Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Original Apple Watch is Now Obsolete, Including $17,000 Gold Model
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Apple: Bringing obsolescence to things that used to work for decades! Can't wait for the Apple car!
It was marketing genius with all of the FREE television coverage devoted to the launch of the regular Apple Watch. That was its purpose.
Supposedly the gold Apple Watches are what made Ives quit, and I actually side with Tim on this one. Ives wanted it to be seen as a luxury item, while Tim saw it as a consumer item. Can you imagine paying $17k for a Rolex that is now considered obsolete? Here’s a peek: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/01/technology/jony-ive-apple-design.html
I’m genuinely curious what Ives has done post Apple? All I know about is crest for Prince Charles, the Red Nose, and the $64k turntable. I know they have AirBnB and Ferrari as clients, but I’m very curious what kind of AI device he has in mind.
I’m genuinely curious what Ives has done post Apple? All I know about is crest for Prince Charles, the Red Nose, and the $64k turntable. I know they have AirBnB and Ferrari as clients, but I’m very curious what kind of AI device he has in mind.
I tihink it was a homage to how Pulsar introduced the first LED digital watch 50 years earlier. Solid gold and about the same price (adjusted for inflation).
Believe it or not, I am still using my Series 0. Have used it everyday since I got it. Why you ask; well sometime before the Series 3 or 4 fall release, can't remember which, I banged the watch on the corner of a table and knocked the screen loose. It was hanging on by the ribbon cable. So I superglued it back on, figuring it would fail any day and I'd just get the new Series when it was released in the fall.
Well, the damn thing kept working perfectly. So, in my mind, it now became an engineering experiment to see how long it really would last. Well, all these years later: the battery still lasts all day (I'm a fairly light user), all notifications still work, I can still receive calls (with iPhone connection of course), respond to texts, get the Apple Maps turn-by-turn directions, etc. So from an engineering "extended life" test, it has passed with flying colors. So, either the quality control was really good on the Series 0, or they mistakenly shipped me a special-built reference model.
Yeah, I know it's extremely dated, and it misses features I can have if paired with my 14Pro, so I figured it's time to buy the AW Series 9........or should the experiment continue and wait for the 10yr anniversary edition....
I still remember that they thought sending someone your heartbeat was a core feature. They had no idea what the goal of the watch was…glad they turned it around.
I used my Series 0 till Series 6 came out.
But only because the screen fell off, due to a swallen batterie.
Nevertheless my Series 0 lifes on as alarm clock in a custom 3D printed case.
But only because the screen fell off, due to a swallen batterie.
Nevertheless my Series 0 lifes on as alarm clock in a custom 3D printed case.
Yep. Apple drank from his kool-aid dispenser for too long.
The Apple Watch Series 0 has been obsolete since about 2017, lol.
At first it was surprisingly good for a first gen. But mine dropped off hard in performance and battery life around 2017 and I upgraded to a Series 4 in 2018 which lasted me until the Ultra 2 the other week. The Series 4, after 5 years, left me with much better performance and battery life than the Series 0 had after only a couple years. But it was still time to upgrade before it got painful like the Series 0 was in its final year.
I should've upgraded to Series 3 as the Series 0 was so bad and then I could've went with the Ultra 1 last year. I'm hoping since the Ultra 2/Series 9 has a faster chip for the first time in several generations and it has insane battery life and better durability, it will see me through the rest of this decade. I'm not the kinda guy that needs an updated Apple Watch every year. To me it's still more of an accessory and sensor package. Speaking of sensors, hopefully by 2030 that long-rumored blood sugar and blood pressure sensing will be available. That's the only thing I feel like I'm missing on this Ultra 2, along with perhaps a display that goes all the way up to the edges, and it would be nice if that thermometer on the outer glass could be used for ambient air temperature when you're hiking somewhere remote.
At first it was surprisingly good for a first gen. But mine dropped off hard in performance and battery life around 2017 and I upgraded to a Series 4 in 2018 which lasted me until the Ultra 2 the other week. The Series 4, after 5 years, left me with much better performance and battery life than the Series 0 had after only a couple years. But it was still time to upgrade before it got painful like the Series 0 was in its final year.
I should've upgraded to Series 3 as the Series 0 was so bad and then I could've went with the Ultra 1 last year. I'm hoping since the Ultra 2/Series 9 has a faster chip for the first time in several generations and it has insane battery life and better durability, it will see me through the rest of this decade. I'm not the kinda guy that needs an updated Apple Watch every year. To me it's still more of an accessory and sensor package. Speaking of sensors, hopefully by 2030 that long-rumored blood sugar and blood pressure sensing will be available. That's the only thing I feel like I'm missing on this Ultra 2, along with perhaps a display that goes all the way up to the edges, and it would be nice if that thermometer on the outer glass could be used for ambient air temperature when you're hiking somewhere remote.
No, you can guarantee that a Rolex you bought 30 years ago can still be serviced. You absolutely could not guarantee that now.
I don't know why this is even worth mentioning. The people who bought these probably wore them a few times and put them in a drawer or gave them away and have largely forgotten about them.
Still unbelievable they actually released it and expected customers to pay £10,000 for a product that runs on a finite battery and was destined to be obsolete from release.
And that’s why I wear 2 watches at the same time!. A mechanical or gshock on the left wrist and my gadget watch on right hand.
Had you purchased a Rolex submariner at that time (same price), now your Rolex would be more valuable AND you could still be using it for maaaany more years. If you want an Apple Watch is ok, but that is not a real watch, it is a mini iPhone/mediocre steps counter on the wrist!.
So, what can’t you do with your gold Apple Watch?. Recycle it at Apple?, how much will they give?, 100usd????
Had you purchased a Rolex submariner at that time (same price), now your Rolex would be more valuable AND you could still be using it for maaaany more years. If you want an Apple Watch is ok, but that is not a real watch, it is a mini iPhone/mediocre steps counter on the wrist!.
So, what can’t you do with your gold Apple Watch?. Recycle it at Apple?, how much will they give?, 100usd????
I remember them being sold on apple.com, here's an archived apple store page with all the pricings on them:
Apple Watch Edition
Each watch case is crafted from 18-karat gold. The display is protected by polished sapphire crystal. And each band is exquisitely designed.
web.archive.org
The only buyer who might possibly purchase one could be years from now and would probably be an apple tech enthusiast, but i've seen a few of these in the wild around 2015 but that's it.
I remember this, Tim dropped the rolex versus apple watch the first two keynotes and then it was dropped again lol
It was a fail, and the brand had major changes after.
All the free coverage didn’t equate to sales.
Only after it was rebranded as a health tool did it take off.