Report: Apple Devoting Staff and Space Specifically for Edition Buyers
Remember that “Gold is best!” sketch on Conan when the the iPhone 5s was announced? Good times.
As it turns out, Apple really does think that gold is best when it comes to its upcoming Apple Watch Edition (aka the “You’ve got to be kidding! Apple is doomed!” edition) if a recent leak is true. Apple is reportedly cutting out waiting and dedicating sales staff specifically for customers who are interested in the $10,000+ smartwatch in the precious metal (not that anyone who could afford it would ask about the price tag — if you have to ask, you can’t afford it, after all).
Apple will, according to rumors, allow customers interested in the Apple Watch Sport (aluminum) and Apple Watch (stainless steel) models set up a 15 minute appointment on April 10 to try on a watch and place a reservation and follow-up appointment for pickup when it launches on April 24.
Those who can pony up for the Apple Watch Edition watches won’t have to deal with the hoi polloi. If you have the money, you’ll have immediate access to an “expert” who will take you on a “journey” of horological and smart device discovery which is expected to last up to an hour. All of this is done in a separate area with its own try-on tables and furniture with dedicated personnel and a 24-hour contact phone line for setup. Is your Gulfstream G650 in the shop and you’re stuck on your private island in Tahiti? Don’t worry, Apple will still accommodate you with a teleconference (presumably through FaceTime).
According to in-house literature from Apple to its employees, the company is describing the Apple Edition as (think Jony Ive in the all-white god room), “…the ultimate expression of extraordinary craftsmanship, incredible innovation, and design driven by functionality and end use… technology becoming seductive, with desirability not necessarily defined simply by a price tag or elitism, but rather meticulous focus on usefulness and utility rooted in beauty.”
Cue up the inevitable nerd rage across the internet that Apple’s lost its mind, no one will buy a $10,000 smartwatch and that it’s doomed to fail…because no one’s every heard any of that in the weeks leading up to a product launch from the company. This also isn’t the first time Apple’s sold a device positioned as a luxury item that very few people can buy (see: the Twentieth Anniversary Mac…though that might not be the best example).
The cold hard truth is: the Apple Edition isn’t for you. Probably.
Unless it is, in which case, can I interest you in investing in a small, up and coming tech blog?
Via 9to5Mac. Photo by Apple.