Apple will begin dressing up the front of its stores with a new Apple Watch-themed promotion on April 10th to coincide with the beginning of in-store Apple Watch try-on appointments. The new, unique display will be shown at all Apple Stores with glass front windows and it is themed akin to the application icon arrays on the Apple Watch’s Home screen. According to the source who provided the above rendering, each circle is packed with Mac mini-powered LED lights that will show off different colors, patterns, and effects throughout the day. The new front of store visuals will continue to stay live after the Apple Watch launches on April 24th as Apple can simply remove the “Coming Soon” label shown on the above render…
We have also received additional information about the launch of the Apple Watch Edition in Apple Retail Stores. According to sources, Apple Watch Edition sales will perhaps be even more restricted than previously thought. For instance, separate sources in Canada and the United Kingdom report that only major flagship stores will carry the Edition, and this means that only a few stores at most in those countries will receive the priciest version of the watch. As for the United States, multiple sources say that only a couple of stores (at most) in major state markets will carry the Edition. For example, only a single store in Florida is currently planned to carry the Edition. Apple will also (yet again) roll out new shirts to employees to support the launch.
Besides a revamped display for the front of stores, Apple is said to be revamping the interiors of major Apple Stores with new try-on tables, try cases, and display tables. All Apple Stores with display tables will still have Apple Watch Editions for display and can order Editions to be shipped to a customer’s home or for pickup at a nearby store that carries the Edition. Apple Watch Edition customers will also receive VIP treatment with no lines, special try-on rooms, one hour personal setup appointments, an optional extra year of AppleCare+, and access to a 24/7 support hotline. Apple Watch try-ons begin on April 10th, which is the same day that customers can begin pre-ordering the Apple Watch for April 24th delivery to their homes or local Apple Store.
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Rendering? Dang! i thought it was a real photo! hahaha. very nice rendering if thats the case.
Yeah it’s crazy how far things have come, the new IKEA catalog is 75% renderings: http://www.cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSFeatures/CGSFeatureSpecial/building_3d_with_ikea
Apple is doing everything it can to cater to the tastes and culture of Edition consumers. Of *course* you’d have to fly in to a specific city to buy the Edition, with a special time, special room, specially-trained staff, along with additional perks accompanying unique AppleCare coverage. We regular folk just don’t think this way.
While Apple is definitely going after the narrow market interested in the Edition, it’s also sending out a fairly subversive message in how the Edition is marketed (subversive, because it’s so new/blatant/obvious): hey ‘the rest of you’, THIS is how those that think nothing of buying the Edition are treated everywhere they go. Sorry you don’t qualify.
It’s all so bizarre!
Agreed. I question also the sensibility of squeezing and manhandling everything into this “luxury buying experience” model, when in fact they aren’t even going to be selling the Edition model at most of their stores.
Most folks just want to buy a regular Apple Watch or a Sport Watch and for those people, the whole luxury thing is irrelevant. Being so purposely “snooty” when you are selling a watch that’s just a block of steel like any other is a bit much IMO.
What especially pisses me off is that supplies might be limited, and availability of the product for online orders will probably be hugely impacted by this reservation and try-on nonsense. If it turns out to be a popular device, a lot of people won’t be able to get one right away sole because of this “luxury buying experience” BS.
If you are the type of person who spends $10,000 to $20,000 on a watch you expect $10,000 to $20,000 service. I think it could be argued it’s fair that Apple go the extra mile for someone willing to spend $20,000 on a watch. It’s what such customers are used to I’m other stores when they spect $20,000.
Why do you sound surprised that you get better treatment on a $17k purchase over at $349 purchase. If you ever find yourself in a position to pay $10K+ for a wrist-worn device you should expect to get better service… or take your business elsewhere.
Also, if you are interested in WATCH Edition you can request to have the models you’re interested in sent to the store closest to you to try on.
So if you walked in with about $15k of spare change to purchase a watch that you can get the next model down for $500, you don’t think you should get VIP treatment? I don’t think you understand the market that will buy this watch, but Apple certainly does.
Personally, I’m getting the sport, because I want the lower weight, but I’m pretty excited about the Apple watch to say the least.
Your giving far too much credence to the Apple Watch Edition.
Do you really think extremely wealthy folk are going to fly to a city to visit an Apple store, to be there for an appointment that the store manager chooses, so that they can stand there with the great unwashed (who are looking at the $350 version) as they check to see if they like or should buy a $10k watch? Remember, $10k to these people is peanuts – and rich folk don’t go through all that rigmarole to spend peanuts.
Don’t forget the concessions in places likes Selfridges, Harrods, Galeries Lafayette etc. They will go there, which is why the store are there. Apple has already thought of that. (imho)
Do you think you get the same level of service when you purchase a Bentley versus a Chevy, hell no
If you never purchased something really expensive you wouldn’t know these levels of service, not trying to be rude but it’s true
Your analogy is completely wrong I’m afraid because your comparing purchasing a Bentley to a Chevy – which are completely different brands.
If you went into a Bentley Showroom, you would be treat in the same manner whether you bought their most expensive Bentley or their cheapest one – because they are all extremely expensive and have the marque associated with it.
With the Apple watch it’s different. Whether you like it or not, the ONLY difference between the $10k watch and the $350 watch is the material used. The innards are EXACTLY the same. The functionality is exactly the same.
True enough but theirs a level of service between buying a chevy sonic & a z06 corvette, since you wanna compare apples to apples
But I was really comparing on price difference with Bentley and Chevy
But amongst any brand/company if the have a economy model and super luxury there is still a level of service, you still don’t get it
obviously you want to troll
jedimindtrick99:
I didn’t criticise you or get personal. I offered a different opinion to yours… And you call me a troll?
Come back when you can handle others having a perfectly valid differing opinion to yourself son.
Maybe the Edition is only going to be in certain stores because (a) it’s very expensive and proportionately fewer people are going to want it, and so (b) what’s the point in making enough of them to stock every Apple Store? The premium treatment – a separate room, more frills – is part of the luxury buying experience; not manufacturing hundreds of thousands of a model that you know is likely to be undersubscribed is just good supply chain management, surely?
Can’t wait to see someone with trypophobia walk by this store
That wouldn’t happen since all the “holes” are the same size and in the same pattern. The fear seems to stem from the irregular sizing and shapes.
From the Wiki:
“Triptophobia … not recognised as a condition in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or other scientific literature.”
And the DSM is a very, very, liberal publication that has literally thousands of “fantasy” disorders in it that they consider “real enough” to recognise. If it can’t even get in the DSM, it just ain’t a real thing at all.
http://new4.fjcdn.com/comments/O+god+my+trypophobia+_82926448a59cf8a13755a226e2f6acf6.jpg
To people suffering from it I assume it is very real.
it happened to me!! never going to visit an apple store…. :/
totally it happened to me!! never going to visit an apple store…. :/
As someone with trypophobia… This display makes me feel a little uneasy
So some people have a phobia around colored circles arranged in a pattern?
I think what you guys fail to realise is that the 3 tier Apple Watch is just a marketing approach to force the majority into buying the SS model.
Most people want a sport watch or regular Apple watch? Hmmmm. I think we’ll find that most people don’t want an Apple watch at all.
You could be surprised – a very famous person, once a CEO, said as much about the original iPhone years back. So where now is the iPhone and where now is the former CEO, and where is his once great Company ?
I think you’re right about MOST people in the world not wanting an AppleWatch, but I think enough people will. If Apple could sell an AppleWatch to just 1% of the world population (7 billion humans or so), Apple would make a hell of a lot of money and make AppleWatch the best-selling watch of all time.
Of course, I’m thinking you mean not even .0001% of the consumer population will want an AppleWatch but I believe Apple knows more about selling products to consumers than you do. After all, Gary Dahl, the man behind the Pet Rock sold about 5 million of them within six months, so I think Apple has at least a good a chance of selling that many AppleWatches within that time. Never underestimate a good marketing strategy and sales pitch especially to already loyal consumers.
I wouldn’t be surprised if China is the biggest market for the Edition, the yellow gold and red leather in particular.
Reblogged this on The Stiel Report™ and commented:
Some interesting insight into Apple’ merchandising strategies for the new #AppleWatch
Good thing for Apple they don’t employee any dolts from the internet for their marketing. If so they would have just startred advertising the watch this week, and make somone spending 10 large plus schlep into the Apple store with all the tourists and snot nosed kids playing with iPads.
Try-on rooms? Maybe it’s just my idea of the type of person who’ll be buying Edition watches, but I just got the image of a dark back room with a stripper serving cocktails.