Different Degrees Of Interest Surround Apple's Smartwatch Mar. 11, 2015 15:48 PM ET Summary Is Apple positioning itself as a lower ...

Different Degrees Of Interest Surround Apple's Smartwatch


Different Degrees Of Interest Surround Apple's Smartwatch
Mar. 11, 2015 15:48 PM ET

Summary
Is Apple positioning itself as a lower end luxury product company?
20+ available models.
Priced up to $10,000.00.
Luxury product mentality is great for $APPL bottom line.

Apple ($APPL) will make its smartwatches available pre-order on April 10th and available April 24th.

The watch is unique to itself but an apparent and analyzed market move. Critics need to look at the original critique of the iPad, which many considered an item that was not necessarily needed. The same is being said about the smartwatch. But then again a watch is an accessory and accessories are not needed by everyone and Apple is a consumer electronics company.

Apple's smartwatch collection will range in price from $349 to $17,000 (£299 to £13,500 in the UK).

From CNET:
For the case of its entry-level Sport edition (starting price: $349), Apple said that its engineers custom-designed an alloy based on aluminum that is 60 percent stronger but just as light. The company started with pure, raw aluminum that was heated to a molten state and then added magnesium and zinc to form a more protective and stronger compound. For its midrange Apple Watch (starting price: $549), the company started with a steel alloy known for strength and resistance to corrosion. Apple then put the metal through a cold-forging process to make it as much as 80 percent harder and less vulnerable to nicks and scratches. For the black stainless steel edition, Apple added a carbon layer to create a more durable and brighter appearance. And for the top-of-the-line Apple Watch Edition (starting price: $10,000), Apple started with 18-karat solid gold for the body and then used a custom alloy designed to be twice as hard as standard gold. After the body went through its manufacturing process, ultrasonic scanners were employed to detect flaws in the metal. In the end, each case was hand-polished by "jewelry artisans." See Article Here


Not to be left out, competition has followed up to some degree.
Huawei is among the first firms to unveil smartwatch models that operate on Androids Wear platform. The latter by the way is full of smartphone watches, in fact it is like a smartphone competitor showcase explosion. See Link

Wired brought up a good question - especially pertaining to markets and bottom lines - what is the point of this product? It can't beat a smartphone or a watch.

A few okay-but-not-needed functions of the smartwatch:

- using the Watch as your hotel keycard

- opening the garage (assuming it is connected to the internet)

Stocktwits @InsiderMonkey blasted: Surveys Showed 10% Of iPhoneUsers Interested In $AAPL's Smartwatch

From the BBC: The big question is will Apple be able to reinvent the wrist watch industry in the way it has redefined others like computing and music?


Chad Hagan, managing partner of Hagan Capital Group
Chad on StockTwits

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