pay $1200 for a watch (I can actually see myself paying that much for the right watch) which will give a decade of use with battery replacements. It’s quite another to spend that much on a watch which will be virtually useless after the standard three year lifespan of a current lithium battery (and keep in mind, operating at human body temperature is _not_ a particularly happy place for current crop of lithium rechargeable batteries)
It’s one thing replacing my phone every two to three years as it physically wears out. My carrier will spread the cost if I wish, and it’s a very core tool. But for the vast majority of consumers, it’s quite another thing to do that with a wrist watch.