“I think the pricing for the steel Apple Watch collection is what’s going to raise a ruckus, because there are a lot of people who want one and expect that they’ll only have to pay $500 or $600, regardless of their strap preference,” John Gruber writes for Daring Fireball.
“At the introduction event in September, Tim Cook explicitly billed Apple Watch as the next flagship product line in the company’s history: Apple II, Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, iPad, and now the watch,” Gruber writes. “There will be no brushing it off as a mere ‘hobby’ if it isn’t successful.”
“The thing is, for all the griping about the prices that I expect come Monday, at $349, Apple Watch has the lowest entry-level price for any first-generation flagship product from Apple,” Gruber writes. “The first iPod cost $399. The iPhone was $499. iPad was $499.”
Much, much more about Apple Watch — from the S1 internals to prices for straps — in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As we wrote on Friday:
Watching the reactions of Joe Six Pack consumer electronics buyers to the price of the top-of-the-line Apple Watch Edition is going to be interesting, but witnessing the slack-jawed expressions quickly morph into red-faced fits of sputtering rage and resentment from the great unwashed BOGO Android settlers is going to be absolutely delectable!
MacDailyNews Note: Apple will webcast March 9th ‘Spring Forward’ special event live on Apple TV and via its website (apple.com/live). As always, MacDailyNews will cover the event with live notes, so you read our reactions and comment on the proceedings as you watch Apple’s live webcast. Check our home page for the coverage link on Monday morning.