I have been physically writing down drafts of blog posts on premium paper lately due to a newfound interest in fountain pens and the respective inks, and as dumb as that sound I thoroughly enjoy the process of writing after a multi-year hiatus from physical writing (I graduated from Media Studies “Communications and New Media” in NUS). However I do not share the same enthusiasm when putting those blog posts to Byword, so most of the content remain in my trusty notebook, with some of them already expired (as events happened and stuff gets introduced). But I thought I will at least get this out before the event next Monday, so here goes my Apple Watch rumbling.
Regarding the prices of the Watch, the speculation is rife (on every single tech blog and news outlet) on the Edition models being ridiculously expensive and starting at 10000usd, after factoring in the price of the raw gold in the watch body.
I say 4999usd for the cheapest Edition model, and 14999usd for the gold link bracelet model.
What obviously is more important but less speculated on is the starting price of the stainless steel models, as well as the price of probably the most popular model with tech geeks – the Apple Watch with stainless steel link bracelet.
499usd for the stainless steel model with sport band, and 999usd for the link bracelet model.
I want the Apple Watch Stainless Steel model (42mm), with link bracelet, in regular steel/silver finish. The Space Grey finish looks absolutely sweet on paper, but as I am interested in getting spare straps/bands for the Watch I am not so sure the silver Milanese loop will look nice on the Space Grey model.
The Sport models might be cheap, but like any iPhone owner I know how Aluminum looks when knocked against a hard surface, and unlike a phone, the possibility of a watched getting banged up through daily use is way way higher.
I own several Seikos and Casios, and I know how well steel watches stand up to abuse, especially if they have sapphire cover glasses.
Seriously speaking, as I really want the link bracelet model myself, I really hope that it will end up being cheaper than 999usd, but 999usd is absolutely the limit on how much I will spend on a watch. If the link bracelet model ends up being more than 999usd, I might possibly skip the stainless steel models all together and get a Sport model instead, since it is a first generation model and first generation Apple stuff is never flawless.
The naming of the various Apple Watch lines is also weird, with the cheapest “Sport “models and the most expensive 18K gold models getting the “Edition” name, but the stainless steel models being called just regular “Apple Watch”. It is obvious Apple wants the stainless steel models to be the regular line, but just calling it “Apple Watch” will confuse consumers who are less than well-informed on the differences between the three lines besides pricing.
I fully expect Apple to correct that oversight by suddenly calling the stainless steel line by another name during next Monday’s event, be it “Apple Watch Steel” or “Apple Watch Premium”.
Details about battery life have leaked out in the last few days, and I fully expect all the leaks to be accurate – be it the 5-hour on high use or the power reserve mode, charging is essentially going to be a daily thing.
What I am more interested in will be the kind of portable charging solutions announced, or if there will be any of them.
It is pretty normal to be charging your iPhone with mobile power packs connected to Lightning cables these days, and cables are very portable and relatively affordable.
The Apple Watch, with its magnetic charging, and the cable with its charging plate, does not really look very portable, nor affordable enough to purchase separately from the Watch to use while you are on the go. And it will be a pain to carry two cables when you are out. I wonder if there will be a Lightning to Watch magnetic charging adapter for sale.
Availability is another question. Since the telcos that are involved in iPhone, and to a lesser extent, iPad distribution during the various launches, will Apple with its distribution channels be able to launch in the same set of countries as they do for iPhone launches? It is however unlikely that the Watch will be sold in the same ridiculous numbers of the iPhone, as demand for a new category of products is always likely to be lower than one for a mature popular product line, so the stress on the distribution channels will be much lesser than typical iPhone launches.
In this case, if the distribution of the Watch follows the same channels as Singapore will most likely be in the first wave of countries the Watch will launch in, to simplify the logistics involved by shipping Apple Watch through the same channels. And that will be great news. For I will really really want to have an Apple Watch on Launch Day.
Unlike the iPhone and the iPad, there are many who are not convinced of the utility of the Apple Watch, some of whom are long term Apple fans. I wish all of these people will not be swayed by the event to preorder the Watch for Launch Day – I do not want to fight with others for the chance to have my Apple Watch the very first second they go on sale.
Oh please let it be April already. Cannot wait. Argh.
