The latest from KGI Research’s Ming-Chi Kuo, one analyst with quite a solid track record on Apple forecasts, predicts Apple will likely release an Apple Watch with new casing materials by the fourth quarter of this year. KGI expects Apple will introduce 1-3 new versions of Apple Watch featuring casing materials other than the aluminium, stainless steel, and 18k gold options its launching next month. From the report:
Aside from current casing materials of aluminium, stainless steel and 18k gold, we believe 1-3 new versions of Apple Watch featuring new casing materials are likely to go into mass production in 4Q15.
There’s no word on what the alternative materials could be, but Apple could certainly look to introduce higher-end platinum or titanium models (or Liquid Metal perhaps?) as well as lower cost models using plastic of some sort. A recent report from The Wall Street Journal noted that Apple could be planning a platinum version of the Apple Watch. Apple’s cheapest, $349 entry-level Apple Watch launching next month will use aluminium for its casing.
Kuo predicts that Apple will sell around 5-6 million units in the first half of 2015 and around 15-20 million for the entire year. The report notes, however, that if the expected new casing materials arrive it could increase Apple Watch sales for 4Q15 and going into the first quarter of next year.
KGI’s report also shared predictions for sales of the new 12-inch MacBook that Apple unveiled this week.
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they have the option of plastic (like iPhone 5C) so if many customers are not willing to pay the $349+ prices, Apple can still introduce a plastic version for $299 (or less), instead of lowering the prices of the aluminum models.
This would be a good move for the consumer, but if Apple were going to do it, they would have done it with the first release.
Showing off a cheaper, plastic model, right after everyone has plunked down the outrageous prices for the metal ones would be a real bad move. if they do it next year they can use that classic old phoney “we are adapting based on our customer feedback,” excuse. If they release it in the Fall, it looks like either they didn’t have it ready on time (no excuse for that), or they are gouging people with the metal models.
Interestingly, the idea of a polycarbonate or plastic model, kind of puts the lie to the whole idea that the Apple Watch “had to be” expensive.
It’s a complete falsehood if you think about it. They not only could have used “regular” aluminium and “regular” steel (instead of the fancy customer variants), without anyone caring r saying anything about it, they could easily have made the Sports model out of plastic like the iPhone 5c and sold it for over a hundred dollars less!
Don’t forget that Apple doesn’t use plastic or rubber. They had the seamless polycarbonate for the 5c which they spent a whole video on, talking about how special it was. The rubber Sport Band is “fluoroelastomer.”
So yes, Apple will make a plastic Watch for $199 38mm and $249 42mm.
Personally I think they’ll offer Silver for around $5000 and Titanium for $7500, in addition to the cheaper plastic.
I’m waiting for Apple to make the case out of melted Ford Pinto bumpers. Perhaps that’ll satisfy the tweedle-dumbs.
Brilliant! One internet to you good sir!
I’d love to hear Ive say the words Ford Pinto. He would probably cringe.
All I care about are sensors, not platnum, liquid metal or other casing materials.
ResearchKit gives me some hope we will see a health focused watch this year. With HealthKit, ResearchKit and the health app it’s really disappointing the Apple Watch does very little to make the most out of those platforms. Apple has so much potential to totally revolutioninize health care and give patients and doctors so much more information to provide optimized care.
It was disappointing 9to5Mac didn’t write an article about ResearchKit. You guys posted forever about the Health App and health possibilities of the Apple Watch way before it was released. You guys have to have more inside information why Apple ditched the health features of the Watch and spent and are spending so much time on HealthKit, ReasearchKit and the Health app.
The Wall Street Journal actually did a story a few weeks ago (which 9to5Mac referenced) on the health features that were cut from this version and that at least part of the reason was because the technology wasn’t up to snuff and in fact actually left Apple a bit puzzled about how to push the product to consumers.
Personally, as soon as I learned of ResearchKit in the keynote, I knew the WSJ story was true. It’s pretty obvious to me the ResearchKit was meant to be one of the biggest, if not perhaps THE hallmark application of an Apple Watch that would have the ability to sense and log a relatively deep level of health data about you. I mean that potion of the presentation was just screaming to me about a team player who showed up to a pep rally without his companion because he wasn’t good enough to make the roster cut.
I know they referenced the article. They didn’t provide any insider knowledge to the reasons. 9to5 ax obviously has good inside knowledge on the health from yet on their own didn’t.t provide any reasons or details on why the health features and sensors were cut in the watch.
Another plastic failure like the iPhone 5C that Tim Cook wanted at any cost ? He really doesn’t get it, does he?
Since when is the 5c a failure? It is one of the top selling mobile phones of all time. Maybe you don’t like it, but people do buy it, and there are more 5c’s that have been purchased than the 6plus or 4S.
I’ve seen only one 5c model in the wild. Everybody I see have iPhone 6 and 6 plus.
Agreed, while some might not like it (I personally loved it) it sold very well. The 5c’s only shortcoming was it could’ve been even lower priced. that being said it did everything it needed to do. Sell iPhone 5 internals with an even higher markup due to cheaper to manufacture casings. I love how the same people who probably lived the iPhone 3G (and its curved plastic casing) crap all over the “plastic failure” iPhone 5c
Apple doesn’t break down models sold. So how do you now the 5c has sold more units the. The 4s or 6 plus?
The 5c was made for places like China and India. The large screens of the 6 and 6 plus has made the 5c undesirable in China and much of Asia, because the large screens are very desirable to write their languages characters on. A plastic 6c would probably do very well in developing Asian markets. But so would a discounted 6 or 6 plus when the 7 comes out. For the tooling and things involved a plastic iPhone doesn’t make sense anymore.
Is this by any chance the same KGI that predicted the 5.5″ iPhone 6 (now known as “Plus”) would be delayed until 2015?
Rugged work /outdoor edition out of liquid metal and rugged strap sounds like a big seller to me..
Liquid Metal would be cool.
If these purported “new materials” are in the Edition range, I don’t think anyone but the rich a-holes will care, but if they are things like Liquid Metal or Titanium then I think it’s a bit beyond the pale for Apple to introduce them so soon AFTER everyone has broke their wallet on the first release.
It would be a horrible move from a PR perspective. People are angry enough over the prices of the Apple Watch, to then double down on that by producing special models a few months after people bought the fits one would be rude in the extreme. PR suicide.
Could be readying cheaper alternatives for when people don’t break their wallets on the first one and sales don’t match their ideal projection.
Maybe. It’s so hard to know as Apple has been all over the place lately.
IMO it seems like they are actually scrambling half the time lately. Running around bumping into walls, not getting things finished, missing deadlines etc.
Let me guess…..
Polycarb? Carbon Fiber? Platinum? Titanium? Magnesium? Bamboo?
Oh no not cheap plastic. I don’t want to see mini iphone 5cs are everyone’s wrist. That would be horrible.
I will enjoy my $80 lg g watch. I think google is working on adding android wear support to Ios. Good thing for apple customers, the apple watch looks ugly. Moto 360 and the new huawei are a work of art. Especially the huawei! It looks fantastic!
I think polycarbonate (or some variant) would be a good move by . You may think plastic is tacky, but it certainly has it’s uses and I feel like if they had it with a matte texture, it could still look fairly nice. Honestly though, they really should bring the price down on the Sport models by $50 to a $100 to keep in line with Android Wear. I think the Moto 360 is good, other than the “flat tire”, and the Huawei is very sharp looking. That being said, I am skeptical that Android Wear will have as deep integration with the iPhone as the Watch, so I wouldn’t count on a bunch of iPhone uses opting for Android Wear over the Watch. As far as the subjective nature of looks, the Watch is starting to grow on me and I was only neutral towards it as first.
What they need is TUNGSTEN! It isn’t all that expensive, is super durable and scratch resistant. It would also be seen as different. Plastic would be a horror.