Apple announces new Apple Watch Sport colors, accessories, Hermes partnership; watchOS 2 to ship Sep
At its special event on Wednesday, Apple introduced a new lineup of Apple Watch Sport colors, a fall collection of Sport Band colors including a Product Red version, leather band accessories created by Hermes, while announcing a Sept. 16 release date for watchOS 2.
Apple's Jeff Williams announced new gold and rose gold colorways for the Apple Watch Sport, a take on the pricey Apple Watch Edition series, but in anodized aluminum. The new colors are available today in 38mm and 43mm versions with pricing remaining identical to shipping models.
In addition to new hardware, Apple also announced a partnership with luxury brand Hermes, which has created special leather bands for well-heeled Watch owners. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the band comes with bespoke Hermes watch faces.
Apple is fielding a huge range of pastel Sport Band colors in what its calling a fall collection, suggesting more colors are in the works for next year. Included among those being a special Product Red band. Hardware/band packages have also been revamped.
Finally, Williams also announced that watchOS 2 will ship on Sept. 16. With the next-gen operating system, users will be able to run native apps, install third-party complications and more.
Apple's Jeff Williams announced new gold and rose gold colorways for the Apple Watch Sport, a take on the pricey Apple Watch Edition series, but in anodized aluminum. The new colors are available today in 38mm and 43mm versions with pricing remaining identical to shipping models.
In addition to new hardware, Apple also announced a partnership with luxury brand Hermes, which has created special leather bands for well-heeled Watch owners. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the band comes with bespoke Hermes watch faces.
Apple is fielding a huge range of pastel Sport Band colors in what its calling a fall collection, suggesting more colors are in the works for next year. Included among those being a special Product Red band. Hardware/band packages have also been revamped.
Finally, Williams also announced that watchOS 2 will ship on Sept. 16. With the next-gen operating system, users will be able to run native apps, install third-party complications and more.
Comments
Seriously, nobody was expecting Apple to keep up with fashion trends, with their Fashion-centric push with the ?Watch?
The whole idea behind those easily interchangeable bands screams for regular band updates.
In addition to new hardware, Apple also announced a partnership with luxury brand Hermes, which has created special leather bands for well-heeled Watch owners. Pricing has yet to be announced, but the band comes with bespoke Hermes watch faces.
Come on AI, the pricing is right there on Apple's website. 38mm + band start out at $1100, and go up to $1500.
If they made the double loop on the 42mm I'd buy it in a heartbeat. Looks amazing
Tea Leaf Reading:
I've been watching the comment post counts on the various announcements today. And the Watch is the clear laggard in AI interest on that metric.
Also, Apple tends to announce things from smallest to largest degree of anticipation to keep interest at a peak in a two hour talk and the watch was first, with less time than I expected on Watch OS 2 based on the attention past releases of iOS and OS X have received at Apple events.
And it wasn't like there wasn't a fair amount to announce - two new Sport models, and other new variants, etc.
Finally, this makes a few Cook events in a row not to emphasize lots of sales figures up front - with both since the release of the Watch (which was pre-announced as a product whose sales wouldn't be broken out separately on a routine basis).
I (and others) have also noted the Watch part of the Apple stores I've visited this year has been by far the least crowded area on multiple occasions. And this for the product with by far the most associated # of SKU variations of any in their history... ....and lots of marketing.
Can't say if this is because it really is selling below their own projections (and hopes), or if they know that anything short of iPhone type numbers would get the press on their case, so they may be smiling in the board room because they're meeting their own internal targets, but while something is going to be the next big thing after PCs and phones, there may be considerable evolution before it emerges.
Not needing a tether to a phone will be one major step up (because then there there's a case for the users of any mobile to buy one) and less bulk also seems in the cards, but for now only doctor's orders would get me to buy one as a networked health monitoring device.
Interestingly enough, the ? Watch was something I wasn't remotely interested in when it was announced. But then I tried one on and it changed my impressions completely! I now wear mine everyday and absolutely love it. I believe it can be one of Apple's best sellers, but price and a general misunderstanding of its uses (as I suffered from before using one) are keeping it from being an absolute blockbuster in the public's perception. However, I truly believe Apple is very happy with this new product's sales.
Love that Hermés watch. And smart branding too. I won't be surprised if we see other collections like Louis Vuitton or Chanel. Just this morning I posted here that Apple should team up with fashion houses on bands and watch faces to go with them. And that exactly what they did. Smart.
So you love skuemorphic watch faces that emulate famous brand luxury watches? I guess it's OK as long as they aren't round then, and offered by Apple. ;-)
SO excited by the rose gold.
Honestly, the reason I held off... I wasn't about to get an Edition, but had serious rose gold envy...
Now my dreams have come true! Can't wait to get a Watch.
Tea Leaf Reading:
I've been watching the comment post counts on the various announcements today. And the Watch is the clear laggard in AI interest on that metric.
Also, Apple tends to announce things from smallest to largest degree of anticipation to keep interest at a peak in a two hour talk and the watch was first, with less time than I expected on Watch OS 2 based on the attention past releases of iOS and OS X have received at Apple events.
And it wasn't like there wasn't a fair amount to announce - two new Sport models, and other new variants, etc.
Finally, this makes a few Cook events in a row not to emphasize lots of sales figures up front - with both since the release of the Watch (which was pre-announced as a product whose sales wouldn't be broken out separately on a routine basis).
I (and others) have also noted the Watch part of the Apple stores I've visited this year has been by far the least crowded area on multiple occasions. And this for the product with by far the most associated # of SKU variations of any in their history... ....and lots of marketing.
Can't say if this is because it really is selling below their own projections (and hopes), or if they know that anything short of iPhone type numbers would get the press on their case, so they may be smiling in the board room because they're meeting their own internal targets, but while something is going to be the next big thing after PCs and phones, there may be considerable evolution before it emerges.
Not needing a tether to a phone will be one major step up (because then there there's a case for the users of any mobile to buy one) and less bulk also seems in the cards, but for now only doctor's orders would get me to buy one as a networked health monitoring device.
You're shoe-horning unrelated facts/anecdotes to fit a predetermined narrative. There are so many better reasons for apple's line up choices, behaviours, keeping mum on figures and so on. The most obvious being that this was the iPhone and AppleTV event, some new watch colourways are not more important than the new phone, ipad pro and apple tv. (Especially as Watch OS 2 has already been previewed.)
Also I don't really see the point of such an analysis, if the goal is to say that the apple watch is a flop, there are much better benchmarks that disprove that point, keep in mind that unlike phones apple is growing a smartwatch category from zero. Other smart watch makers have demonstrated that their combined efforts and cheaper devices were not able to build out a market - especially evidenced by apple outselling their conglomerate share in preorders alone.
you mean to say that a new product category will need to evolve over the years? shocking. tip: recall that the original iPhone lacked video, MMS, and copy and paste.
The ?Watch was released LESS THAN HALF A YEAR AGO.
I was surprised to even see anything Watch related mentioned.
What did you expect?
Even the iPhone's previous presentation was a year ago.
The ?Watch team is killing it!! This is the fastest evolving Apple product I've ever seen.