New Ceramic and Titanium Apple Watch Models Uncovered in watchOS 6 Beta

[CWallace]

Didn't Apple learn from the 24K "celebratory" watch that was out of the price range of your average consumer? This Ceramic one and Titanium may solve that, but if the price is too high for people, then forget it.

The Series 3 Apple Watch Edition in Ceramic was $1299 for the 38mm and $1349 for the 42mm.

If there had been a Series 4 Apple Watch Edition, I would expect it to have been $1399 in 40mm and $1449 for 44mm (in line with the price increase on the Aluminum and Stainless Steel models).

As for Titanium, I could see it having gone for $200 more than Stainless Steel, which would have put it at $899 and $949 as a Series 4.

 

[H.E. Pennypacker]

What? Not a great investment to pay $1 a day for a device that you wear 16 hours a day for 3 years?

You're very, very confused.

Dude this thread is days old. You’re late to the party.

 

[Velli]

As for Titanium, I could see it having gone for $200 more than Stainless Steel, which would have put it at $899 and $949 as a Series 4.

Titanium does not need to be a premium material. My Citizen titanium watch cost 300 dollars, my previous one was half that. I know it’s Apple and all, but Titanium could come in at the Steel price point. Especially if there is also Ceramic, doesn’t make sense to have two premium options, with the limited success of the previous ones...

 

[CWallace]

Titanium does not need to be a premium material. My Citizen titanium watch cost 300 dollars, my previous one was half that. I know it’s Apple and all, but Titanium could come in at the Steel price point. Especially if there is also Ceramic, doesn’t make sense to have two premium options, with the limited success of the previous ones...

I agree titanium does not need to be a premium material and I have noted upthread if Apple can offer it in multiple finishes (Standard, Space Black, Gold) then I could see it replacing Stainless Steel at the same price point with ceramic being the Apple Watch Edition model at around twice the price.

That being said, even if Apple could offer titanium in multiple finishes, they might still decide to release it only in one finish and price it above stainless steel to bridge the gap between stainless and ceramic.

 

[Donoban]

I never understood why someone would purchase a high end smart watch. High end watches like Rolex and omega are timeless, smart watches are not. Dropping $1300+ on a watch that will be obsolete in 2-3 years doesn’t seem like a great investment.

I'm still rocking my Stainless Steel Series 0.

Little story - the heart rate sensor detached earlier this year (a known issue but my watch was years out of warranty).

Was quoted $390 to repair the watch at my local Apple Store.

I called Apple support and was able to get the repair for free.

They replaced it with a refurbished Series 0 (immaculate condition, can't fault it).

Super pumped to have my watch back and looking forward to a number of years of continued use.

I'm a huge fan of Apple and share this story with everyone who asks about my watch.

I've had my series 0 for 4 years now. It's annoyingly slow but tells the time and shares notifications great!

 

[techno-Zen]

I'm still rocking my Stainless Steel Series 0.

Little story - the heart rate sensor detached earlier this year (a known issue but my watch was years out of warranty).

Was quoted $390 to repair the watch at my local Apple Store.

I called Apple support and was able to get the repair for free.

They replaced it with a refurbished Series 0 (immaculate condition, can't fault it).

Super pumped to have my watch back and looking forward to a number of years of continued use.

I'm a huge fan of Apple and share this story with everyone who asks about my watch.

I've had my series 0 for 4 years now. It's annoyingly slow but tells the time and shares notifications great!

Yeah. I sold my Series 4 aluminum a while ago. I had to wait 2 days for my Stainless Steel model and used my Series 0.

For it's base functionality of being a watch/notification manager it still got the job more than done

 

[CWallace]

WatchOS 5 is pretty much what pushed me to replace my Series 0 stainless steel with a Series 4 stainless steel. So I expect to stick with my Series 4 for many a year, as well.

 

[alphaod]

I liked the Ceramic but it was impossible to resell for what it was worth...

Titanium seems intriguing though... might go for that in the next upgrade if they redesign the watch as well.

 

[redgreenski]

‘Charging fatigue’ has nothing to do with the Apple Watch, that’s everything to do with lithium ion technology through _all_ those products and pretty much anything tech in today’s era. The biggest change the Apple Watch could possibly offer aside from health features, would be a complete overhaul with battery technology, but that’s likely not anywhere ready yet. Maybe even solar power could be integrated somehow in the future with the watch alongside lithium ion technology until we’re ready for new battery tech.’

Well, you can always use good old fashioned automatic mechanical watch that rewinds itself with your hand movement. So it is Apple Watch problem more general smart watch problem or even more general battery problem. Whichever way you look at it. But when it comes down to it, I decided to not buy anymore smart watches for now.
Having said that I may purchase one in the future for exercise if I can get water resistant Apple ear buds that pair to the Apple Watch. And of course easy integration into a charging station. I would like to be able to simply lay down flat Apple Watch and ear buds on charging station and leave it there for 2-3 days until I exercise again.

 

[Brien]

Didn't Apple learn from the 24K "celebratory" watch that was out of the price range of your average consumer? This Ceramic one and Titanium may solve that, but if the price is too high for people, then forget it.

May be over half the cost of 24K disaster. but i think paying that price for a watch is just too high still

Assuming the SS and Hermes stick around I could see Ceramic at $1500 and Titanium at $2k. Still crazy expensive but not $17,000 expensive.

 

[tresmith]

Yeah, they tried that - it flopped terribly.

Great suggestion. Not.

No they didn't. You don't offer a luxury item along side cheaper copies that do the exact same thing. Where is the exclusivity in that?
[doublepost=1567707955][/doublepost]

Are $1000 a price for a luxury wristwatch though? It should be at the very least $5000.

Apple is not in the luxury business. They’re in the mass market premium products business. Apple is VW/average Audi, not Bentley.

The target audience for a Rolex Daytona would probably buy $3000 iPhones if the had wow features and were recognizable. Do you think Apple should focus on them?

What I think is that when it comes to watches Apple needs to pick a side. Either focus on exclusivity or focus on mass market. Trying to do both with the same product is a losing proposition. They need to learn that there is no such thing a mass market/luxury product.

 

[pistafox]

View attachment 853486 Titanium vs Stainless Steel

I'm seeing this four years after it was posted. Despite having that AppleWatch being in a drawer, I don't remember which one it is or for how long I used it. The Omega diver, however, is still the icon it was when you got it in, what, '97? I've been wearing the Ultra for over a year and have a love/hate relationship with it, though it definitely skews more toward love due to the exceptional functionality of the thing. I recently refurbished and gave my Seamaster to my FIL as a bday gift, knowing that he'll eventually pass it along to my nephew, and it'll grow in value within the family as an heirloom while roughly retaining its value on the market.

With so many people, including women and guys like me with very small wrists, finding the Ultra to be not only comfortable but borderline stylish, I'd like to see Apple adopt a form factor that's large enough to accommodate upgrades. I'm not suggesting that an investment piece that can have its guts swapped out with a new module every year or two would replace the commodity Apple Watch. The business cases to do so are many and varied. It would attract me because, plainly, I dislike commodities. Others would desire the status and no one would be upset with a more sustainable product. By actually entering the "watch market," Apple could prove to be a disruptor in the legacy of Seiko (though I'm not at all suggesting it would have the same magnitude). If Apple doesn't do it, somebody else will. Apple has the capacity to make an immediate impact, however, unlike the painful slog that we've been witnessing for the past decade from legacy brands.

 

[Abazigal]

With so many people, including women and guys like me with very small wrists, finding the Ultra to be not only comfortable but borderline stylish, I'd like to see Apple adopt a form factor that's large enough to accommodate upgrades. I'm not suggesting that an investment piece that can have its guts swapped out with a new module every year or two would replace the commodity Apple Watch. The business cases to do so are many and varied. It would attract me because, plainly, I dislike commodities. Others would desire the status and no one would be upset with a more sustainable product. By actually entering the "watch market," Apple could prove to be a disruptor in the legacy of Seiko (though I'm not at all suggesting it would have the same magnitude). If Apple doesn't do it, somebody else will. Apple has the capacity to make an immediate impact, however, unlike the painful slog that we've been witnessing for the past decade from legacy brands.

This is why I am still on the fence about getting the ultra watch 2 (and why I didn't get the Series 5 ceramic version). It's a disposable piece of electronics with a fixed shelf life (I have already had the battery replaced once), which makes me kinda hesitate to get anyone more expensive than the entry level sports model. Though I figure I can maybe get one more year out of my current Series 5, which I feel has already been a pretty worthwhile purchase overall.

 

[agenda893]

This is why I am still on the fence about getting the ultra watch 2 (and why I didn't get the Series 5 ceramic version). It's a disposable piece of electronics with a fixed shelf life (I have already had the battery replaced once), which makes me kinda hesitate to get anyone more expensive than the entry level sports model. Though I figure I can maybe get one more year out of my current Series 5, which I feel has already been a pretty worthwhile purchase overall.

While the Ultra does have a fixed shelf life, the omega is mechanical and needs servicing every few years to keep it running within COSC spec and to make sure the water proofing is pressure tight. This service costs more than the Ultra. Last year when the Ultra 1 came out I decided to save a couple hundred dollars and let the seamaster run a few seconds out of spec each day, and dive with the Ultra.