Best Buy drops Apple Watch pricing to as low as $249 with new wave of $100 discounts

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited December 2015
Apple retail partner Best Buy kicked off major discounts on the Apple Watch on Wednesday, offering $100 off its inventory of Apple Watch Sport and stainless steel Apple Watch models for a limited time, marking the lowest price points yet for the wearable. Some shoppers may also find equivalent or better deals at Apple authorized reseller B&H as well.



The new discounts mean customers can buy an Apple Watch for as little as $249 for a 38-millimeter, which is the steepest out-the-door price seen on the device since it launched in April.

The larger 42-millimeter Sport version starts starts at $299 with the $100 savings, while stainless steel Apple Watch models can be had starting at $$449. Best Buy also ships orders for free.

Some customers may find even greater savings with AppleInsider partner B&H, which has also knocked $50 off all models and is including a $50 B&H gift card for free with each purchase. Unlike Best Buy, B&H will not collect sales tax on your order if you live outside New York, and shipping remains free.

Therefore, shoppers outside of New York state may find a greater value proposition from B&H's promotion.

A full list of discounts on the Apple Watch Sport and stainless steel Apple Watch can be found in AppleInsider's AppleWatch Price Guide, included below:

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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 35
    As much as I like my Apple Watch , I'd like it more for $249 :)
    jbdragon
  • Reply 2 of 35
    yuck9yuck9 Posts: 112member
    Get ready for the " not selling well" so they lowered the price.

    ronnjbdragon
  • Reply 3 of 35
    yuck9 said:
    Get ready for the " not selling well" so they lowered the price.

    It is more like trying to bring more customers in for other purchases. After hearing the possible rumor of Watch 2.0, I was thinking to hold off. But, I think with this Best Buy price, I might just dive it and get the Sports Edition for now.
  • Reply 4 of 35
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,032member
    I don't know what the price drop means regarding the relative success or failure of the watch.  I know that the iPhone got a big price drop not too long after it was introduced, and we know what a failure that turned out to be.

    I got my 38mm watch at Target at the Thanksgiving price of $249.  While it isn't life or society changing like the iPhone, it is a very nice accessory.  BTW folks, if you are thinking which size to buy, 38mm is big enough.  42mm gets you a bit more battery life, but my 38mm always seems to have about 50% left at the end of the day. 
  • Reply 5 of 35
    sog35 said:
    Saved about $130 on my Apple Watch.

    Got Black Sport 38mm for $250 at BH Photo with no sales tax.

    I got mine for around that price as well from a different place. At that price it is well worth it even if the new one does come out early next year. 
  • Reply 6 of 35
    williamh said:
    BTW folks, if you are thinking which size to buy, 38mm is big enough.
    I planned to buy thet 38mm, but when trying the Watch at retail I found the text a bit too small for my 51-year-old eyes.  For me, the 42mm is best.
  • Reply 7 of 35
    I bought an Apple Watch from B&H as a gift for my wife for Christmas. $299 and no sales tax plus a $50 gift card. Used the card to purchase a second sport band. Went with the gold sport w/ antique white band then got a navy blue band as a second option. All that for $299, can't beat it!
  • Reply 8 of 35
    lkrupplkrupp Posts: 10,557member
    yuck9 said:
    Get ready for the " not selling well" so they lowered the price.


    Well, that ilk will always be around to spin their negativity. They’ve got so much egg on their faces from other negative campaigns that blew up in their faces you’d think they were human omelets.
  • Reply 9 of 35
    I've never had much interest in a smart watch. I yawned and kept moving when Apple released theirs. The only one I was even remotely interested in was $649 (38mm stainless steel with Milanese loop) - which is orders of magnitude more money than I'd ever spend on a watch. However, I just ordered a 38mm Space Gray sport for pickup at Best Buy after work. I guess the $249 price point was what did it. My 2008 Fossil stopped working recently, so I've been looking for a new watch, anyway.
  • Reply 10 of 35
    These sudden price drops should seriously accelerate holiday sales of the Apple Watch.
  • Reply 11 of 35
    jbdragonjbdragon Posts: 2,305member
    I got mine almost 2 weeks ago, 42mm Space Grey USED from Craigslist. It was almost new, Looked new. I paid $300, plus no TAX!!! But I also got a second charger with it and 3 more Apple bands, a Red, White and Blue!!! I ordered a Apple Watch Charging Dock that's been on back order for $15 that I'll use one of my Chargers on, and the other one for trips and whatnot. I don't know what Apple's plans are for a next generation version. Right now it's a RUMOR. Does Apple plan to release a new version every year? That's going to be hard to outdo yourself every year trying to crap more in such a tiny thing and still have battery life. Which right now I can go from when I get up to bed and still have over 50% of the battery left. More Sensors? A Rumored Camera? Where the Hell would Apple fit a camera? Be like Samesung and put a camera wart on the band? Does it really need a camera? Do you want to facetime on your watch? I haven't worn a watch since I got my first dumb phone and figured I didn't need to carry around 2 clocks. It's the doing so much more that makes it really nice. Make sure you turn off a lot of the Notifications you really don't need on a watch like email! That can drive you nuts. If it's important, people will text you anyway. I can see on my watch when my garage door opens and closes on my watch. That's the quick and easiest way to get in. Being also to have my Bluetooth Headset on tuning into Amazon Prime Music which is free as part of being a Prime Member, I can pause, Skip forward a song or go back a song on my watch. I don't have to grab my phone, turn it on, go to the App and then skip a song. It's these little things that make it so good. Yes 3rd party Apps that have to load Data for the iPhone can be slow, but to me, really not a big deal. I wouldn't complain if it was faster, but it's still usable. I like it reminding me to stand up for a minute every hour!! I think that's a good thing. I set a Reminder on my iPhone for a part I needed at Home Depot, and set it to remind me when I got to Home Depot using the GPS, then I went there for something else and my Phone dinged and I looked and went, Oh ya, that's right, I needed to pick that up also. I wouldn't normally hear or feel my phone, or bother to look. It's on MUTE most of the time anyway. A quick glance and I can see what's next on the calendar. Again, it's the little things that are making me a huge fan of the Apple watch. If all it did was tell time, I wouldn't wear it. I like it more then I thought I would. I've used Apple Pay on my watch once so far.
  • Reply 12 of 35
    mac_128mac_128 Posts: 3,454member
    designr said:
    Almost always smart to start a bit high and the figure out the ways to gracefully bring the price down without seeming like you're discounting.

    Won't be surprised to see a $249 version from Apple in the next product update cycle.

    It is likely Watch Sport 1 simply dropped to $249 to be the new entry point while Watch 2 becomes the up sell. Classic Apple strategy.

    Also wouldn't be terribly surprised to see a minor streamlining and simplification of the whole product line in the Watch 2 rollout.
    Oh yes. Apple will most likely follow the iPhone model and drop the Sport, perhaps even $200. With the stainless getting a $100 drop. I also see a more simplified selection of bands and offerings for gen 1 watches, just like the iPhones.

    Either way these sales will definitely move units, if however at 2/3 the profit margin. 

    I wonder if by January the Watch will get a permanent price drop in anticipation of the gen 2 models, or if they will continue the charade? Maybe that's why the rumor is for such an early date in March as that will allow a very quick price drop and have plenty of Gen 2 units available in time for graduation and anniversary/wedding presents.

    I fully expect the Edition to be discontinued after the holidays since Tom Cook said it would be sold in "very limited" quantities, and with Colette in Paris discounting them 50% is has overstayed it's "Edition" moniker/status.

    March seems very likely when we consider that the original launch window was pushed back as much as 6 months due to production and software delays. That means, the annual watch refresh cycle would be ready to go as early as October of this year.

  • Reply 13 of 35
    yuck9 said:
    Get ready for the " not selling well" so they lowered the price.

    Well you don't knock $100 off the price of something that's selling well. I think the answer is pretty obvious though: The Apple Watch is not selling well at Best Buy.

    Think about it: why the hell would anyone buy an Apple Watch at the store with the smallest selection of options, that won't let you try it on, all while a Verizon rep hovers around bothering you about how you need FIOS?
  • Reply 14 of 35
    gerrit said:
    yuck9 said:
    Get ready for the " not selling well" so they lowered the price.

    Well you don't knock $100 off the price of something that's selling well. I think the answer is pretty obvious though: The Apple Watch is not selling well at Best Buy.

    Think about it: why the hell would anyone buy an Apple Watch at the store with the smallest selection of options, that won't let you try it on, all while a Verizon rep hovers around bothering you about how you need FIOS?
    Or Best Buy is eating some of the discount to drive foot traffic. It is more likely that Best Buy is getting desperate for foot traffic than Apple is getting desperate for profits.
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 15 of 35
    lkrupp said:
    yuck9 said:
    Get ready for the " not selling well" so they lowered the price.


    Well, that ilk will always be around to spin their negativity. They’ve got so much egg on their faces from other negative campaigns that blew up in their faces you’d think they were human omelets.
    It's rather amusing to read some of them. Benjamin Frost is over on MR gleefully predicting doom for Apple Watch
  • Reply 16 of 35
    sessamoid said:
    gerrit said:

    Think about it: why the hell would anyone buy an Apple Watch at the store with the smallest selection of options, that won't let you try it on, all while a Verizon rep hovers around bothering you about how you need FIOS?
    Or Best Buy is eating some of the discount to drive foot traffic.
    $100 off an Apple Watch isn't a discount, it's Best Buy's entire profit margin. A smaller discount would be enough to guarantee foot traffic. Further proof it's not about getting you in the door: They're knocking $100 off the Apple Watch on their website too.

    To be clear: I'm not saying the Apple Watch isn't selling well overall, I just don't think it's selling well at Best Buy.
  • Reply 17 of 35
    I bought my watch on black friday when they had $50 off the sport. Trying to hold them to their price guarantee program-- I emailed for the other $50 they just knocked off. Crossing my fingers I get it!

    I am liking my Watch so far. It's amazing how in a few days, there's all sorts of apps I'm annoyed don't have an Watch version, and I wish they did.
    SpamSandwich
  • Reply 18 of 35
    designr said:
    williamh said:
    I don't know what the price drop means regarding the relative success or failure of the watch.  I know that the iPhone got a big price drop not too long after it was introduced, and we know what a failure that turned out to be.
    I'm guessing it's a combination of this plus the poster above you ("bring more customers in for other purchases") plus Apple probably authorizing these discounts as a way to test price elasticity without lowering the price...yet.

    For sure if Best Buy gave away Galaxy Gear, it wouldn't raise floor traffic a bit, they know what they're doing by discounting the watch —the number one stealth gift of the season.
  • Reply 19 of 35
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    sog35 said:
    Saved about $130 on my Apple Watch.

    Got Black Sport 38mm for $250 at BH Photo with no sales tax.
    Hate gift card. Just give me straight $ off, damn BH Photo.
  • Reply 20 of 35
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    Damn, I just found a wallet full of cash and credit cards at a shopping mall...enough for a few watches lol. Well, I turned it in police department early today. Lucky for this owner cuz some people may just take the cash and get rid of the wallet.
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