Image <a href="http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2015/02/26/apple-plans-special-event-on-march-9-likely-for-smartwatch/">via Wall Street Journal</a>
Apple has just invited several media outlets to a ‘Spring forward’ special event on Monday, March 9th. We’re sure to see a whole lot more of the Apple Watch at this event ahead of its April debut. The event will take place at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco.
Apple first unveiled the Apple Watch last September alongside the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus at De Anza College’s Flint Center in Cupertino near Apple’s headquarters. While the new iPhones were released later that month, Apple promised an “early 2015” debut for its new product category.
Apple CEO Tim Cook has since said development for the Watch is on track for a release sometime in April.
Apple is expected to provide more information about the Apple Watch including specific pricing, availability, and additional demonstrations of software running on the device. The company has recently invited select developers to its Cupertino headquarters to finish work on Apple Watch apps and test the device in private ahead of its release.
To date, Apple has only shared the $349 starting price for the Apple Watch, although it’s unknown how prices will vary between 38mm and 42mm models and the various collections.
The Apple Watch lineup is made up of three collections: Apple Watch Sport with aluminum casing, Apple Watch with stainless steel casing, and Apple Watch Edition with 18k gold casing. Based on materials, the stainless steel model is expected to be priced around $1,000 while many have speculated that the 18k gold and rose gold models will cost several thousands.
Aside from the Apple Watch, Apple has other products in the pipeline expected to debut this year including a 12-inch radically redesigned MacBook Air we revealed earlier this year, an overhauled music subscription service based on Beats Music, and several iOS versions under development.
Stay tuned to 9to5Mac for full coverage of the event in 11 days and all the latest news leading up to it until then.
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Nice. Now I have something to be looking forward to :)
G5 MacBook Pro – BOOM!
I’ll be waiting in front of my apple tv until march now :)
maybe also a new MacBook Air ? Hope so
“New radically designed” 12″ MBA is in the pipeline. We can only hope it will drop in 11 days!
I don’t see Apple releasing any product other than more details about the Watch and possibly iTunes with new Beats Music iteration. They are going to want to focus the event on the Watch to persuade as many people as possible.
Yeah, now is the time I think. We’ve heard about it for so long. Although normally we wouldn’t see it until June at WWDC…
Finally!
Retina Macbook Air, hopefully.
What can we read into the design of the invitation?
– arcs will play a role
– there will be colors but no reds nor oranges
– blossoms
– something Apple-related
– graphics
I´m afraid that the days where those invites contained clues about the content of the keynote are over.
But yes, it could be something Apple-related. ;-)
Maybe.
Oh, but “Spring” also means “Jump!” in German. So maybe they will unveil some kind of trampoline….
Hmm. “Jump forward”… Rocket Boots anyone? ;-)
Re “Spring” for germany – the Apple Watch wont affect spring anyway for Germans – look at Apple.com/watch – it just says ‘erhältlich 2015’ rather than ‘Early 2015’ on the US website..
The immediate association I got was adjusting your watch.
@wdowell: It’s only in the US website that mention “Early”… We can conclude that only US will be available first, or that they didn’t update website yet for others countries. Some websites says that French stores for example have Apple Watch stocks…
Ah, and the same here in Denmark. Jump, or Leap, if translated. So are we looking at a great “Leap Forward” in technology? A surprise? Other than the Apple Watch?
There is also the term ‘spring forward, fall back’ to remind you which way to set your watch.
The flower-like overlay is very similar to the Photos app icon. Possibly a reference to Photos release details.
Obviously the lotus flower design means the watch runs Lotus Notes
The spreading Lotus like flower thing reminds me of the old Peacock animation from NBC. so of course, I read this as Apple making a new Apple TV to go with their new network they bought.
The date of the event is 9 3 2015. Add those digits together you get 20. Apple were founded on the 1 4 1976. Add those digits together you get 28. 28 – 20 = 8. The current version of iOS is 8.3.1. Add those together and you get 12. There are 12 levels of bricks on the Pyramid before you get to the all seeing eye on the 1 dollar bill.
It’s the Illuminati.
I am impressed by all the intelligence on display in this thread. I’m glad to see there are smart folks out there who can use their minds to contribute to humanity.
You know, the thing that really makes me think this event is about Apple, Inc., is the large white graphic in the middle of the invitation. Very clever!
13
Spring Forward – like – A Time Change or rather – A Timepiece Change
This officially has made my day! Just take my money!
$1,000 for the stainless steel!?!?!?!? Oh god I hope not…..I’m hoping to get one for around $500
It will probably be $450-$500 for the steel watch, but the bands are extra. Expect the steel expansion bracelet (the only one that actually looks good), to be at least as much as the watch itself. Therefore, steel watch with basic steel bracelet is probably $1000, but the watch itself is more like $500.
I don’t expect the band to be more than $150. Most stainless steel bracelets for sub-$1000 watches are under $100. Stainless steel is harder to tool than aluminum, and the Space Black needs to be anodized, but Apple’s economies of scale are orders of magnitude higher than Omega’s, and even most Omega SS bands under under $100. The only reason I would expect Apple’s Space Black band to cost $150 are the visibly higher quality of the band (the tolerances of the link toolings look much higher) and the anodization. At $500 for the was, consumers (even watch aficionados) aren’t accustomed to paying as much for the band as the watch, unless precious metals are involved.
@akibbe02: I hope you are right. I will probably balk at the whole thing if the costs rise much above $1000 for the basic steel watch and bracelet.
If they aren’t reasonably priced Apple is taking a big gamble in that there are a lot of folks out there like me, who are not interested in the Sports model at all. It’s not like if the steel Apple Watch is too expensive, those customers will then necessarily buy the aluminium one.
Apple has spent all this time differentiating the product based on style and materials costs. They can’t then turn around and expect someone who wanted an Edition but can’t afford it, to still buy a “regular” one, or someone who wanted a steel one, to turn around and buy an aluminium one. The heart wants what the heart wants.
I agree… I think most consumers are in your boat, with a willingenss to shell out about $500-600. Anything more will turn off a lot of buyers and reduce Apple’s ability to upsell us from the Sport model up to the Apple Watch collection.
I’d be willing to bet money that the Apple Watch collection will come in at significantly less that $1,000. I’d place my bet on something in the $450-750 range…
Not a chance, that would mean the Sport would price only $50 more than the standard watch and no where in Apple’s line-up is there a only a $50 price bump for the next in line.
Add to the fact that gold trades at ~$1200 an ounce there is no way the edition costs less than $900, probably well over 1k.
It would make it $100 price difference over the Sport, not $50. And I didn’t mention the Edition; Yes, I’m sure that will retail for well over $1,000, but that won’t be a mass market product by any means, whereas the Apple Watch collection does seem to be directed toward the “every man” middle class individual.
The Collection? There is no such product.
There is the Watch, Sport and Edition. So I don’t know what you are talking about if you are not talking about the Edition.
My point was if the Watch starts at $350 that would mean the sport would have to be $400 ($50) if collection meant Edition but since you are referencing something else then I guess I don’t know what to say.
grr, the bottom part is meant to read sport is $350 and watch is $400 is the edition came in at $450.
I get what you are saying, the Watch might be $450 (assuming the sport is the cheapest).
It has already been confirmed that the Watch will include NFC.
I’m wondering what will happen if the upcoming and amazing Apple watch which already miss some health features miss the NFC that could allow users who don’t own an iphone 6 or 6 plus to use apple pay ?
Because after seeing how Apple is more marketing this device about its fashion side makes me having some doubts about its capabilities ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Please don’t be dumb here, this blog tends to include mostly high quality comments and information. Don’t pollute it.
Only a narrow minded and isheep like you can think that way after reading my comment, i’m not assuming anything i was just stating about a possibility, so please do us a favor stop being blindly lead by anything that has the brand of Apple on it and start thinking logically by your own, this blog need people who debate and criticize somethig by being professional and not like excited football fan
Your English is as good as your logic. POOR. You do realize that 90% of the people that read this site are people who appreciate Apple’s products.
I’m a French native speaker and I speak fluently another languages, at least i can say something english and hold a conversation for a long time, but what about you, except English which other language can you speak ? i guess none, which means your brain is poor enough to barely keep up with English, I know this website is for people who likes Apple products like i do like some of them, but that doesn’t mean i have to follow and praise everything Apple bring to us, no, I prefer to have my own opinion about that and we call that “free will” and if you have lost yours don’t be mad at those who still have it…
And first of all, i’m not seeing the point of all of that, why are you being so mean just for a comment
Yes, Apple has already announced iPhone 5, 5c and 5s owners will also be able to use Apple Pay through Apple Watch.
If you understood how Apple Pay works, particularly how and why it is secure, you would know right away why an Apple watch could not possibly pair with a non-Apple phone for Apple Pay.
Here is the part where I could accuse you of being one of a million generic reactionary Android fanboys who roll around the internet whining about “iSheep” and the like. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’m just asking a question, i can’t comprehend why people are getting angry, only Ifunography gave an answer but for the rest of you i’m still trying to find something useful and guess what i can’t,
you said: “you would know right away why an Apple watch could not possibly pair with a non-Apple phone for Apple Pay”
really? I don’t know why you said that because i already know that and can’t see how is it related to my question ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
And maybe it won’t tell time either. Maybe it won’t connect with your phone. Or maybe Apple is going to announce that they aren’t going to release the watch at all. Just saying, it is possible. Anything is possible, but Apple has stated it will have NFC to work with iPhone 6. There is a difference between rumors of features, and features that the company has announced are going to be there. To suggest that Apple isn’t going to release a feature they have announced is just foolish.
“Apple Pay will work in stores with iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch.” Apple Pay is NFC-based, and therefore the Apple Watch will have NFC.
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2014/09/09Apple-Announces-Apple-Pay.html
I have no problem with you, only your initial comment… You wondered if the Apple Watch would somehow “lose” it’s NFC Apple Pay capabilities, which is one of its tentpole features. If they already announced it, it wouldn’t somehow just magically disappear. That’s why I faulted your logic.
It would seem that you read one of the ill-considered click bait articles from last week regarding the health sensors that were RUMORED to go into Apple Watch long before it was announced. The watch never lost these sensors, the technology just wasn’t refined enough to include in the final product.
Apple doesn’t just formally announce features and then say, “nevermind!”.
All that being said, I applaud that you’re multilingual, and hope that in the future you manage to steer clear of the analyst rumor mongering that has been prevalent in the Apple news loop lately.
Okay i got it, i’m looking forward to watch event, i hope someone will broadcast it over youtube, and before making any move to this product i would like to see what reviewers think about it after daily use, because nowadays we need to think a lot before buying tech gadgets cause they are becoming quite expensive…
I am really hoping for a new Apple TV. No clues to that yet but I am still holding out hope!
Strange how this reminds me of the current BP logo
One thing we can say with almost certainty is that Europeans – and Candians – will NOT get the Apple Watch at the same time of the US. You only have to go to Apple.com/watch and see the different – “Early 2015” fir the US. ‘2015’ for all the european ones. Canada is the same. I havent looked for the rest of the world, in particular China.
This f*cking sucks if true. Apple screwed over Canada last time they released a product as well. After years (decades actually) of having their stuff available up here simultaneously.
Because of course Canada is a third world country and is thousands of miles from the USA.
:roll eyes:
It is strange that they don’t offer it in the US’s 51st state. Just teasing.
I don’t *need* a MacBook Air, but I am fascinated by what’s been revealed about the predicted 12″ model so far, and would really *like* to buy one.
The decision comes down to colour for me, it has to match my other Apple stuff.
If they make a white one, I’m buying it for sure.
But if it’s the same old black keys, black glass, and metal body though, I’ll pass.
So, keynote March 9th, iOS 8.2 released March 9th or 11, and preorders start March 13th. Available April 3rd, the 5th anniversary of the iPad.
I think they mean Sprint Forward but the Apple Watch planned for the Spring so its good
What time will it be held? By 10 am local time?
I hope I can hear the English over the Chinese Translation #streamfail
I look very forward to hear on Monday 9th of March 2015 when in April will be released the Apple Watch. I hope very much that the Apple Watch will released in April in Germany as well. I can;t buy it in the USA, and it is very hard to wait. I like to buy the Apple Watch in April. I hope the Best.
Media event March 9th.
Shareholder’s meeting March 10th.
I’ll take the timing as a good sign.
Reblogged this on iamjmw and commented:
I miss the days of the March event. I can’t wait for this! I really hope that they show the Apple Watch (obviously) and the new Beats/iTunes revamp. That’s all I need. Can’t wait!
“Forward” could be a play on words for moving the Watch launch forward a few weeks. An Apple employee hinted to me that it would release sooner than expected.
iPad with *forward* facing speakers
Anh I give up