The Apple Watch is here, I said the Apple Watch is here

[Ollie]

The watch tops out at $17000. I was thinking that the person who drops north of $10k for the watch won't give a hoot about the battery life. It's purely a status symbol. No doubt the people wearing the $10k+ Watch Edition will be WEALTHY folks who see $10k as just "walking around" money.

Some people are saying that they could buy a Rolex instead, but the person who buys the top tier version of the watch already has a few Rolexes. This is not meant for the payment plan/layaway crowd. What it does is give cache to the lower end models. The bottom rung Apple watch and the mid-tier all steel models will become status separators. People have shown interest and will no doubt know the prices. When you see someone wearing it there will be no doubt as to the price. This is the way shallow people will think and it's going to be successful. The Apple Watch Fanboi social status pecking order will be:

Watch Edition > Watch > Watch Sport > No Apple Watch (The Poors)

It's shallow, but that's the way it will be.

Over 10k for a gold watch that has less gold in it due to their fabrication process.

Force touch looks cool and I look forward to using it on my new MBP when it is introduced to them in a future refresh. They've killed off lightning ports in favor of USB C so here come the adapters :/

 

[cr6]

Well, Tim Cook & Apple are laughing all the way to the bank! (or soon will be) along with their new laptop that uses another new charging port (USB-C) ...which btw, will require you to buy all new adapters.
Can you say "Lightning port"? Apple has a way of milking every last dime out if it's shee.....I mean customers.
Aww dang it.....I wasn't supposed to comment in this thread! Bad cr bad!

S5 tap'n

 

[pc747]

I will say this though, Apple's move to go new usb lightning port as the only port and not including one in the box is a prick move (The new MacBook may be the future not the present The Verge ) If a person already spent $1000+ or a laptop why do they then have to spend $80 for an adapter. They are not helping my argument for the macbook. Because no matter how good that macbook is that move alone would make me leave it on the shelf even if I was given a coupon for a free adapter.
Edit: did not notice @cr6 commented on the same thing above.

 

[jstafford1]

My wife works for Apple, they had a presentation on the Iwatch the other day. She said the $17k would only be $10k for Apple employees. I'm like only eh... Let me write that check right now. I do like some of the way this thing works, but over all kinds meh with it.

 

[pc747]

My wife works for Apple, they had a presentation on the Iwatch the other day. She said the $17k would only be $10k for Apple employees. I'm like only eh... Let me write that check right now. I do like some of the way this thing works, but over all kinds meh with it.

Again, smart business move if they can get enough people to buy. Plus I am sure the 17,000 watch is a limited production. They probably put serial numbers to allow people to fight to buy the first off the assembly line. Even though true tech heads know that is the worst thing you can do, if Apple can profit big off of consumer's egos then more power to them. The consumer have the power of knowledge to study before writing that check.

 

[jstafford1]

Again, smart business move if they can get enough people to buy. Plus I am sure the 17,000 watch is a limited production. They probably put serial numbers to allow people to fight to buy the first off the assembly line. Even though true tech heads know that is the worst thing you can do, if Apple can profit big off of consumer's egos then more power to them. The consumer have the power of knowledge to study before writing that check.

Yeah I agree... Apple has capitalized on marketing for sure. You don't have to make the best, just make people think it's the best.

 

[cr6]

You don't have to make the best, just make people think it's the best.

^^this^^
Comment of the day!

S5 tap'n

 

[Beardface]

The more I think about these things the more I legitimately think the end game is for the smartwatch market to replace cell phones much like the end game for tablets is to replace your personal laptops. With bluetooth connectivity, you should be able to get all the functionality you have out of a smartphone right now through devices like a computer, tablet, television, etc with your watch being the hotspot that connects it all.

If, and only if that is the endgame, I could see myself eventually owning one. Otherwise, whats the point?

 

[cr6]

I respectfully disagree Mr Beard. I know you said "if", but I just don't see those two comparisons being the "endgame". ("extensions of" perhaps, but not the endgame)
There's no way a smartwatch is going to replace smartphones. It simply won't happen.
1. Battery life
2. Screen size
3. Camera
4. App availability
(Just to name a few....I could go on and on)

Tablets OTOH, have a better chance, but I still don't think they will completely replace PCs. Sure, for general email, web surfing, social networking, light gaming, etc tablets are great.
But, like the smart watch, there are way too many limitations with a tablet, that simply can't compete with a laptop.
1. Word processing. This is a pretty broad one, but there's no comparison when composing/editing Word documents, spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations etc.
Sure, it can be done on a tablet in a limited capacity, but it's not a comfortable experience.
(Though I must say, the Microsoft Surface has made great strides in this area as of late)
2. this segues into overall screen size. Your average tablet size is between 7-10 inches. Working with any type of word processing, photo editing is an exercise in futility on a tablet.

On a side note, this is one of the things I've never liked about Apple laptops. They average from 10-15 inches, with their 12-13" models being the most popular. Sure you can get 17" model if you want to spent 5 grand or more. (Or connect it to an external monitor, but that defeats the purpose of it being a "laptop" IMO) I stopped using a desktop pc about 10 years ago and my last 2 laptops have had a 17" screen, so I may be a tad biased here when it comes to screen size.
3. Full size keyboard (no explanation needed here....there's just no substitute IMO)

While I admit I do use my tablet more than my laptop. Mainly for the reasons I noted above: forum use, web browsing, YouTube, etc. I just don't see them completely replacing laptops anytime soon. Though I think it's much more plausible over the "smartwatch/smartphone" endgame scenario.


S5 tap'n

 

[pc747]

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The Verge has a video of them playing with a working model of the Apple Watch.

 

[mountainbikermark]

Apple, like Android and others is missing an opportunity to make something other than a phone butler.
The smartphone will never replace full sized computing but there's a market just for smartphones. The tablet will never replace full sized computing or smartphones but there's a market for them.
The iPod started the whole thing by being a music player that went a whole new direction, turned a luxury into mainstream device that is about as normal to have as a microwave or tv. The smartphone followed the same line, used to be for geeks but now they're everywhere. The tablet initially augmented smartphones but has morphed into combo units like the Surface.
As long as Apple and others continue to make a watch that is nothing more than a notifier and step tracker the mass appeal will be just scratching their head at those of us that own a smartwatch.
The S is the closest thing to going in a direction the rest of the world began to grasp years ago, in that it has the standalone capability, be it very limited or not. A big part of that is in the U.S. each SIM card or "phone" must have it's own number attached that only serves to hamstring things for manufacturers. Like a tablet augments and enhances your smartphone if a watch could share your phone number think of the possibilities. Out for a quick trip here or there, leave the phone at home yet fully be able to communicate with others as needed be it via phone call, text or PTT . We don't need Wi-Fi and a gazillion apps for this or that , huge screen and a battery that lasts a year but the smartwatch could become much more than a gimmick if given the chance. Apple could've pushed the envelope once again like days before Jobs left this planet but alas they settled for more of the same.

 

[pc747]

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Ok, unless I am missing something, where, and how do you charge it?

edit: nvrmnd it said it at the beginning of the video. Hahaha I would laugh if they sold the charging cord separately.

 

[thunderbolt_nick]

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Ok, unless I am missing something, where, and how do you charge it?

Using a standard microwave?

 

[pc747]

Can you imaging getting home and powering on the laptop for the first time. You get through the set up to see you have like 15% battery life left and the warnings are going off. SO you look through the box for the charger and then look through the packaging seeing if it got lost in that. Only to see on the box in small print "Charger sold separately".
(reminds me of the old handheld gaming system, because it would be too much to include a set of batteries )

Man, the comments people would have for the new macbook would be awesome.

 

[pc747]

MK posted a more informative look at the macbook.

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Yeah I know, I am sort of hijacking my own thread to include the macbook, but I figure you guys can only take one Apple thread at a time.