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Watches aren't subsidized and there are thousands of dumb watches that people pay well over $350 for already.

by kreutz 12y ago

Zikes 12y ago
The top three right now are: * Samsung Gear - $199 [1] * LG G Watch - $179 [2] * Pebble Steel - $249 [3] [1] https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=samsung_gear_live_black https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=samsung_gea... [2] https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=lg_g_watch_black https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=lg_g_watch_... [3] https://getpebble.com/steel https://getpebble.com/steel
- Igglyboo 12y ago
  None of those are dumb watches.
  - Zikes 12y ago
    I'm not sure if I missed "dumb" or it was edited in shortly afterward, but either way that's comparing apples and oranges. Compared to the existing precedent of smart watch prices, Apple's watch is $100 more expensive than the next highest priced model. This is, of course, what Apple does with all of their hardware, but whether it's unsurprising or not it's still a factual and relevant point to make.
- kreutz 12y ago
  The Pebble is $250. Adding another $100 to the Apple Watch is not that big of a stretch.
  - Zikes 12y ago
    The Pebble Steel is already priced for Apple's target demographic. Adding 70% more cost to that is a bit of a stretch.
  - bryanlarsen 12y ago
    The basic Pebble is $150. The premium Pebble Steel is $250. The Apple Watch starts at $350; you can bet that the premium models will be well north of that.
darkstar999 12y ago
Those "dumb" watches will still work in 5 years. Hell, they will still be nice in 100 years. Smart watches won't hold up for 5 years.
- thetrb 12y ago
  Maybe, but I doubt people buy a $500 watch just because it will still be nice in 100 years. That might be the case for $10000 watches.
  - masklinn 12y ago
    > Maybe, but I doubt people buy a $500 watch just because it will still be nice in 100 years. They're generally intended to last a lifetime, however long that is, and possibly be left to heirs.
  - koyote 12y ago
    A $500 watch will certainly still have much use 10+ years from purchase. It might have minor scratches but that's it. A smart watch will probably not even power on 5 years from purchase (due to bad battery); or be able to pair with your phone (new phone OS might not be backwards compatible).
    - masklinn 12y ago
      > It might have minor scratches but that's it. And chances are that's just the glass face, which takes minutes (and a few bucks) to replace.
    - eloisant 12y ago
      Actually any watch over a few hundred will have a sapphire glass, so even after 10 years it's unlikely it has scratches. The body may have some minor scratches, but I think it only adds to the charm.
- Zikes 12y ago
  Most "dumb" watches that cost over $350 will retain the majority of their value well past those 5 years, too. Apple's first generation watch will be ~$50 in 5 years.

Watches aren't subsidized and there are thousands of dumb watches that people pay well over $350 for already.

by kreutz 12y ago

Watches aren't subsidized and there are thousands of dumb watches that people pay well over $350 for already.

Zikes 12y ago

The top three right now are: * Samsung Gear - $199 [1] * LG G Watch - $179 [2] * Pebble Steel - $249 [3] [1] https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=samsung_gear_live_black https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=samsung_gea... [2] https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=lg_g_watch_black https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=lg_g_watch_... [3] https://getpebble.com/steel https://getpebble.com/steel

Igglyboo 12y ago
None of those are dumb watches.
- Zikes 12y ago
  I'm not sure if I missed "dumb" or it was edited in shortly afterward, but either way that's comparing apples and oranges. Compared to the existing precedent of smart watch prices, Apple's watch is $100 more expensive than the next highest priced model. This is, of course, what Apple does with all of their hardware, but whether it's unsurprising or not it's still a factual and relevant point to make.
kreutz 12y ago
The Pebble is $250. Adding another $100 to the Apple Watch is not that big of a stretch.
- Zikes 12y ago
  The Pebble Steel is already priced for Apple's target demographic. Adding 70% more cost to that is a bit of a stretch.
- bryanlarsen 12y ago
  The basic Pebble is $150. The premium Pebble Steel is $250. The Apple Watch starts at $350; you can bet that the premium models will be well north of that.

darkstar999 12y ago

Those "dumb" watches will still work in 5 years. Hell, they will still be nice in 100 years. Smart watches won't hold up for 5 years.

thetrb 12y ago
Maybe, but I doubt people buy a $500 watch just because it will still be nice in 100 years. That might be the case for $10000 watches.
- masklinn 12y ago
  > Maybe, but I doubt people buy a $500 watch just because it will still be nice in 100 years. They're generally intended to last a lifetime, however long that is, and possibly be left to heirs.
- koyote 12y ago
  A $500 watch will certainly still have much use 10+ years from purchase. It might have minor scratches but that's it. A smart watch will probably not even power on 5 years from purchase (due to bad battery); or be able to pair with your phone (new phone OS might not be backwards compatible).
  - masklinn 12y ago
    > It might have minor scratches but that's it. And chances are that's just the glass face, which takes minutes (and a few bucks) to replace.
  - eloisant 12y ago
    Actually any watch over a few hundred will have a sapphire glass, so even after 10 years it's unlikely it has scratches. The body may have some minor scratches, but I think it only adds to the charm.
Zikes 12y ago
Most "dumb" watches that cost over $350 will retain the majority of their value well past those 5 years, too. Apple's first generation watch will be ~$50 in 5 years.