Apple Watch, which was included in our list of most innovative inventions of 2014, would be launched in India next month. November 6th is the date when one of the most anticipated wearable gadgets from Apple, would be finally available in India.
Although Apple didn’t reveal its price in India; it’s speculated that Rs 36,999+ (including taxes) needs to be shelled out to purchase this gadget in India. In USA, the base model is sold at $349, which is almost Rs 23,000.
In the USA, France, UK and Japan, Apple Watch was available for orders from April 10, 2015 and its shipping started from April 24.
Thus, it took 6 months for Apple to announce the launch date in India.
With 4.2 million orders in the second quarter of 2015, Apple Watch has already become the best-selling wearable gadget, even beating Fitbit. Interestingly, Apple Watch was initially launched as a fashion accessory, rather than a tech product, which made the initial response slow. But June onwards, the sale picked up, and Apple had to ramp up the production.
Possible Variants in India
Again, no official confirmation has arrived from Apple, but it is speculated that Apple Watch would be available in 2 variants in India: 38 mm and 42 mm sizes. There are three basic variants, which would be uniform: Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch, and Apple Watch Edition.
Apple has launched more than 34 variants of this product, as per different shapes, sizes and design. The most expensive variant, a luxury one, goes upto $10000.
Usage of Apple Watch
Apple Watch needs to be synced with iPhone 5 / higher version or iOS 8.2 / higher version for a comprehensive experience. Users can do the following with an Apple Watch:
- Check emails
- Listen to music
- Make phone calls (once paired)
- Track fitness & health (using various apps)
- Access contact list
- Play specific, niche games
- Withstand splashes of water but not recommended to use under-water
- Works as Viewfinder on iPhone camera
- Can be used to transfer files, data from watch to any iOS enabled device
- Supports SIRI voice based commands
- Supports Apple Pay and NFC based payments, even with older iPhone devices
Apple Watch runs on watchOS, which is a special OS designed with circular icons on the home screen, which are accessible via touch screen or the tiny crown on the side of the watch. watchOS 2.0 has already been released last month, which has introduced features such as activation lock and more native apps.
Apple Watch has a niche following in India, and there is now tremendous excitement for this fashion accessory + tech product as the die hard fans want to experience the magic within those tiny screens.
Going by the tradition and history of Apple products, we may expect another best seller this time.
Okay firstly price is not 349$ … That price doesn’t include tax… With tax it is somewhere around 380 depending on the state… Secondly get an Apple Watch use it in the US for a week and then see if it’s a ‘fashion accessory’ … It’s not … It makes more sense for an iPhone user than anyone … And lastly it’s not just for fans and small cities … People in India have more money to spend on electronics than anyone in the world I’ve seen … So although it’s a new untested category it could end up being on wrists of more Indians than Americans cause people here actually wear watches …