LTE Apple Watch Series 3 now available in India without monthly wireless fee [u]
Seven months after GPS-only versions of Apple Watch Series 3 went up for sale in India, customers in the country can now buy LTE-capable models of the wearable through two major wireless carriers.
Airtel and Reliance Jio began Apple Watch Series 3 + Cellular sales on Friday local time, but unlike previous launches in the U.S. and beyond, the Indian telcos are offering customers free integration with existing postpaid plans. That means users can share their handset's wireless number, voice and data plan with Apple's smartwatch for no extra fee.
Apple updated its regional Apple Watch webpage to reflect the change in availability, highlighting marquee cellular capabilities including voice calling and texts, music streaming, Siri connectivity, standalone notifications and more.
As the company does not yet operate its own retail channel in India, sales of Apple Watch and other products are handled by local partners. Along with the usual assortment of authorized Apple retailers, both Airtel and Jio are selling Watch online and at their respective brick-and-mortar stores.
While customers in India save on wireless fees, which run about $10 per month in most countries, Apple Watch Series 3 + Cellular base prices start at an exorbitant 39,080 rupees ($580) for 38mm aluminum variants including Apple Watch Nike+. Identical models sell for $329 in the U.S. Larger 42mm aluminum models come in at 41,120 rupees, while the ceramic Edition sells for 1,22,090 rupees.
Whether stainless steel models will be widely available is unclear, as Airtel, Jio and reseller Aptronix currently lack listings for the specification. Another large chain, Imagine, provides an option to preorder stainless steel variants on its website, but fails to disclose pricing.
Though not a launch country, India was among a second batch of regions to gain access to GPS enabled Watch versions last October. Apple typically staggers device rollouts, with major markets like the U.S. and China getting first crack at new products. Regulatory approval, carrier support and other behind-the-scenes factors also play roles in product launch timing.
LTE Apple Watch Series 3 sales also kicked off in Denmark, Sweden and Taiwan on Friday.
Apple Watch continues to gain marketshare as competing devices fall off the map. During Apple's most recent earnings conference call, CEO Tim Cook said the firm's wearables business, which includes Apple Watch, Beats headphones, and AirPods, grew nearly 50 percent year-over-year, with revenues equivalent to a Fortune 300 company.
Update: Additional country availability added.
Airtel and Reliance Jio began Apple Watch Series 3 + Cellular sales on Friday local time, but unlike previous launches in the U.S. and beyond, the Indian telcos are offering customers free integration with existing postpaid plans. That means users can share their handset's wireless number, voice and data plan with Apple's smartwatch for no extra fee.
Apple updated its regional Apple Watch webpage to reflect the change in availability, highlighting marquee cellular capabilities including voice calling and texts, music streaming, Siri connectivity, standalone notifications and more.
As the company does not yet operate its own retail channel in India, sales of Apple Watch and other products are handled by local partners. Along with the usual assortment of authorized Apple retailers, both Airtel and Jio are selling Watch online and at their respective brick-and-mortar stores.
While customers in India save on wireless fees, which run about $10 per month in most countries, Apple Watch Series 3 + Cellular base prices start at an exorbitant 39,080 rupees ($580) for 38mm aluminum variants including Apple Watch Nike+. Identical models sell for $329 in the U.S. Larger 42mm aluminum models come in at 41,120 rupees, while the ceramic Edition sells for 1,22,090 rupees.
Whether stainless steel models will be widely available is unclear, as Airtel, Jio and reseller Aptronix currently lack listings for the specification. Another large chain, Imagine, provides an option to preorder stainless steel variants on its website, but fails to disclose pricing.
Though not a launch country, India was among a second batch of regions to gain access to GPS enabled Watch versions last October. Apple typically staggers device rollouts, with major markets like the U.S. and China getting first crack at new products. Regulatory approval, carrier support and other behind-the-scenes factors also play roles in product launch timing.
LTE Apple Watch Series 3 sales also kicked off in Denmark, Sweden and Taiwan on Friday.
Apple Watch continues to gain marketshare as competing devices fall off the map. During Apple's most recent earnings conference call, CEO Tim Cook said the firm's wearables business, which includes Apple Watch, Beats headphones, and AirPods, grew nearly 50 percent year-over-year, with revenues equivalent to a Fortune 300 company.
Update: Additional country availability added.
Comments
Taxation is the only reason for US price to foreign price differentiation’s.
2) I'm curious why you believe it should be free simply because 1) you personally won't use it much, and/or 2) you think it's the same effort by the carrier because the phone number is the same. If you're on this website you understand that they're adding additional service to the device so that that it can dynamically switch between how calls are routed to independent nodes on a network that makes it convenient for the customer than having to give it two separate phone numbers. You should also be well aware that the phone number isn't the number that these devices use to connect with and stay connected to the towers right. I'm not 100% versed in how cellular networks are designed as my background as an CCIE for Routing & Switching didn't cover it, but I believe they use an MEID that identifies each node as a unique on the network, which isn't unlike a MAC address for Ethernet, WiFi and BT network node connections.
3 Why are dumb phone used for emergency purposes that have no grace period, an activation setup, and a monthly charge not a big deal for people like you despite never rarely being used, but a device that is continually being used for cellular access is an issue. The size of the device shouldn't make a difference. Now there are more people using a better device for safety and a lower price than before. This is a good thing.
True. We pay 30% more on all Apple products due to the import taxes.
Ireland iPhone X: From €1,179 (roughly 1,408 USD) - https://www.apple.com/ie/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-x
USA iPhone X: from $999 - https://www.apple.com/shop/buy-iphone/iphone-x
Still complaining?
But as for BMW being the most outrageous, perhaps you haven't run across mainframe software licensing: some vendors charge according to CPU speed, amount of RAM, number of concurrent users, number of CPU cores, number of CPUs, etc. Seriously, amount of RAM on the machine affects the cost?
Honestly, it’s mostly your 1) for me. I just wouldn’t use it enough to justify the cost. Perhaps a tiered service? For less money I would gladly accept a call limits on the watch. I was unaware that the mechanics of allowing the watch to be a phone ”extension” were as burdensome to the carrier as you describe. I strongly suspect though that the $10/mo charge is not a break-even proposition for them. But rather a profit center. No sin in that; the question is, is it excessive (gouging)? Would love the FCC to do an audit an publish the actual costs vs. price.
2) It wasn't that long ago when having an emergency, wearable device for making mobile calls cost a lot more money. If you're elderly or just a long distance runner that likes the benefit of the Apple Watch then I don't think $10 is an unreasonable fee to connect an entirely new device to their network. Even that emergency dumb phone that doesn't get any use is still $10 per month for the line. I think the problem with most people here is they think that because it conveniently allows the phone number to be mirrored and the devices talk to the carrier to determine which device should ring, that it's somehow not a separate device on the network, which is an insane thought considering how mobile networks works and the extra work carriers did to make this a great feature for users. I certainly don't want people calling me on one device and then asking them to call me back on the other.
3) I wonder if it's feasible for Apple to add a GPS beacon feature to the Apple Watch. I think the tech is too big right now, and I have no idea what kind of antenna setup is required, but we all know that cellular connectivity is limited, but being able to send a periodic distress signal to a satellite from nearly anywhere in the world would be a great amazing.
But even if it was technologically feasible, I'm not sure it would outweigh the space needed for other features, like direct health features or a larger battery; and I think there are logistics issues with including it on a device where someone may need immediate medical attention and not realize that use the GPS beacon is considerably slower and not really used for when you fall down in your kitchen.