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Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock now available to buy for $79, watch a full hands-on video

dock

Apple’s new official dock for Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock, is now available to buy in Apple Stores and online. This particular image is from the Berlin store in Germany. In the US, the first-party Apple Watch dock costs $79. The Apple store website says the product will be available in US retail for in-store pickup starting this Friday, the 20th November.

As indicated by the leaked photos from last night, the dock allows the watch to either lay flat or sit upright in Nightstand mode thanks to the magnetic attachment. The charger itself is integrated into the unit, so you will still have the charger that comes bundled with the Apple Watch available as a spare if you buy the dock. The dock also comes with a 2 metre Lightning cable, longer than typical Lightning cables Apple provides.

A reader got their hands on one and has already compiled a full hands on video with Apple’s new dock which you can see after the break …

In the Berlin Apple Store, and assumedly the rest of Europe, it costs 89 euros. This is Apple’s first official dock for Apple Watch, not counting the Apple Watch Edition box that doubles as a charging stand. Until today, Apple has been exclusively selling the Elevation Lab NightStand Apple Watch dock at retail. Its own first-party dock will now take center stage in Apple Stores as the primary recommendation for an Apple Watch stand.

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Comments

  1. pdoobs - 8 years ago

    $90? $90 freaking dollars? For a charger that Apple sells for $29 that has the amazing ability to hold your watch on its side. I recommend everyone check out the silicone or aluminum solutions that take up significantly sell nightstand space and look better for $10-30.

    • samlaffite - 8 years ago

      And without any power adaptater, the least they could add to try justifiying the bloody 90 dollars they ask for this charging dock.

    • PhilBoogie - 8 years ago

      Yes, $90. Because it is almost twice as good a the iPhone Dock, which retails for $49. Makes perfect sense.

    • Pat McDonnell - 8 years ago

      I had a friend of mine 3D print one similar in type to the Spigen dock that sells on Amazon for $10. The plans were free online and materials cost was about $1.50.

  2. PhilBoogie - 8 years ago

    Sehr sehr geil!

  3. Pretty pricey.

  4. incredibilistic - 8 years ago

    At $90 I’m sure third-party dock makers are breathing a hefty sigh of relief as this dock won’t infringe on their territory. At least not too much.

    Having said that, this dock is quite the looker and I like the versatility.

  5. emulajavi - 8 years ago

    “The dock is expected to retail around $90 in the United States. From this image, in the Berlin Apple Store it costs 89 euros”

    It seems that you don’t take in account recent apple policies on money exchange. It will retail in the US for $79 which are LESS than 75€, so a lot cheaper compared to the €89

  6. sunhou - 8 years ago

    If they change the design just a bit, they could make it look like the new Apple spaceship building

  7. PhilBoogie - 8 years ago

    I wish Apple would simply charge $299 for this. There’d be way less bitching on the price as people wouldn’t even bother to post about it.

  8. bellevueboy - 8 years ago

    Forget the price, does it even look like anything apple? $10 stands are better. Why would I buy this? What m I missing?

  9. Will Van Gelderen - 8 years ago

    Whats weird is that I would have expected Apple to have designed something that works with all bands including metal while in flat / laying down mode.

    • Andrew Messenger - 8 years ago

      Does this not?

      • Will Van Gelderen - 8 years ago

        In night stand mode yes, but if you lay the watch down flat you will have to detach your metal band to use this

    • Andrew Messenger - 8 years ago

      did apple say that or is there some other reason you’re saying it?

    • Smigit - 8 years ago

      I think it’s a fair compromise, and most bands will work in both orientations. Most of the stands I’ve seen limit you to one orientation anyway, or look a bit compromised in their aesthetics in order to allow both open and closed bands to be treated equally.

  10. acslater017 - 8 years ago

    Get over it, people. Apple sells a premium charging dock. It’s gorgeous, does both vertical and horizontal orientations, has tons of microfiber/suede on top and bottom, and is $79.

    I have a dock that was $15-20 and it’s good enough, but it certainly doesn’t cradle my watch like this or look this beautiful. It also didn’t come with a 2 m lightning cable ($29) or free up my stock watch charger ($29).

  11. tonywmd23 - 8 years ago

    The rumor yesterday was that this was going to sell for $100 and I said that was insane. But $79 really isn’t that unreasonable, especially when it comes with a 2m lightning cable included at your disposal, which no 3rd party docks (at lease not the ones that are cheaper than this) include.

    • taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

      I think anything over the $49 Apple charges for the iPhone dock is to expensive. They should include this docks with the sapphire screened Apple Watch models..paying at least $549 should get you this dock.

      I would never pay $79 for this Apple dock. Of course I won’t be buying an Apple Wacth until it becomes the health tracking device Apple originaly planned for. The Dick Tracy camera coming to the next version doesn’t make me hopeful the 2nd gen model will get the health tracking I will get the health tracking I want.

  12. Thomas Massengale - 8 years ago

    isn’t it bad enough that my Watch is disappointing? Now they want me to charge that disappointing with a $79 charger? Did they put Angela Ahrendts in charge of setting prices?

  13. Graham J - 8 years ago

    I wish Apple would discover cheap Chinese manufacturing so they bring their prices down.

    Oh, wait…

  14. taoprophet420 - 8 years ago

    The only plus I see of these with the huge profit margins is it should let Apple put 32 GB as standard on iPhones. Oops Apple will still out profits first.

  15. HiroiSekai - 8 years ago

    The design is okay, but I would only really use it in Nightstand mode for symmetry purposes. Yes, I do get irked by dumb little things like this, but that’s just me.

    But the price. WOW. It’s literally $100 here in Canada, and I just can’t justify that for this, I’m sorry. Looks like I’ll end up going third party for this one.

  16. crichton007 - 8 years ago

    Between this and the huge price jump for the new Magic Trackpad 2 I’m very concerned that Apple is getting greedy.

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.