I'm intrigued as to which department stores you consider to be classier in London, maybe Peter Jones and John Lewis?
Harvey Nichols is definitely classier than Selfridges without being a tourist trap like Harrods. Selfridges is more centrally located though and that's why it wins.
The Apple Watch is fully an iPhone accessory. Not only does it access the Internet through a paired phone, but as noted on AppleInsider earlier today, the way you install apps on it is to install an app on your iPhone that comes with an Apple Watch "extra," that is pushed to the watch next time it is in Bluetooth range.
So I'm not sure it should really be sold at a place that doesn't also sell the phone.
Good point. Apple is so micro-managing this rollout I'm sure it's being addressed in the best way possible.
Good point. Apple is so micro-managing this rollout I'm sure it's being addressed in the best way possible.
W
Ahhh something just clicked, so first up we know about it, then developers start working on it, then we get the launch deets, now some apps are coming out with watch modules, then the pre-launch launch happens.. By which time you can walk in with your iPhone thay might actually be equipped with apps and already has the apple watch app.. and then the sales rep pairs your phone to a watch to example how it all seamlessly works.. you get all of 15 mins and then away if goes. now even if you don't preorder the app on your phone sits there with the config saved for your watch looking all forlorn when you open it wondering what might have been.. next thing you just buy it cause it is already half in your life as it is.
I'm intrigued as to which department stores you consider to be classier in London, maybe Peter Jones and John Lewis?
I'm also a bit surprised Apple hasn't gone for an Apple Watch outlet within Harvey Nichols, maybe that will come later.
Overall though, as you say, Selfridges is a great choice.
Selfridges has a great location, lose to bond street & Regent Street, Mayfair & Covent Garden (ish). It is a huge and fantastic looking store with a great history. It isn't the most upmarket but it sits comfortably in the upper middle, not excluding any demographic. More upscale and with the same brand recognition would be Harrods and Liberty. I don't think John Lewis or Peter Jones (actually owned by John Lewis for many years) fit the bracket. John Lewis is a great store and people working there always know what they are selling, but it is more like a department hardware store in in my eyes.
and then the sales rep pairs your phone to a watch to example how it all seamlessly works..
You're probably right ... aside from just holding it, unless it's paired to a phone that does something meaningful for you, it really is only half utilized. Im sure it's not hard to un-pair it either.
What's interesting is that Apple is not staffing the "stores" with geniuses. I have to imagine that even if these are store employees, Apple has hand picked them and trained them. That in my mind is the only wild card here. And since someone pointed out that Selfridges sells iPhones, it all comes together neatly. So even if you don't have an iPhone, you love the watch so much you go over and start looking at them!
I recommend a block and ignore strategy. I'm so much happier now.
Are you serious? I love reading his stuff! It is comedy gold!
He bitches about things that don't even make sense, then informs us of flaws that no person could possibly know if they exist or not, then announce the failure of a product that almost no human has even experienced yet. It is like a claim chowder manufacturing plant!
And some time late next year, when it is obvious that the watch is wildly successful, he will register a new name, and bitch about a new product, until rinse and repeat.
This is better most TV programing. And the writing is consistently amusingly ironic...
"While people complain about Apple selling a $10,000 watch, Tim Cook tells Fortune magazine he's going to pay for his nephews college education and then give the rest of his money away to charity."
Not quite seeing what one has to do with the other, unless the subtle joke is they're the ones actually paying for his nephew's education.
So I'm not sure it should really be sold at a place that doesn't also sell the phone.
Which brings up a very good point ... will ATT, Verizon, and the other major mobile carriers sell the ?Watch? It seems like a no brainer -- "now that you have your new iPhone, perhaps you'd like one of these lovely ?Watches to make your life more convenient". I mean that's the upsell, right? (Aside from the fact that the watch may itself upset the iPhone).
Why on earth would anyone want to endure a hard sell for the Apple Watch? This goes completely against Apple's ethos. Just let the poor buggers waste their money in their own time, not in Apple's nanny-prescribed manner.
Are you serious? I love reading his stuff! It is comedy gold!
He bitches about things that don't even make sense, then informs us of flaws that no person could possibly know if they exist or not, then announce the failure of a product that almost no human has even experienced yet. It is like a claim chowder manufacturing plant!
And some time late next year, when it is obvious that the watch is wildly successful, he will register a new name, and bitch about a new product, until rinse and repeat.
This is better most TV programing. And the writing is consistently amusingly ironic...
You've already validated him way too much. He probably spews just to get this sort of attention.
"While people complain about Apple selling a $10,000 watch, Tim Cook tells Fortune magazine he's going to pay for his nephews college education and then give the rest of his money away to charity."
Not quite seeing what one has to do with the other, unless the subtle joke is they're the ones actually paying for his nephew's education.
Point is Tim Cook isn't selling a $10K watch for personal wealth enrichment.
Which brings up a very good point ... will ATT, Verizon, and the other major mobile carriers sell the ?Watch? It seems like a no brainer -- "now that you have your new iPhone, perhaps you'd like one of these lovely ?Watches to make your life more convenient". I mean that's the upsell, right? (Aside from the fact that the watch may itself upset the iPhone).
Maybe over time but it seems like Apple wants to control the buying experience for now. Horace Dediu talked about this on his latest podcast. Apple has pretty much designed every aspect of the buying experience. Even the charging stands inside the case were designed to hide the cord from the inductive charger. Only thing I'm unsure of is he said at the event the lighting was dim and they used spotlights that focused directly on the watch. Not sure how they'll implement that in most Apple stores.
This getting more rediculous as the product launch unfolds.
The iPhone itself doesn't require this type of " personal" marketing. Either you need it or you don't. And if you don't like it can you trade it in for the next ten or so iphones to come?
30 minutes? Imagine buying a car on a time limit in the show room? You all....ALLLLLLLL....would walk away from that.
This getting more rediculous as the product launch unfolds. Someone who, it seems to me, buys an Apple watch is either a fool, a spendthrift idiot or a snob.
The iPhone itself doesn't require this type of " personal" marketing. Either you need it or you don't. And if you don't like it can you trade it in for the next ten or so iphones to come?
30 minutes? Imagine buying a car on a time limit in the show room? You all....ALLLLLLLL....would walk away from that.
Phooey. How high the hype?
Nice work! You have successfully gotten the entire issue backwards. You must be proud.
If the watch doesn't require this marketing, the 30 minutes is more time than you need. If it does, then why are complaining? If I want to spend 17k on a product, and they offer me 30 minutes of private time for me to be sure, how is this hurting you?
It seems to me only two type of people bitch about this: People who are astro-turfing and spreading FUD, and people who can't afford the entry model and are offended that others can afford the high end model. Which are you? FUD, or jealous?
paxman, have you been inside Harrods, Peter Jones or any other John Lewis in the past year? There's an element of gimmickry in Harrods introduced by the previous owner which may or not have been removed by the current ownership, which is why RichL rightly refers to it as a tourist trap.
As for Peter Jones and the other John Lewis stores they've been modernised and have a fresh layout with a diverse range of products, from clothing to the food hall in John Lewis Oxford street, to the Apple Macs and iPads sold in their technology section, i.e. A department store. I'm puzzled as to which branch of John Lewis you've visited to be left with the impression of it being only a hardware shop. The John Lewis Partnership, including its Peter Jones branch, is a very respected retailer, I believe the Apple Watch will be a good fit for them. The Peter Jones branch, being next to the exclusive Kings Road and Sloane Street shopping streets, may even be another suitable site for the Apple Watch Edition.
Comments
I'm intrigued as to which department stores you consider to be classier in London, maybe Peter Jones and John Lewis?
Harvey Nichols is definitely classier than Selfridges without being a tourist trap like Harrods. Selfridges is more centrally located though and that's why it wins.
Good point. Apple is so micro-managing this rollout I'm sure it's being addressed in the best way possible.
Ahhh something just clicked, so first up we know about it, then developers start working on it, then we get the launch deets, now some apps are coming out with watch modules, then the pre-launch launch happens.. By which time you can walk in with your iPhone thay might actually be equipped with apps and already has the apple watch app.. and then the sales rep pairs your phone to a watch to example how it all seamlessly works.. you get all of 15 mins and then away if goes. now even if you don't preorder the app on your phone sits there with the config saved for your watch looking all forlorn when you open it wondering what might have been.. next thing you just buy it cause it is already half in your life as it is.
genius
Yep.
No doubt about it. I recommend you eat more Mango's if you are suffering from diarrhea.
I like your strategy. I think BFs posts deserve nothing more than a random, non-sensical response.
I recommend a block and ignore strategy. I'm so much happier now.
Selfridges has a great location, lose to bond street & Regent Street, Mayfair & Covent Garden (ish). It is a huge and fantastic looking store with a great history. It isn't the most upmarket but it sits comfortably in the upper middle, not excluding any demographic. More upscale and with the same brand recognition would be Harrods and Liberty. I don't think John Lewis or Peter Jones (actually owned by John Lewis for many years) fit the bracket. John Lewis is a great store and people working there always know what they are selling, but it is more like a department hardware store in in my eyes.
and then the sales rep pairs your phone to a watch to example how it all seamlessly works..
You're probably right ... aside from just holding it, unless it's paired to a phone that does something meaningful for you, it really is only half utilized. Im sure it's not hard to un-pair it either.
What's interesting is that Apple is not staffing the "stores" with geniuses. I have to imagine that even if these are store employees, Apple has hand picked them and trained them. That in my mind is the only wild card here. And since someone pointed out that Selfridges sells iPhones, it all comes together neatly. So even if you don't have an iPhone, you love the watch so much you go over and start looking at them!
I recommend a block and ignore strategy. I'm so much happier now.
Are you serious? I love reading his stuff! It is comedy gold!
He bitches about things that don't even make sense, then informs us of flaws that no person could possibly know if they exist or not, then announce the failure of a product that almost no human has even experienced yet. It is like a claim chowder manufacturing plant!
And some time late next year, when it is obvious that the watch is wildly successful, he will register a new name, and bitch about a new product, until rinse and repeat.
This is better most TV programing. And the writing is consistently amusingly ironic...
"While people complain about Apple selling a $10,000 watch, Tim Cook tells Fortune magazine he's going to pay for his nephews college education and then give the rest of his money away to charity."
Not quite seeing what one has to do with the other, unless the subtle joke is they're the ones actually paying for his nephew's education.
The Apple Watch is fully an iPhone accessory....
So I'm not sure it should really be sold at a place that doesn't also sell the phone.
Which brings up a very good point ... will ATT, Verizon, and the other major mobile carriers sell the ?Watch? It seems like a no brainer -- "now that you have your new iPhone, perhaps you'd like one of these lovely ?Watches to make your life more convenient". I mean that's the upsell, right? (Aside from the fact that the watch may itself upset the iPhone).
These time-limited slots really suck.
Why on earth would anyone want to endure a hard sell for the Apple Watch? This goes completely against Apple's ethos. Just let the poor buggers waste their money in their own time, not in Apple's nanny-prescribed manner.
BOOGA, BOOGA!
WOOF, WOOF!
GRRRRRRRRRR!
Are you serious? I love reading his stuff! It is comedy gold!
He bitches about things that don't even make sense, then informs us of flaws that no person could possibly know if they exist or not, then announce the failure of a product that almost no human has even experienced yet. It is like a claim chowder manufacturing plant!
And some time late next year, when it is obvious that the watch is wildly successful, he will register a new name, and bitch about a new product, until rinse and repeat.
This is better most TV programing. And the writing is consistently amusingly ironic...
You've already validated him way too much. He probably spews just to get this sort of attention.
Point is Tim Cook isn't selling a $10K watch for personal wealth enrichment.
Maybe over time but it seems like Apple wants to control the buying experience for now. Horace Dediu talked about this on his latest podcast. Apple has pretty much designed every aspect of the buying experience. Even the charging stands inside the case were designed to hide the cord from the inductive charger. Only thing I'm unsure of is he said at the event the lighting was dim and they used spotlights that focused directly on the watch. Not sure how they'll implement that in most Apple stores.
The iPhone itself doesn't require this type of " personal" marketing. Either you need it or you don't. And if you don't like it can you trade it in for the next ten or so iphones to come?
30 minutes? Imagine buying a car on a time limit in the show room? You all....ALLLLLLLL....would walk away from that.
Phooey. How high the hype?
This getting more rediculous as the product launch unfolds. Someone who, it seems to me, buys an Apple watch is either a fool, a spendthrift idiot or a snob.
The iPhone itself doesn't require this type of " personal" marketing. Either you need it or you don't. And if you don't like it can you trade it in for the next ten or so iphones to come?
30 minutes? Imagine buying a car on a time limit in the show room? You all....ALLLLLLLL....would walk away from that.
Phooey. How high the hype?
Nice work! You have successfully gotten the entire issue backwards. You must be proud.
If the watch doesn't require this marketing, the 30 minutes is more time than you need. If it does, then why are complaining? If I want to spend 17k on a product, and they offer me 30 minutes of private time for me to be sure, how is this hurting you?
It seems to me only two type of people bitch about this: People who are astro-turfing and spreading FUD, and people who can't afford the entry model and are offended that others can afford the high end model. Which are you? FUD, or jealous?
There's an element of gimmickry in Harrods introduced by the previous owner which may or not have been removed by the current ownership, which is why RichL rightly refers to it as a tourist trap.
As for Peter Jones and the other John Lewis stores they've been modernised and have a fresh layout with a diverse range of products, from clothing to the food hall in John Lewis Oxford street, to the Apple Macs and iPads sold in their technology section, i.e. A department store.
I'm puzzled as to which branch of John Lewis you've visited to be left with the impression of it being only a hardware shop.
The John Lewis Partnership, including its Peter Jones branch, is a very respected retailer, I believe the Apple Watch will be a good fit for them.
The Peter Jones branch, being next to the exclusive Kings Road and Sloane Street shopping streets, may even be another suitable site for the Apple Watch Edition.
Please STOP responding/reacting to pointless posts, folks. PLEASE.
(This is the first and last time I'll post about this).