Apple employees will get 50% off Apple Watch, 1000+ apps submitted
Likely to the delight of Apple employees, Cook also announced a major Apple Watch discount for employees: 50% off the aluminum sport models and stainless steel standard model, but not the Edition. By comparison, the iPad was not immediately offered at discount for employees, while the original iPhone was provided for free to a large percentage of the company. The special pricing for employees lasts for 90 days, starting on Friday, which is when general Apple Watch pre-orders begin. Commenting on the reduced price, Cook told employees that “we want you to share in that experience right alongside [customers].”
Cook also told employees that “more than one thousand apps were submitted in just four days last week when the App Store started accepting them, and the rate of submissions has only been climbing since then.” Apple started accepting Apple Watch app submissions last week. Apple has already previewed several Apple Watch applications on its website and during the March Apple Watch keynote presentation, which will be available to download via the Apple Watch Companion app.
Discounting the Apple Watch for employees is both a thank you as well as a way for Apple to get the Apple Watch onto as many wrists as possible. Like the iPhone back in 2007, the Apple Watch will highly depend on users praising its value in order to gain traction. The more people using it, the better. Word of mouth could not be more important with a product like his.
I actually recall having an iPhone the first day and having every person wanting to play with it as soon as they saw it. Same with iPad. Did it make people run out and buy one right away? I’m not sure. But it did tell people that this was an important new product? Yes. In both cases, it was only a matter of a year or so before sales started to skyrocket.