John Gruber's Final Apple Watch Pricing Predictions
Here are my final guesses (38mm/42mm):
- Apple Watch Sport (all colors): $349/399
- Apple Watch, steel, Sport Band: $749/799
- Apple Watch, steel, Classic Buckle: $849/899
- Apple Watch, steel, Milanese Loop: $949/999
- Apple Watch, steel, Modern Buckle (38mm only): $1199
- Apple Watch, steel, Leather Loop (42mm only): $1299
- Apple Watch, steel, Link Bracelet: $1499/1599
- Apple Watch, space black steel, Link Bracelet: $1599/1699
- Apple Watch Edition, Sport Band: $7499/7999
- Apple Watch Edition, Modern Buckle (38mm only): $9999
- Apple Watch Edition, Classic Buckle (42mm only): $10,999
If these prices are true (and I really hope they aren’t), you can expect an impatient and angry reaction from many Apple supporters. Why? Gruber nails it himself:
If I’m even close to correct regarding steel Apple Watch pricing, and if I’m also correct that there’s going to be a vociferous backlash, Apple has only itself to blame. The September event and Apple’s marketing to date have created the impression that the differences between collections are largely about style, not price.
Using the name “Apple Watch” for the stainless steel collection — the collection with the most variety of straps — clearly establishes it as the “regular” collection. In turn, that has left many with the impression that it will be the best-selling, the most common, the one most people walk out of the store with by default — and thus priced near the $349 baseline.
“Apple Watch starts at $349” as the one and only mention of price left too much room for bad assumptions, I think.
The naming convention and the straps throw everything off. The word “Sport” in Apple Watch Sport implies that it’s built for athletic types. In fact, even in Apple’s own marketing, the people who are wearing the Sport tend to be wearing athletic gear. It’s not at all being marketed as the everyday watch for everyday people.
Let’s hope Tim Cook makes like Steve Jobs and gets the pricing on this thing correct in time for tomorrow.