Besides the whereabouts of the missing "i," Apple's recent announcement has people wondering exactly how much it will cost to obtain a high-end Apple Watch complete with gold and a sapphire screen.
The new smart watch is slated to arrive in three versions: the Apple Watch, the Apple Watch Sport and the Apple Watch Edition. Apple CEO Tim Cook has said the lineup will start at $350, but the Cupertino, Calif.-based company hasn't detailed how much the top-of-the-line version will cost, Yahoo Tech reported.
The Apple Watch Sport will be made of light aluminum with a sweat-resistant band, while the classic Apple Watch will comprise a steel case, a sapphire cover and the metal band of the wearer's choice. Yahoo Tech predicts that the Sport watch will be the least expensive option when the watches are available in January.
An 18-carat gold version of the Apple watch could cost around $1,200, a watch expert told TechCrunch. Pennsylvania-based watch expert Chad Rickicki put the production cost of the gold case at about $600 with the rest covering electronics and overhead.
A lot is riding on whether the watch is gold-plated or solid gold, but the company's description of the upcoming device indicates the latter.
"Apple has adopted a lot of the watch industry terminology," Ariel Adams, who writes for aBlogtoWatch, told Yahoo Tech. "If something is marked 18-karat gold, that tends to mean that it's not gold-plated. Otherwise they would say 'gold plated.'"
Experts say the priciest Apple watch could run anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000, Yahoo Tech reported.
The Apple website simply describes the Edition watch with: "18-karat gold cases in yellow or rose. Sapphire crystal. Exquisitely crafted bands and closures." The watch cases for the entire lineup will be available in two sizes, 38-millimeter and 42-millimeter.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to give Yahoo Tech more details on pricing for the future Apple Watch lineup.
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