Apple will deploy a retail strategy which focuses on luxury and a highly personalised level of service because it’s got some very expensive smartwatches to sell, and really, who wants to buy a watch if they aren’t standing on carpet?
At an event in California overnight Apple revealed the pricing, availability and feature set of its first new product category since the iPad.
Apple Watch will be available in two different sizes, 38 millimetres and 42 millimetres, and in three collections—Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch and Apple Watch Edition.
Apple Watch will be available in Australia Friday 24 April, but consumers will be able to preview their choice of Apple Watch and try it on in-Apple store when the watches become available for online pre-order on Friday 10 April.
The company said in a release today that, “By design, the shopping experience for Apple Watch will be the most personalised Apple has ever offered.” Outside of the Apple Stores, Apple Watch will also be available to preview or try on at upmarket international departments stores Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Isetan in Tokyo and Selfridges in London on 10 April. The watch will also be available for sale in select department store ‘shop-in-shops’ from 24 April, including colette in Paris, Dover Street Market in London and Tokyo, Maxfield in Los Angeles and The Corner in Berlin.
Apple Watch Sport ($499 & $579) has a lightweight anodised aluminium case in silver and space grey and is available with fluoroelastomer Sport Band in five colours.
The Apple Watch collection (from $799 up to $1,629) features highly polished stainless steel and space black stainless steel cases and comes with a choice of three different leather straps, a stainless steel link bracelet and Milanese loop, and a black or white Sport Band.
Apple Watch Edition (prices start from $14,000) features cases specially crafted from custom rose or yellow 18-karat gold alloys and a choice of uniquely designed straps and bands with 18-karat gold clasps, buckles or pins.
When it comes to the hardware, Apple Watch introduces the Digital Crown, an innovative way to scroll, zoom and navigate without obstructing the display and the Retina display with Force Touch will be able to tell the difference between a tap and a press.
Apple Watch can be personalised with a selection of watch faces which can be customised further with the addition of specialised functions on the watch face — known in watchmaking as complications — such as calendar appointments.
As an extension of iPhone, (iPhone 5 or later running iOS 8.2) Apple Watch enables you to send messages, read email, answer calls and receive notifications. The Taptic Engine gives your wrist a ‘gentle tap’ when you receive a notification.
It’s also a fitness tracker using an accelerometer, a built-in heart rate sensor, GPS and Activity app to provide a simple visual snapshot of your daily activity.
During the event, Apple also unveiled a new12-inch MacBook with Retina display that is the company’s thinnest and lightest MacBook. The company said that every component of the new MacBook had been redesigned; it weighs just 920 grams and is 13.1 millimetres at its thickest point. The new MacBook will be available in a choice of gold, silver and space grey and will begin shipping Friday 10 April through the Apple Online Store, Apple’s retail stores and select Apple Authorised Resellers, starting at RRP $1,799.
