when I bought the mechanical watches I have, I thought of the effort and skills that went into designing and making them. I thought of the amazing precision of the hands of those watchmakers. I thought of the complexity of the movements, and how incredible it was that such things could be made, and actually work so reliably. I thought of the reputations of those manufacturers, and how they invented such delicate devices to overcome the inherent obstacles to keeping time in a small mechanical device subject to the daily swings and bangs they receive. I thought of the beauty of the engraving on the usually hidden movements, or of the wonderful designs of the cases.
This is why mechanical watches aren't really going anywhere. Quartz watches have totally outclassed them in every conceivable metric for decades. Today, people buy mechanical watches as works of art which you can wear. They are among the pinnacles of precision we as a species have attained.
I am disappointed to see that Vertu is shutting down. While I'm not a fan of the software they used (either Android or Symbian), they made some devices which appeal to that "How amazing could we make this with unrestricted budget?" part of my brain. I mean, they used synthetic sapphire bearings for the buttons! Ceramics and steel and more sapphire all over the surface. They're ridiculously impractical, but extremely interesting from an engineering perspective.
The Apple Watch is considerably more precise at telling time than any mechanical watch could ever be without it also being periodically synced with atomic clocks. As for "works of art," aesthetics are one thing, but wearing a watch as jewelry over utility is the very definition of form over function.
Vertu dies because people with unlimited budgets bought iPhones. If you wanted to take it further you could get your iPhone plated in some other metal or get diamond glued to it to make it ugly as fuck, if that's your desire, but you'd still get to use an iPhone because utility matters when it coms to CE.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
Apple didn't make a lot of these so I'm sure they sold 100% of them.
I'm really upset Apple stopped selling Edition Watches it pisses me off every time it's brought up. It was extra money for Apple and placed the Watch in a market only Apple can attain, No one would buy a Fitbit for 1,000+ let alone 500+. And like someone else said, some people can actually afford $15,000 Watches.
The "lack of upgrade" argument doesn't work for the wealthy either.
and to the poster who said Edition Watches became "useless". How the heck do you figure that? They're still in use and still work. Why don't you apply this logic to mechanical watches made of gold? They're still worth the same after years of only telling time. How's that for "useless".
You’re wrong about the wealthy’s look at lack of upgrades. I could actually afford that gold edition, but I didn’t see it as being useful, or well thought out. I’m sure people bought it as a collector’s item. But at the heart of it is electronics, and people with money look at electronics differently than mechanical devices, just as most people do.
when I bought the mechanical watches I have, I thought of the effort and skills that went into designing and making them. I thought of the amazing precision of the hands of those watchmakers. I thought of the complexity of the movements, and how incredible it was that such things could be made, and actually work so reliably. I thought of the reputations of those manufacturers, and how they invented such delicate devices to overcome the inherent obstacles to keeping time in a small mechanical device subject to the daily swings and bangs they receive. I thought of the beauty of the engraving on the usually hidden movements, or of the wonderful designs of the cases.
when I looked at the Apple Edition, I thought of almost none of that, because other than the external design, which, unlike some others, I do think is wonderful in its own way, I saw nothing to value it at such prices, considering that Apple said nothing about possible future upgrades. When, before it came out, it was thought to cost from $3,000, which I thought unrealistic, to $5,000, which I thought possible, I was going to buy the Edition. For $5,000, I was willing to take the chance, but not for 5 figures!
Edition was never more than a savvy, one time marketing move to change the conversation about what watches could look like as a fashion accessory. That fact that you even mulled over the purchase means that you were never part of the target audience. The target market looked at this as a disposable trinket, never to be upraded, or even worn more than a few times, though obviously there are collectors who picked them up.
You really don’t know any of that. I definitely am part of that market, and like most people in that market, I decided not to get it. If what you say were true, Apple would have sold a lot of them, and the gold model would still be around.
when I bought the mechanical watches I have, I thought of the effort and skills that went into designing and making them. I thought of the amazing precision of the hands of those watchmakers. I thought of the complexity of the movements, and how incredible it was that such things could be made, and actually work so reliably. I thought of the reputations of those manufacturers, and how they invented such delicate devices to overcome the inherent obstacles to keeping time in a small mechanical device subject to the daily swings and bangs they receive. I thought of the beauty of the engraving on the usually hidden movements, or of the wonderful designs of the cases.
This is why mechanical watches aren't really going anywhere. Quartz watches have totally outclassed them in every conceivable metric for decades. Today, people buy mechanical watches as works of art which you can wear. They are among the pinnacles of precision we as a species have attained.
I am disappointed to see that Vertu is shutting down. While I'm not a fan of the software they used (either Android or Symbian), they made some devices which appeal to that "How amazing could we make this with unrestricted budget?" part of my brain. I mean, they used synthetic sapphire bearings for the buttons! Ceramics and steel and more sapphire all over the surface. They're ridiculously impractical, but extremely interesting from an engineering perspective.
The Apple Watch is considerably more precise at telling time than any mechanical watch could ever be without it also being periodically synced with atomic clocks. As for "works of art," aesthetics are one thing, but wearing a watch as jewelry over utility is the very definition of form over function.
Vertu dies because people with unlimited budgets bought iPhones. If you wanted to take it further you could get your iPhone plated in some other metal or get diamond glued to it to make it ugly as fuck, if that's your desire, but you'd still get to use an iPhone because utility matters when it coms to CE.
Vertu died because people that have money prefer iPhones, and can always find other relatively inexpensive stuff to throw money at like McClaren 720S's.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
No, no, no. The gold watch didnt "collapse" at all. Cook said very clearly in the launch event -- this was a short-term, limited edition thing. It got maybe two-sentences, that was it. There's no reason to believe they planned on keeping it going since he said something specifically to the contrary at launch. It wasn't designed for upgrades or for practical people, it was designed for those so rich they don't care. Believe it or not but 10 grand is soda money to some people. In addition it generated major attention to the fledgling product, so I'm sure it served its purpose. (I also personally consider if it was a passion project for Ive, both a watch and materials guy).
Agreed about the Apple Watch Edition being a one time item. Also, another thing which counters the argument that Apple should have kept the AW Edition going for ten years with continual upgrades, this made no sense for a couple of reasons; 1. The AW Edition was exactly the same as regular Apple Watches except that it was gold. This made the value of the AW Edition extremely limited. It wasn't a special item except for the gold material. 2. Companies like WatchPlate can cover an Apple Watch with gold for under $500. Once gold plating Apple Watches happened, the market for the gold AW Edition was over.
Any watch can be gold plated, not just the Apple Watch. But that’s for people who can’t afford the real thing.
The point about about those who can, is that they can. They don’t care that someone else is buying a “fake” gold model, because they know that others like them won’t do that, and so if one has it, it must be real. People don’t stop buying Rolex because you can get a really good looking fake.
when I bought the mechanical watches I have, I thought of the effort and skills that went into designing and making them. I thought of the amazing precision of the hands of those watchmakers. I thought of the complexity of the movements, and how incredible it was that such things could be made, and actually work so reliably. I thought of the reputations of those manufacturers, and how they invented such delicate devices to overcome the inherent obstacles to keeping time in a small mechanical device subject to the daily swings and bangs they receive. I thought of the beauty of the engraving on the usually hidden movements, or of the wonderful designs of the cases.
This is why mechanical watches aren't really going anywhere. Quartz watches have totally outclassed them in every conceivable metric for decades. Today, people buy mechanical watches as works of art which you can wear. They are among the pinnacles of precision we as a species have attained.
I am disappointed to see that Vertu is shutting down. While I'm not a fan of the software they used (either Android or Symbian), they made some devices which appeal to that "How amazing could we make this with unrestricted budget?" part of my brain. I mean, they used synthetic sapphire bearings for the buttons! Ceramics and steel and more sapphire all over the surface. They're ridiculously impractical, but extremely interesting from an engineering perspective.
The Apple Watch is considerably more precise at telling time than any mechanical watch could ever be without it also being periodically synced with atomic clocks. As for "works of art," aesthetics are one thing, but wearing a watch as jewelry over utility is the very definition of form over function.
Vertu dies because people with unlimited budgets bought iPhones. If you wanted to take it further you could get your iPhone plated in some other metal or get diamond glued to it to make it ugly as fuck, if that's your desire, but you'd still get to use an iPhone because utility matters when it coms to CE.
Well, the entire purpose of a watch, as Cartier first created it, was all about utility. But as with anything else, utility is never enough. If you’re going to wear something on your wrist, shouldn’t it look good too?
i don’t see the purpose of people criticizing because of cost, or looks, or lack of some feature, or other. A lot of people, likely most of them for the foreseeable future, see no advantage to a smart watch, and that’s great. I have no problem with that. But sometimes, the exact time is of no importance. Does it really matter if my watch is off by several seconds a week, or month? Not really.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
No, no, no. The gold watch didnt "collapse" at all. Cook said very clearly in the launch event -- this was a short-term, limited edition thing. It got maybe two-sentences, that was it. There's no reason to believe they planned on keeping it going since he said something specifically to the contrary at launch. It wasn't designed for upgrades or for practical people, it was designed for those so rich they don't care. Believe it or not but 10 grand is soda money to some people. In addition it generated major attention to the fledgling product, so I'm sure it served its purpose. (I also personally consider if it was a passion project for Ive, both a watch and materials guy).
It didn’t generate a good attention though. Most people made fun of it and called it ridiculous. Heck just the other day John Gruber (no Apple hater) said a $60 Casio watch has better build quality than an Apple Watch Edition. Seems to me the only point of the gold Apple Watch is because Jony Ive wanted to work with gold. This was basically a bone Apple threw him to keep him from getting bored. Notice too Apple has completely pivoted to health and fitness. No more chemistry videos with Ive’s sultry voice explaining how the case is crafted. And all the TV ads are focused on health/fitness too. Basically when Jeff Williams took ownership of the product it became a health & fitness device.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
Apple didn't make a lot of these so I'm sure they sold 100% of them.
I'm really upset Apple stopped selling Edition Watches it pisses me off every time it's brought up. It was extra money for Apple and placed the Watch in a market only Apple can attain, No one would buy a Fitbit for 1,000+ let alone 500+. And like someone else said, some people can actually afford $15,000 Watches.
The "lack of upgrade" argument doesn't work for the wealthy either.
and to the poster who said Edition Watches became "useless". How the heck do you figure that? They're still in use and still work. Why don't you apply this logic to mechanical watches made of gold? They're still worth the same after years of only telling time. How's that for "useless".
You’re wrong about the wealthy’s look at lack of upgrades. I could actually afford that gold edition, but I didn’t see it as being useful, or well thought out. I’m sure people bought it as a collector’s item. But at the heart of it is electronics, and people with money look at electronics differently than mechanical devices, just as most people do.
when I bought the mechanical watches I have, I thought of the effort and skills that went into designing and making them. I thought of the amazing precision of the hands of those watchmakers. I thought of the complexity of the movements, and how incredible it was that such things could be made, and actually work so reliably. I thought of the reputations of those manufacturers, and how they invented such delicate devices to overcome the inherent obstacles to keeping time in a small mechanical device subject to the daily swings and bangs they receive. I thought of the beauty of the engraving on the usually hidden movements, or of the wonderful designs of the cases.
when I looked at the Apple Edition, I thought of almost none of that, because other than the external design, which, unlike some others, I do think is wonderful in its own way, I saw nothing to value it at such prices, considering that Apple said nothing about possible future upgrades. When, before it came out, it was thought to cost from $3,000, which I thought unrealistic, to $5,000, which I thought possible, I was going to buy the Edition. For $5,000, I was willing to take the chance, but not for 5 figures!
Edition was never more than a savvy, one time marketing move to change the conversation about what watches could look like as a fashion accessory. That fact that you even mulled over the purchase means that you were never part of the target audience. The target market looked at this as a disposable trinket, never to be upraded, or even worn more than a few times, though obviously there are collectors who picked them up.
There was nothing savvy about it. Most people thought it a joke. Tech sites made fun of it mercilessly. I have an Apple Watch. I wear it daily. But I don’t see it as some fashion collectible or this really beautiful piece of jewelry in my wardrobe. I would never compare it to a high end mechanical watch (and I don’t think Apple ever did either).
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
No, no, no. The gold watch didnt "collapse" at all. Cook said very clearly in the launch event -- this was a short-term, limited edition thing. It got maybe two-sentences, that was it. There's no reason to believe they planned on keeping it going since he said something specifically to the contrary at launch. It wasn't designed for upgrades or for practical people, it was designed for those so rich they don't care. Believe it or not but 10 grand is soda money to some people. In addition it generated major attention to the fledgling product, so I'm sure it served its purpose. (I also personally consider if it was a passion project for Ive, both a watch and materials guy).
Agreed about the Apple Watch Edition being a one time item. Also, another thing which counters the argument that Apple should have kept the AW Edition going for ten years with continual upgrades, this made no sense for a couple of reasons; 1. The AW Edition was exactly the same as regular Apple Watches except that it was gold. This made the value of the AW Edition extremely limited. It wasn't a special item except for the gold material. 2. Companies like WatchPlate can cover an Apple Watch with gold for under $500. Once gold plating Apple Watches happened, the market for the gold AW Edition was over.
Which just shows what a stupid idea it was. But Jony got to play with gold. Which is all this was about.
I don't want to sound callous about the lost jobs but... good. This kind of luxury disgust me. The entire point seems to be elitism and wastefulness. It's antisocial.
I'm assuming that the 200 workers can be hired on elsewhere in a similar industry. We know the executives will float away on a golden parachute, so the bigger ethical concern in my mind is HOW they sever the jobs.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
I think Apple should have provided some sort of internal upgrade path every couple of years for those higher-priced AppleWatches. Is it that difficult to put a new SoC board in an AppleWatch. The entire board would be relatively low in cost to the entire watch. I'd pay a thousand dollars every couple of years for an internal upgrade. That would have been a great service for Apple to provide for high-end AppleWatch owners. They could offer such a service for at least ten years.
1) Where's the internal upgrade for iphones and ipads, which cost more?
2) If you'd pay a grand for an internal upgrade, what's stopping you from new Watches now?
3) There's no way they could plan out 10 years of product evolution to guarantee upgrades, and certainly not "at least" a decade.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
Apple didn't make a lot of these so I'm sure they sold 100% of them.
I'm really upset Apple stopped selling Edition Watches it pisses me off every time it's brought up. It was extra money for Apple and placed the Watch in a market only Apple can attain, No one would buy a Fitbit for 1,000+ let alone 500+. And like someone else said, some people can actually afford $15,000 Watches.
The "lack of upgrade" argument doesn't work for the wealthy either.
and to the poster who said Edition Watches became "useless". How the heck do you figure that? They're still in use and still work. Why don't you apply this logic to mechanical watches made of gold? They're still worth the same after years of only telling time. How's that for "useless".
You’re wrong about the wealthy’s look at lack of upgrades. I could actually afford that gold edition, but I didn’t see it as being useful, or well thought out.
If you're worried about the practical nature of upgrades, you aren't wealthy enough, even if you can afford one. Sorry that's just the way it is. Same with five figure women's purses that fall out of seasonable fashion. That sort of wealthy simply do not care, so they sit in room-closet.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
Apple didn't make a lot of these so I'm sure they sold 100% of them.
I'm really upset Apple stopped selling Edition Watches it pisses me off every time it's brought up. It was extra money for Apple and placed the Watch in a market only Apple can attain, No one would buy a Fitbit for 1,000+ let alone 500+. And like someone else said, some people can actually afford $15,000 Watches.
The "lack of upgrade" argument doesn't work for the wealthy either.
and to the poster who said Edition Watches became "useless". How the heck do you figure that? They're still in use and still work. Why don't you apply this logic to mechanical watches made of gold? They're still worth the same after years of only telling time. How's that for "useless".
You’re wrong about the wealthy’s look at lack of upgrades. I could actually afford that gold edition, but I didn’t see it as being useful, or well thought out. I’m sure people bought it as a collector’s item. But at the heart of it is electronics, and people with money look at electronics differently than mechanical devices, just as most people do.
when I bought the mechanical watches I have, I thought of the effort and skills that went into designing and making them. I thought of the amazing precision of the hands of those watchmakers. I thought of the complexity of the movements, and how incredible it was that such things could be made, and actually work so reliably. I thought of the reputations of those manufacturers, and how they invented such delicate devices to overcome the inherent obstacles to keeping time in a small mechanical device subject to the daily swings and bangs they receive. I thought of the beauty of the engraving on the usually hidden movements, or of the wonderful designs of the cases.
when I looked at the Apple Edition, I thought of almost none of that, because other than the external design, which, unlike some others, I do think is wonderful in its own way, I saw nothing to value it at such prices, considering that Apple said nothing about possible future upgrades. When, before it came out, it was thought to cost from $3,000, which I thought unrealistic, to $5,000, which I thought possible, I was going to buy the Edition. For $5,000, I was willing to take the chance, but not for 5 figures!
Edition was never more than a savvy, one time marketing move to change the conversation about what watches could look like as a fashion accessory. That fact that you even mulled over the purchase means that you were never part of the target audience. The target market looked at this as a disposable trinket, never to be upraded, or even worn more than a few times, though obviously there are collectors who picked them up.
You really don’t know any of that. I definitely am part of that market, and like most people in that market, I decided not to get it. If what you say were true, Apple would have sold a lot of them, and the gold model would still be around.
Wrong. Cook said on Day 1 that it would not be around. Stated, fact.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
No, no, no. The gold watch didnt "collapse" at all. Cook said very clearly in the launch event -- this was a short-term, limited edition thing. It got maybe two-sentences, that was it. There's no reason to believe they planned on keeping it going since he said something specifically to the contrary at launch. It wasn't designed for upgrades or for practical people, it was designed for those so rich they don't care. Believe it or not but 10 grand is soda money to some people. In addition it generated major attention to the fledgling product, so I'm sure it served its purpose. (I also personally consider if it was a passion project for Ive, both a watch and materials guy).
It didn’t generate a good attention though. Most people made fun of it and called it ridiculous. Heck just the other day John Gruber (no Apple hater) said a $60 Casio watch has better build quality than an Apple Watch Edition. Seems to me the only point of the gold Apple Watch is because Jony Ive wanted to work with gold. This was basically a bone Apple threw him to keep him from getting bored. Notice too Apple has completely pivoted to health and fitness. No more chemistry videos with Ive’s sultry voice explaining how the case is crafted. And all the TV ads are focused on health/fitness too. Basically when Jeff Williams took ownership of the product it became a health & fitness device.
You’re confusing the opinions of the techie echo chamber with the population at large. For whatever reason techies hate everything Apple does, but thankfully their opinion is niche. The Edition served its purpose – celebrities wore it, posted pics and vids of it, and people talked about the gold Apple Watch, raising product awareness for a brand new product. Mission accomplished.
The context of Gruber’s comment was around all AWs (which he linked to), even tho he added the Edition since it’s the most expensive.
The “Apple pivoted!” meme about the Apple Watch is just a story by Apple critics to explain away its obvious success despite their initial shitting on it, as usual. AW did health & fitness from day one, and that’s exactly why people like myself bought it. For years before release it was rumored Apple was working on a fitbit like device. They were.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
Apple didn't make a lot of these so I'm sure they sold 100% of them.
I'm really upset Apple stopped selling Edition Watches it pisses me off every time it's brought up. It was extra money for Apple and placed the Watch in a market only Apple can attain, No one would buy a Fitbit for 1,000+ let alone 500+. And like someone else said, some people can actually afford $15,000 Watches.
The "lack of upgrade" argument doesn't work for the wealthy either.
and to the poster who said Edition Watches became "useless". How the heck do you figure that? They're still in use and still work. Why don't you apply this logic to mechanical watches made of gold? They're still worth the same after years of only telling time. How's that for "useless".
You’re wrong about the wealthy’s look at lack of upgrades. I could actually afford that gold edition, but I didn’t see it as being useful, or well thought out. I’m sure people bought it as a collector’s item. But at the heart of it is electronics, and people with money look at electronics differently than mechanical devices, just as most people do.
when I bought the mechanical watches I have, I thought of the effort and skills that went into designing and making them. I thought of the amazing precision of the hands of those watchmakers. I thought of the complexity of the movements, and how incredible it was that such things could be made, and actually work so reliably. I thought of the reputations of those manufacturers, and how they invented such delicate devices to overcome the inherent obstacles to keeping time in a small mechanical device subject to the daily swings and bangs they receive. I thought of the beauty of the engraving on the usually hidden movements, or of the wonderful designs of the cases.
when I looked at the Apple Edition, I thought of almost none of that, because other than the external design, which, unlike some others, I do think is wonderful in its own way, I saw nothing to value it at such prices, considering that Apple said nothing about possible future upgrades. When, before it came out, it was thought to cost from $3,000, which I thought unrealistic, to $5,000, which I thought possible, I was going to buy the Edition. For $5,000, I was willing to take the chance, but not for 5 figures!
Edition was never more than a savvy, one time marketing move to change the conversation about what watches could look like as a fashion accessory. That fact that you even mulled over the purchase means that you were never part of the target audience. The target market looked at this as a disposable trinket, never to be upraded, or even worn more than a few times, though obviously there are collectors who picked them up.
There was nothing savvy about it. Most people thought it a joke. Tech sites made fun of it mercilessly. I have an Apple Watch. I wear it daily. But I don’t see it as some fashion collectible or this really beautiful piece of jewelry in my wardrobe. I would never compare it to a high end mechanical watch (and I don’t think Apple ever did either).
Get yourself the stainless steel model. I wear it and it’s definitely jewelry and akin to a traditional watch in feel and look. Shiny steel and leather is a league apart from the cheap alumninum sport models.
Tech blogs are not and will never be “most people”.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
No, no, no. The gold watch didnt "collapse" at all. Cook said very clearly in the launch event -- this was a short-term, limited edition thing. It got maybe two-sentences, that was it. There's no reason to believe they planned on keeping it going since he said something specifically to the contrary at launch. It wasn't designed for upgrades or for practical people, it was designed for those so rich they don't care. Believe it or not but 10 grand is soda money to some people. In addition it generated major attention to the fledgling product, so I'm sure it served its purpose. (I also personally consider if it was a passion project for Ive, both a watch and materials guy).
Agreed about the Apple Watch Edition being a one time item. Also, another thing which counters the argument that Apple should have kept the AW Edition going for ten years with continual upgrades, this made no sense for a couple of reasons; 1. The AW Edition was exactly the same as regular Apple Watches except that it was gold. This made the value of the AW Edition extremely limited. It wasn't a special item except for the gold material. 2. Companies like WatchPlate can cover an Apple Watch with gold for under $500. Once gold plating Apple Watches happened, the market for the gold AW Edition was over.
Which just shows what a stupid idea it was. But Jony got to play with gold. Which is all this was about.
You don’t know that. And just because you resent it doesn’t make it stupid. I say it was a success and you can’t refute that.
I don't want to sound callous about the lost jobs but... good. This kind of luxury disgust me. The entire point seems to be elitism and wastefulness. It's antisocial.
I'm assuming that the 200 workers can be hired on elsewhere in a similar industry. We know the executives will float away on a golden parachute, so the bigger ethical concern in my mind is HOW they sever the jobs.
Taking it to another extreme, I have had a couple of altercations on roads were people think that I am an entitled, rich bastard whose never done a hard day's job just because I drive a car (just a Honda).
I don't think people should be judged about what they do with their money. And there is nothing wrong with a market catering to ultra-luxury.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
Apple didn't make a lot of these so I'm sure they sold 100% of them.
I'm really upset Apple stopped selling Edition Watches it pisses me off every time it's brought up. It was extra money for Apple and placed the Watch in a market only Apple can attain, No one would buy a Fitbit for 1,000+ let alone 500+. And like someone else said, some people can actually afford $15,000 Watches.
The "lack of upgrade" argument doesn't work for the wealthy either.
and to the poster who said Edition Watches became "useless". How the heck do you figure that? They're still in use and still work. Why don't you apply this logic to mechanical watches made of gold? They're still worth the same after years of only telling time. How's that for "useless".
You’re wrong about the wealthy’s look at lack of upgrades. I could actually afford that gold edition, but I didn’t see it as being useful, or well thought out. I’m sure people bought it as a collector’s item. But at the heart of it is electronics, and people with money look at electronics differently than mechanical devices, just as most people do.
when I bought the mechanical watches I have, I thought of the effort and skills that went into designing and making them. I thought of the amazing precision of the hands of those watchmakers. I thought of the complexity of the movements, and how incredible it was that such things could be made, and actually work so reliably. I thought of the reputations of those manufacturers, and how they invented such delicate devices to overcome the inherent obstacles to keeping time in a small mechanical device subject to the daily swings and bangs they receive. I thought of the beauty of the engraving on the usually hidden movements, or of the wonderful designs of the cases.
when I looked at the Apple Edition, I thought of almost none of that, because other than the external design, which, unlike some others, I do think is wonderful in its own way, I saw nothing to value it at such prices, considering that Apple said nothing about possible future upgrades. When, before it came out, it was thought to cost from $3,000, which I thought unrealistic, to $5,000, which I thought possible, I was going to buy the Edition. For $5,000, I was willing to take the chance, but not for 5 figures!
Edition was never more than a savvy, one time marketing move to change the conversation about what watches could look like as a fashion accessory. That fact that you even mulled over the purchase means that you were never part of the target audience. The target market looked at this as a disposable trinket, never to be upraded, or even worn more than a few times, though obviously there are collectors who picked them up.
You really don’t know any of that. I definitely am part of that market, and like most people in that market, I decided not to get it. If what you say were true, Apple would have sold a lot of them, and the gold model would still be around.
Wrong. Cook said on Day 1 that it would not be around. Stated, fact.
I watched that. I recall him saying that it was a limited edition. I don’t recall him saying that they would never do another one. I also remember that the Apple stores that did have it took it off display, and when I asked, I was to,d that they were sent back to Apple. I doubt that they ever did sell all of them.
Apple's solid gold effort with the watch collapsed because it did not design for perpetual upgradeability of the watch case. Very few people will want to buy a $10K bauble if it's useless after a few years.
What they could have done was fix the design hard points as dictated by the case so that the screen, back cover, and internal components of future versions will fit the gold cases. Luxury watches need to be shipped to a service center for an overhaul every 3-4 (?) years to stay on tip-top shape. And it ain't a low cost service. Apple could have had a similar scheme for the gold Apple Watch and have the overhaul done by the Genius Bar. (And price it so that it only makes sense for gold watches.)
But the loss of design flexibility resulting from fixing the watch's hard points (location of buttons and crown, shape of screen and back cover, internal component dimensions, etc.) into perpetuity was just not something Apple was willing to commit to. Which in the high tech business is very understandable.
No, no, no. The gold watch didnt "collapse" at all. Cook said very clearly in the launch event -- this was a short-term, limited edition thing. It got maybe two-sentences, that was it. There's no reason to believe they planned on keeping it going since he said something specifically to the contrary at launch. It wasn't designed for upgrades or for practical people, it was designed for those so rich they don't care. Believe it or not but 10 grand is soda money to some people. In addition it generated major attention to the fledgling product, so I'm sure it served its purpose. (I also personally consider if it was a passion project for Ive, both a watch and materials guy).
Agreed about the Apple Watch Edition being a one time item. Also, another thing which counters the argument that Apple should have kept the AW Edition going for ten years with continual upgrades, this made no sense for a couple of reasons; 1. The AW Edition was exactly the same as regular Apple Watches except that it was gold. This made the value of the AW Edition extremely limited. It wasn't a special item except for the gold material. 2. Companies like WatchPlate can cover an Apple Watch with gold for under $500. Once gold plating Apple Watches happened, the market for the gold AW Edition was over.
Which just shows what a stupid idea it was. But Jony got to play with gold. Which is all this was about.
You don’t know that. And just because you resent it doesn’t make it stupid. I say it was a success and you can’t refute that.
Well, now you’re just flapping your lips, so to speak. Anybody can say anything, but it doesn’t mean anything when they do. You need a good reason.
Comments
Vertu dies because people with unlimited budgets bought iPhones. If you wanted to take it further you could get your iPhone plated in some other metal or get diamond glued to it to make it ugly as fuck, if that's your desire, but you'd still get to use an iPhone because utility matters when it coms to CE.
The point about about those who can, is that they can. They don’t care that someone else is buying a “fake” gold model, because they know that others like them won’t do that, and so if one has it, it must be real. People don’t stop buying Rolex because you can get a really good looking fake.
i don’t see the purpose of people criticizing because of cost, or looks, or lack of some feature, or other. A lot of people, likely most of them for the foreseeable future, see no advantage to a smart watch, and that’s great. I have no problem with that. But sometimes, the exact time is of no importance. Does it really matter if my watch is off by several seconds a week, or month? Not really.
i didn’t buy my Apple Watch for the exact time.
I'm assuming that the 200 workers can be hired on elsewhere in a similar industry. We know the executives will float away on a golden parachute, so the bigger ethical concern in my mind is HOW they sever the jobs.
2) If you'd pay a grand for an internal upgrade, what's stopping you from new Watches now?
3) There's no way they could plan out 10 years of product evolution to guarantee upgrades, and certainly not "at least" a decade.
The context of Gruber’s comment was around all AWs (which he linked to), even tho he added the Edition since it’s the most expensive.
The “Apple pivoted!” meme about the Apple Watch is just a story by Apple critics to explain away its obvious success despite their initial shitting on it, as usual. AW did health & fitness from day one, and that’s exactly why people like myself bought it. For years before release it was rumored Apple was working on a fitbit like device. They were.
Tech blogs are not and will never be “most people”.
You don’t know that. And just because you resent it doesn’t make it stupid. I say it was a success and you can’t refute that.
"Even worse" is subjective. Symbian is probably better than Android!
Taking it to another extreme, I have had a couple of altercations on roads were people think that I am an entitled, rich bastard whose never done a hard day's job just because I drive a car (just a Honda).
I don't think people should be judged about what they do with their money. And there is nothing wrong with a market catering to ultra-luxury.
Well, now you’re just flapping your lips, so to speak. Anybody can say anything, but it doesn’t mean anything when they do. You need a good reason.