How many are getting an Apple watch?

[openwheel]

$83, $94, $75..…..who cares? Did you actually expect the Apple Watch to have high component cost? It doesn't even look the part.

 

[ponyo]

Apple watch component =$83.
Now I actually feel bad for those who bought one.
On a side note, Tag Heuer has a smart watch coming out that is actually somewhat interesting. Cheaper than mechanical version too (as it should).

Why do you care how much the components cost? You feel bad for those who bought one?

 

[Commodus]

Yeah cause you can rely on Tim Cook who has a highly vested interest in selling a ton of watches as an authority on whether the watch is worth it's cost. Forgive me if I laugh in his face will you?

For what Apple is charging I expect more than they offer and sorry if I step on Tim cook's feelings.

Who are you going to believe... the outside firm making a rough guess, or an executive who actually has access to the real costs? Look, I understand your skepticism, but Cook is more trustworthy between the two.

 

[WelshBloke]

Look, I understand your skepticism, but Cook is more trustworthy between the two.

He didn't actually give the cost though, just sort of went 'nah, guess again'.

 

[ControlD]

He didn't actually give the cost though, just sort of went 'nah, guess again'.

Yeah, the actual cost is probably way less than what the analysts came up with!

 

[WelshBloke]

Yeah, the actual cost is probably way less than what the analysts came up with!

:awe:

Yeah, I'm not saying that. Its just one party is saying one thing and the other... well the others not really saying anything at all. So its not really an issue of trust.

And the costs of a device are wildly variable depending what you want to include in those costs. Just the cost of hardware? Cost of R&D on the hardware? Cost of software R&D? Cost of marketing?

 

[touchstone]

Posted on Ars:

Cool story: Last night I went for a walk around my neighborhood with my dog, but my phone was drained from WhatsApp (not sure why) so I left it home charging. I stopped by my parents house, since they live in the same neighborhood and I got an iMessage on my watch from my wife who was still at work. I was like ???, but then I realized since the watch remembers my parent's wifi hotspot due to having it on my phone, the watch automatically connected to it and enabled iMessage. So I got to reply to her immediately instead of not catching and replying to the message until sometime after I got back. Just one of the many cool experiences I've had with the watch over the course of a few days.

 

[QueBert]

Apple watch component =$83.
Now I actually feel bad for those who bought one.
On a side note, Tag Heuer has a smart watch coming out that is actually somewhat interesting. Cheaper than mechanical version too (as it should).

And Apple has zero in overhead right? It's not like they invested maybe a billion in R&D, almost the same in advertising and I dunno, having to pay their employees and all their other miscellaneous bills. *IF* that numbers accurate, and *IF* Apple sold them for a 20% mark up, they would probably never make the money they invested into the watch back. DAMN THEM FOR WANTING TO MAKE MONIES!!!

 

[openwheel]

LOL, do you NOT understand English?

 

[Commodus]

:awe:

Yeah, I'm not saying that. Its just one party is saying one thing and the other... well the others not really saying anything at all. So its not really an issue of trust.

And the costs of a device are wildly variable depending what you want to include in those costs. Just the cost of hardware? Cost of R&D on the hardware? Cost of software R&D? Cost of marketing?

No real surprise as to why he wouldn't, of course... revealing your exact profit margin probably isn't a wise strategy, unless you like telling competitors whether or not they can build something like yours with decent pricing.

That's the frustrating bit, I suppose. Cook is likely telling the truth, but he can't divulge everything simply because that's how business works. It's like trying to debunk a conspiracy theorist -- they'll always find a way to cling to their theory, because the only way you could absolutely prove them wrong (showing them things first-hand) is impossible.

 

[openwheel]

that's why people have priced out the components. $83. It's not rocket science.

 

[Commodus]

that's why people have priced out the components. $83. It's not rocket science.

And Apple says figures like this are typically way off for its products. Bad information isn't helpful, unless you want Apple's competitors to run into the ground.

 

[openwheel]

As many have pointed out, why would we trust Tim Cook over anyone else? We are not all iSheeps that blindly follow. Component cost can be easily estimated. Chances are Apple is paying less all things considered, why get all worked up over cheap components? Don't we all agree that Apple makes insane profit?

 

[desura]

Nope, no.

It doesn't have any of the old apple magic. Like the iPhone 4 having that retina screen, the apple watch at the very very least should have been a round OLED screen. Only it would have been smaller, lighter, with better battery life than the Moto 360.

Didn't happen.

 

[touchstone]

I have apparently become an isheep because I purchased this watch. Already had coworkers make comments, most were curious. Some had less than nice remarks to make.



It's really sort of a litmus test for whether a person is going to be generally tolerant and easy to deal with. If somebody is so bothered by your wristwear to make offhand comments about your finances or 'devotion' to a company then clearly they are not going to be tolerant in other arenas.

 

[openwheel]

Well at least you are trying to wear a "watch". I applaud you for that, and I envy your bravery for beta testing such device.

Next time you see someone wearing a Patek or Rolex, you might want to think twice before judging in a juvenile way such as: my SoC is mote accurate than your mechanical men jewelry.

 

[Commodus]

As many have pointed out, why would we trust Tim Cook over anyone else? We are not all iSheeps that blindly follow. Component cost can be easily estimated. Chances are Apple is paying less all things considered, why get all worked up over cheap components? Don't we all agree that Apple makes insane profit?

Because he has access to the real data, and IHS doesn't. On the balance, someone who knows the truth is more trustworthy than someone who may be well-intentioned, but will never know the real story.

To me, the point of this is simply getting a dose of reality. Apple no doubt makes a good profit on the Watch, but it's likely between 30 to 40 percent (the company's gross margin was 40 percent in Q1). Multiple times the parts cost? Hell no.

 

[stlc8tr]

I have apparently become an isheep because I purchased this watch. Already had coworkers make comments, most were curious. Some had less than nice remarks to make.



It's really sort of a litmus test for whether a person is going to be generally tolerant and easy to deal with. If somebody is so bothered by your wristwear to make offhand comments about your finances or 'devotion' to a company then clearly they are not going to be tolerant in other arenas.

At this point, I don't even bother responding to certain folks in this thread. It's obvious it's just trolling at this point instead of an honest discussion.

 

[Artdeco]

At this point, I don't even bother responding to certain folks in this thread. It's obvious it's just trolling at this point instead of an honest discussion.

Yep.

 

[touchstone]

Comprehensive Ars review. They like it, but consider it 'optional'



http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/05/03/review-the-absolutely-optional-apple-watch-and-watch-os-1-0/

 

[Commodus]

Comprehensive Ars review. They like it, but consider it 'optional'

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2015/05/03/review-the-absolutely-optional-apple-watch-and-watch-os-1-0/

That's a fairly accurate statement. You really don't need an Apple Watch (or any smartwatch), but it is good at what it does. And I've found that the battery life concerns from early review units aren't panning out. I've had trouble getting mine below 50 percent, and this includes long days full of email alerts and exercise! My guess is that either these reviewers were really thrashing their devices, or Apple was being purposefully conservative with the numbers.

 

[WelshBloke]

Because he has access to the real data, and IHS doesn't. On the balance, someone who knows the truth is more trustworthy than someone who may be well-intentioned, but will never know the real story.

Using that logic every criminal in the dock is innocent.

 

[Commodus]

Using that logic every criminal in the dock is innocent.

Well, the difference is that police will typically discover most or all of the truth if they look hard enough. Supply cost analysts will only ever have a partial picture, because there are certain things they not only can't know, but aren't allowed to know (i.e. trade secrets).

And while it's tempting to imagine a sinister conspiracy where Cook lies about margins, he's also talking directly to investors. When he tells analysts that the Apple Watch profit margin is below average, he's telling them something they don't want to hear -- that's not something you do if you're trying to mask the real story and hike your stock price.

 

[openwheel]

Lesson Learned: Tim Cook=the Truth!!! Nothing else matters.

 

[Commodus]

Lesson Learned: Tim Cook=the Truth!!! Nothing else matters.

I'm saying that Cook's access, knowledge and motivations make him significantly more trustworthy than an outside analyst group which, by its nature, is limited to making rough guesses based on incomplete data. If you believe that's false, it's up to you to provide hard evidence that the analysts are accurate and that Cook is lying -- the facts we have aren't in your favor. Don't have evidence? Then don't pretend otherwise.