i guess this means apple will be keeping the current apple watch case design for a while or if they will update the cases the bans will still slmehow fit. my band collection’s grown considerably because of this spring and fall editions coming out. they will all go to waste once apple comes out with a new watch case that don’t accommodate current band widths, etc.
The sport loop and woven nylon bands are amazing. The spring updates look great. But If Apple priced them $20 cheaper they’d sell A LOT more of them.
Right. Think of all the crappy third-party bands people buy on Amazon, et al. Those sales might go to Apple if their bands were priced just a little less. And the quality is better than many of the third-party bands. Much better.
Though pricing them lower might make them be seen as not-quiet-so-premium.
I doubt anyone looks at the sport bands and thinks of them as “premium” because they’re $49. If anything they think they’re overpriced.
Compared to the cheap chinese bands, the Apple bands are indeed premium. I've owned both, in multiple materials, and while I'd rather pay less I have to say the cheapies aren't great while Apple's are. Same as it ever was.
The sport loop and woven nylon bands are amazing. The spring updates look great. But If Apple priced them $20 cheaper they’d sell A LOT more of them.
Right. Think of all the crappy third-party bands people buy on Amazon, et al. Those sales might go to Apple if their bands were priced just a little less. And the quality is better than many of the third-party bands. Much better.
Though pricing them lower might make them be seen as not-quiet-so-premium.
So, you want them to be priced like the cheaper crap, but maintain the premium quality?! Doesn't usually work like that.
You don’t think Apple could maintain the premium quality by lowering the price but getting more sales? Those crappy Amazon bands go for around $15 (sometimes even less), if Apple’s bands were closer to $30 than $50 they may convert some of those sales. And it’s possible Apple can’t lower the price and maintain the quality, but I bet there’s some flexibility there.
You say “doesn’t usually work like that” but look at the iPhone 5/5s now called the SE. Its price is much lower now than when it first came out but I would argue that the quality hasn’t dropped. Likewise, the Sport Bands have been out since 2015. What is the reason the price can’t go lower? Just that Apple updates the colors every so often?
Older computing hardware sells for less because it's slower & less functional, so the price is an incentive to consumers to purchase older & slower. The specs & function of the bands are 100% exactly as functional today as they ever were, so there is no pricing incentive being offered.
So it costs Apple the same to make the plastic sport bands as it did 2-3 years ago? I find that hard to believe. Also I’m sure they’re priced with plenty of margin so why not give up a bit of the margin to increase sales? Considering how nice these bands are I guarantee you more people would buy them if they were $29 or even $39.
Where did I ever claim that? Of course they get cheaper to produce each year as the initial production line cost is lessened over time. Such decreased operation cost is gravy but that isn't what we're talking about.
Again -- older computing hardware (the point he raised w/ the iPhone 5) is priced lower than newer computing hardware as an incentive to buyers to willingly purchase less-capable hardware. This isn't applicable to the static functionality watch bands. Or a million other things that could be cheaper if manufacturers wanted to make them cheaper.
The sport loop and woven nylon bands are amazing. The spring updates look great. But If Apple priced them $20 cheaper they’d sell A LOT more of them.
Right. Think of all the crappy third-party bands people buy on Amazon, et al. Those sales might go to Apple if their bands were priced just a little less. And the quality is better than many of the third-party bands. Much better.
Though pricing them lower might make them be seen as not-quiet-so-premium.
So, you want them to be priced like the cheaper crap, but maintain the premium quality?! Doesn't usually work like that.
You don’t think Apple could maintain the premium quality by lowering the price but getting more sales? Those crappy Amazon bands go for around $15 (sometimes even less), if Apple’s bands were closer to $30 than $50 they may convert some of those sales. And it’s possible Apple can’t lower the price and maintain the quality, but I bet there’s some flexibility there.
You say “doesn’t usually work like that” but look at the iPhone 5/5s now called the SE. Its price is much lower now than when it first came out but I would argue that the quality hasn’t dropped. Likewise, the Sport Bands have been out since 2015. What is the reason the price can’t go lower? Just that Apple updates the colors every so often?
Older computing hardware sells for less because it's slower & less functional, so the price is an incentive to consumers to purchase older & slower. The specs & function of the bands are 100% exactly as functional today as they ever were, so there is no pricing incentive being offered.
So it costs Apple the same to make the plastic sport bands as it did 2-3 years ago? I find that hard to believe. Also I’m sure they’re priced with plenty of margin so why not give up a bit of the margin to increase sales? Considering how nice these bands are I guarantee you more people would buy them if they were $29 or even $39.
You're asking Apple to give up margins for sales. When in the history of Apple have they ever done that? Do you really think Apple cares if they sell 1 million bands versus 2 million bands? Apple prices their products where they feel it's representative of the quality of the product. This is an extremely niche accessory product the sole purpose of which is to add a perceived value to the AppleWatch. The more someone pays for that accessory, the more valuable their AppleWatch is to them.
If someone invests hundreds of dollars in bands for the Apple Watch, the likelihood of them not buying another Apple Watch in the future, is extremely slim.
I think there is a balance between margins and sales. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Is the iPhone SE or $329 iPad a lesser product because of its price point? Of course not. As far as your last point, if someone isn’t investing much money in bands because they think Apple’s are too expensive so they either buy cheap knockoffs on Amazon or nothing other than the band the watch came with how does that make it likely they’ll chose to buy another Watch in the future? Considering how many styles and colors Apple offers it seems to me their intention is NOT to cede the Watch band market to 3rd parties. So why not make the price point a bit more attractive to generate even more sales?
Considering the AW now generates more revenue than any other watch in human history, and considering how insanely profitable Apple is, and considering they have all the actual details that the rest of us can only guess at....what makes you think they need your armchair marketing advice? I mean really -- what aspects of reality give you the impression that if only they were to follow the advice of one "rogifan_new" (even your username doesn't look finished) they'd be generating more profit than they already are? Please give us some insight here.
I agree that original AW bands are top quality. I own a couple ones and they are great, but I wished they were a bit more affordable so I could expand my collection. Let's be honest the sport loop and woven nylon bands deteriorate much faster compare to the sport and leather bands. I also have a couple nock off from amazon and they are surprisingly decent quality.
The sport loop and woven nylon bands are amazing. The spring updates look great. But If Apple priced them $20 cheaper they’d sell A LOT more of them.
Right. Think of all the crappy third-party bands people buy on Amazon, et al. Those sales might go to Apple if their bands were priced just a little less. And the quality is better than many of the third-party bands. Much better.
Though pricing them lower might make them be seen as not-quiet-so-premium.
So, you want them to be priced like the cheaper crap, but maintain the premium quality?! Doesn't usually work like that.
Most of the cheap bands on Amazon or Ebay aren't priced @ $30.00 which is the price point the OP mentioned. Those bands are more like $9.99 - $10.99, and are cheap garbage.
I think $30.00 for the Sport/Nike and Nylon bands would do really well. It would also persuade more people to buy from Apple and get Apple quality with their bands than to buy the cheaper ones just because they are cheap. Bands to me have always been priced too high I would have more for my own watch, but I cringe at the $50.00 price every time I am in the Apple store looking, or buying a new one for my girlfriend because she loves the different colors.
The sport loop and woven nylon bands are amazing. The spring updates look great. But If Apple priced them $20 cheaper they’d sell A LOT more of them.
Right. Think of all the crappy third-party bands people buy on Amazon, et al. Those sales might go to Apple if their bands were priced just a little less. And the quality is better than many of the third-party bands. Much better.
Though pricing them lower might make them be seen as not-quiet-so-premium.
So, you want them to be priced like the cheaper crap, but maintain the premium quality?! Doesn't usually work like that.
You don’t think Apple could maintain the premium quality by lowering the price but getting more sales? Those crappy Amazon bands go for around $15 (sometimes even less), if Apple’s bands were closer to $30 than $50 they may convert some of those sales. And it’s possible Apple can’t lower the price and maintain the quality, but I bet there’s some flexibility there.
You say “doesn’t usually work like that” but look at the iPhone 5/5s now called the SE. Its price is much lower now than when it first came out but I would argue that the quality hasn’t dropped. Likewise, the Sport Bands have been out since 2015. What is the reason the price can’t go lower? Just that Apple updates the colors every so often?
Older computing hardware sells for less because it's slower & less functional, so the price is an incentive to consumers to purchase older & slower. The specs & function of the bands are 100% exactly as functional today as they ever were, so there is no pricing incentive being offered.
So it costs Apple the same to make the plastic sport bands as it did 2-3 years ago? I find that hard to believe. Also I’m sure they’re priced with plenty of margin so why not give up a bit of the margin to increase sales? Considering how nice these bands are I guarantee you more people would buy them if they were $29 or even $39.
You're asking Apple to give up margins for sales. When in the history of Apple have they ever done that? Do you really think Apple cares if they sell 1 million bands versus 2 million bands? Apple prices their products where they feel it's representative of the quality of the product. This is an extremely niche accessory product the sole purpose of which is to add a perceived value to the AppleWatch. The more someone pays for that accessory, the more valuable their AppleWatch is to them.
If someone invests hundreds of dollars in bands for the Apple Watch, the likelihood of them not buying another Apple Watch in the future, is extremely slim.
I think there is a balance between margins and sales. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Is the iPhone SE or $329 iPad a lesser product because of its price point? Of course not. As far as your last point, if someone isn’t investing much money in bands because they think Apple’s are too expensive so they either buy cheap knockoffs on Amazon or nothing other than the band the watch came with how does that make it likely they’ll chose to buy another Watch in the future? Considering how many styles and colors Apple offers it seems to me their intention is NOT to cede the Watch band market to 3rd parties. So why not make the price point a bit more attractive to generate even more sales?
Considering the AW now generates more revenue than any other watch in human history, and considering how insanely profitable Apple is, and considering they have all the actual details that the rest of us can only guess at....what makes you think they need your armchair marketing advice? I mean really -- what aspects of reality give you the impression that if only they were to follow the advice of one "rogifan_new" (even your username doesn't look finished) they'd be generating more profit than they already are? Please give us some insight here.
Oh good grief, it’s called having an opinion which people do all the time. Including you...whose opinion seems to be whatever Apple does is always the right thing to do and it’s impossible for the company to get something wrong/make a mistake.
I mentioned iPod socks which came 5 in a box for $29. Arguing that if Apple Watch bands were a little bit cheaper Apple would sell a shit ton more of them (and still make decent margins) isn’t a radical thought.
The sport loop and woven nylon bands are amazing. The spring updates look great. But If Apple priced them $20 cheaper they’d sell A LOT more of them.
Right. Think of all the crappy third-party bands people buy on Amazon, et al. Those sales might go to Apple if their bands were priced just a little less. And the quality is better than many of the third-party bands. Much better.
Though pricing them lower might make them be seen as not-quiet-so-premium.
So, you want them to be priced like the cheaper crap, but maintain the premium quality?! Doesn't usually work like that.
You don’t think Apple could maintain the premium quality by lowering the price but getting more sales? Those crappy Amazon bands go for around $15 (sometimes even less), if Apple’s bands were closer to $30 than $50 they may convert some of those sales. And it’s possible Apple can’t lower the price and maintain the quality, but I bet there’s some flexibility there.
You say “doesn’t usually work like that” but look at the iPhone 5/5s now called the SE. Its price is much lower now than when it first came out but I would argue that the quality hasn’t dropped. Likewise, the Sport Bands have been out since 2015. What is the reason the price can’t go lower? Just that Apple updates the colors every so often?
Older computing hardware sells for less because it's slower & less functional, so the price is an incentive to consumers to purchase older & slower. The specs & function of the bands are 100% exactly as functional today as they ever were, so there is no pricing incentive being offered.
So it costs Apple the same to make the plastic sport bands as it did 2-3 years ago? I find that hard to believe. Also I’m sure they’re priced with plenty of margin so why not give up a bit of the margin to increase sales? Considering how nice these bands are I guarantee you more people would buy them if they were $29 or even $39.
You're asking Apple to give up margins for sales. When in the history of Apple have they ever done that? Do you really think Apple cares if they sell 1 million bands versus 2 million bands? Apple prices their products where they feel it's representative of the quality of the product. This is an extremely niche accessory product the sole purpose of which is to add a perceived value to the AppleWatch. The more someone pays for that accessory, the more valuable their AppleWatch is to them.
If someone invests hundreds of dollars in bands for the Apple Watch, the likelihood of them not buying another Apple Watch in the future, is extremely slim.
I think there is a balance between margins and sales. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Is the iPhone SE or $329 iPad a lesser product because of its price point? Of course not. As far as your last point, if someone isn’t investing much money in bands because they think Apple’s are too expensive so they either buy cheap knockoffs on Amazon or nothing other than the band the watch came with how does that make it likely they’ll chose to buy another Watch in the future? Considering how many styles and colors Apple offers it seems to me their intention is NOT to cede the Watch band market to 3rd parties. So why not make the price point a bit more attractive to generate even more sales?
Considering the AW now generates more revenue than any other watch in human history, and considering how insanely profitable Apple is, and considering they have all the actual details that the rest of us can only guess at....what makes you think they need your armchair marketing advice? I mean really -- what aspects of reality give you the impression that if only they were to follow the advice of one "rogifan_new" (even your username doesn't look finished) they'd be generating more profit than they already are? Please give us some insight here.
Oh good grief, it’s called having an opinion which people do all the time. Including you...whose opinion seems to be whatever Apple does is always the right thing to do and it’s impossible for the company to get something wrong/make a mistake.
I mentioned iPod socks which came 5 in a box for $29. Arguing that if Apple Watch bands were a little bit cheaper Apple would sell a shit ton more of them (and still make decent margins) isn’t a radical thought.
Of course you’re free to have an opinion — you know what they say about everyone having them. But I’m asking you to defend your opinions in a convincing manner. This is the basis of discussion. But you don’t seem able to.
My my position has never been that “Apple is always right!” rather it’s very often “Nah, Apple knows what it’s doing in topic XXXX because YYYY, and therefore the criticism ZZZZ is flawed”.
Sounds like you don’t understand this company very well at all. Here, you seem to to stating Apple should cut its margins in the interest of market share (selling more of a thing at a less profitable price), but you don’t say why Apple should do this. Their job is to make premium products and enjoy the premium profit. They aren’t known for chasing market share, and they’re killing it in this market... So when question on why they should do what you’re suggesting, your reply is “I’m free to have an opinion!” OK, yes you are...but that doesn’t make it a very good one. Especially if you can’t defend it.
The sport loop and woven nylon bands are amazing. The spring updates look great. But If Apple priced them $20 cheaper they’d sell A LOT more of them.
Right. Think of all the crappy third-party bands people buy on Amazon, et al. Those sales might go to Apple if their bands were priced just a little less. And the quality is better than many of the third-party bands. Much better.
Though pricing them lower might make them be seen as not-quiet-so-premium.
So, you want them to be priced like the cheaper crap, but maintain the premium quality?! Doesn't usually work like that.
You don’t think Apple could maintain the premium quality by lowering the price but getting more sales? Those crappy Amazon bands go for around $15 (sometimes even less), if Apple’s bands were closer to $30 than $50 they may convert some of those sales. And it’s possible Apple can’t lower the price and maintain the quality, but I bet there’s some flexibility there.
You say “doesn’t usually work like that” but look at the iPhone 5/5s now called the SE. Its price is much lower now than when it first came out but I would argue that the quality hasn’t dropped. Likewise, the Sport Bands have been out since 2015. What is the reason the price can’t go lower? Just that Apple updates the colors every so often?
Older computing hardware sells for less because it's slower & less functional, so the price is an incentive to consumers to purchase older & slower. The specs & function of the bands are 100% exactly as functional today as they ever were, so there is no pricing incentive being offered.
So it costs Apple the same to make the plastic sport bands as it did 2-3 years ago? I find that hard to believe. Also I’m sure they’re priced with plenty of margin so why not give up a bit of the margin to increase sales? Considering how nice these bands are I guarantee you more people would buy them if they were $29 or even $39.
You're asking Apple to give up margins for sales. When in the history of Apple have they ever done that? Do you really think Apple cares if they sell 1 million bands versus 2 million bands? Apple prices their products where they feel it's representative of the quality of the product. This is an extremely niche accessory product the sole purpose of which is to add a perceived value to the AppleWatch. The more someone pays for that accessory, the more valuable their AppleWatch is to them.
If someone invests hundreds of dollars in bands for the Apple Watch, the likelihood of them not buying another Apple Watch in the future, is extremely slim.
I think there is a balance between margins and sales. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Is the iPhone SE or $329 iPad a lesser product because of its price point? Of course not. As far as your last point, if someone isn’t investing much money in bands because they think Apple’s are too expensive so they either buy cheap knockoffs on Amazon or nothing other than the band the watch came with how does that make it likely they’ll chose to buy another Watch in the future? Considering how many styles and colors Apple offers it seems to me their intention is NOT to cede the Watch band market to 3rd parties. So why not make the price point a bit more attractive to generate even more sales?
Considering the AW now generates more revenue than any other watch in human history, and considering how insanely profitable Apple is, and considering they have all the actual details that the rest of us can only guess at....what makes you think they need your armchair marketing advice? I mean really -- what aspects of reality give you the impression that if only they were to follow the advice of one "rogifan_new" (even your username doesn't look finished) they'd be generating more profit than they already are? Please give us some insight here.
Oh good grief, it’s called having an opinion which people do all the time. Including you...whose opinion seems to be whatever Apple does is always the right thing to do and it’s impossible for the company to get something wrong/make a mistake.
I mentioned iPod socks which came 5 in a box for $29. Arguing that if Apple Watch bands were a little bit cheaper Apple would sell a shit ton more of them (and still make decent margins) isn’t a radical thought.
Of course you’re free to have an opinion — you know what they say about everyone having them. But I’m asking you to defend your opinions in a convincing manner. This is the basis of discussion. But you don’t seem able to.
My my position has never been that “Apple is always right!” rather it’s very often “Nah, Apple knows what it’s doing in topic XXXX because YYYY, and therefore the criticism ZZZZ is flawed”.
Sounds like you don’t understand this company very well at all. Here, you seem to to stating Apple should cut its margins in the interest of market share (selling more of a thing at a less profitable price), but you don’t say why Apple should do this. Their job is to make premium products and enjoy the premium profit. They aren’t known for chasing market share, and they’re killing it in this market... So when question on why they should do what you’re suggesting, your reply is “I’m free to have an opinion!” OK, yes you are...but that doesn’t make it a very good one. Especially if you can’t defend it.
I never said anything about market share. Isn’t Apple now all about making more money off their existing customer base? That’s basically what HomePod is for. Make Watch bands a bit cheaper and Apple would sell a lot more of them to existing Watch customers. I think it’s ridiculous that any time someone mentions price the usual suspects trot out this chasing market share nonsense. As if there has to be a choice. No doubt the margins on these bands are huge. Knock $10 off and they’d probably sell a ton more and still make huge profits.
Comments
Where did I ever claim that? Of course they get cheaper to produce each year as the initial production line cost is lessened over time. Such decreased operation cost is gravy but that isn't what we're talking about.
Again -- older computing hardware (the point he raised w/ the iPhone 5) is priced lower than newer computing hardware as an incentive to buyers to willingly purchase less-capable hardware. This isn't applicable to the static functionality watch bands. Or a million other things that could be cheaper if manufacturers wanted to make them cheaper.
Considering the AW now generates more revenue than any other watch in human history, and considering how insanely profitable Apple is, and considering they have all the actual details that the rest of us can only guess at....what makes you think they need your armchair marketing advice? I mean really -- what aspects of reality give you the impression that if only they were to follow the advice of one "rogifan_new" (even your username doesn't look finished) they'd be generating more profit than they already are? Please give us some insight here.
https://www.amazon.com/Icesnail-Pieces-Length-Silicone-Replacement/dp/B074X2SP53/ref=pd_day0_200_4/141-7100685-6437161?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B074X2SP53&pd_rd_r=EP225FWF56Z8MRJPSDHY&pd_rd_w=DL57h&pd_rd_wg=S8ySx&psc=1&refRID=EP225FWF56Z8MRJPSDHY
https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Watch-Breathable-Woven-Replacement/dp/B0785PVCFR/ref=pd_sbs_200_16?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0785PVCFR&pd_rd_r=F7TC54ECX1Q60PFZB3AB&pd_rd_w=QWSLc&pd_rd_wg=bL5ej&refRID=F7TC54ECX1Q60PFZB3AB
I think $30.00 for the Sport/Nike and Nylon bands would do really well. It would also persuade more people to buy from Apple and get Apple quality with their bands than to buy the cheaper ones just because they are cheap. Bands to me have always been priced too high I would have more for my own watch, but I cringe at the $50.00 price every time I am in the Apple store looking, or buying a new one for my girlfriend because she loves the different colors.
I mentioned iPod socks which came 5 in a box for $29. Arguing that if Apple Watch bands were a little bit cheaper Apple would sell a shit ton more of them (and still make decent margins) isn’t a radical thought.
My my position has never been that “Apple is always right!” rather it’s very often “Nah, Apple knows what it’s doing in topic XXXX because YYYY, and therefore the criticism ZZZZ is flawed”.
Sounds like you don’t understand this company very well at all. Here, you seem to to stating Apple should cut its margins in the interest of market share (selling more of a thing at a less profitable price), but you don’t say why Apple should do this. Their job is to make premium products and enjoy the premium profit. They aren’t known for chasing market share, and they’re killing it in this market... So when question on why they should do what you’re suggesting, your reply is “I’m free to have an opinion!” OK, yes you are...but that doesn’t make it a very good one. Especially if you can’t defend it.