Apple announced that the first generation of Apple Watch, which was released in 2015, is now considered obsolete, meaning it would no longer benefit from the Apple company’s repair or replacement services. The affected models include the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition, which cost between $10,000 and $17,000 when released in the US.
The gold Apple Watch Edition was a personal project of former Apple chief designer Jony Ive. This was Apple’s first attempt to compete in the luxury watch market, and the gold model only lasted a year before being replaced by much cheaper ceramic and titanium versions. The gold Apple Watch Edition has been worn by influential celebrities such as German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, artists Drake, Pharell Williams and Katy Perry.
On the software side, watchOS 5’s compatibility with the gold Apple Watch was discontinued in 2018. All other 38mm and 42mm versions of the first-generation aluminum and stainless steel Apple Watch, including the Herms variants, are now also deprecated. Apple classifies a product as technically obsolete if more than seven years have passed since the company stopped selling it for sale. The first Apple Watch was discontinued in September 2016, when the Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 1 models launched, meaning it recently hit that seven-year milestone.
Apple’s deprecated label doesn’t just mean the end of software support. The original Apple Watches (commonly referred to as Series 0) were never updated beyond watchOS 4.3.2 in 2018. This means the end of hardware support: the company will no longer offer parts, repairs or replacement services.
You could spend $10,000 to $30,000 on a Cartier Tank and still have a square watch and not worry about whether you can have it serviced eight (or 80) years later. As long as there are luxury watch manufacturers like Cartier (or Patek Philippe, Rolex, etc.), you can get first-hand repair services. If your $17,000 Apple Watch needs repairs, you can take the risk and go to a third-party repair shop, replace the battery yourself, do a custom mechanical upgrade, or wear it anyway if you feel like it . After all, Karl Lagerfeld hadn’t even configured his own yet.
First edition of Apple Watch specifically for Karl and other celebrities, worn by Karl
While the blackened Royal Oak is undoubtedly the watch most commonly associated with Lagerfeld in collector and enthusiast circles, it is not the only watch he wore throughout his long and storied career. He was last seen wearing a solid 18-karat yellow gold Apple Watch on a special gold bracelet that was never released to the public (the same one worn by Beyoncé and other celebrities). But the best part? Apparently he never actually configured the device, but did as Andy Warhol did and just wore it as jewelry. The image here, which comes from Instagram, shows it in pairing mode, and in numerous other photos Lagerfeld can be seen wearing the watch, seemingly completely discharged. The folks at The Verge even coined the term Lagerfelding to describe someone who walks around with a tinted Apple Watch on their wrist. This man’s legacy knows no bounds.
Jony Ive and Apple Watch
Ive’s fingerprints can be found on all of Apple’s iconic products, from the iPhone to the MacBook to the Apple Watch. But its design DNA is arguably more present in the watch than in any other Apple product. Maybe it’s because it’s the first major product category introduced after Jobs, or maybe it’s because Jony Ive really likes watches (Apple COO Jeff Williams has referred to the watch as Ive’s work in the past).
Jony Ive joined Apple in 1992. After leaving Apple in 2019, Jony Ive, a famous designer known for his Apple-branded products, still worked as a consultant for Apple. But in July 2022, the separation between the two parties was complete.
On the occasion of the first separation, after more than 20 years in the company, the anecdotes surrounding the figure emerged. One of them looks at how I came to develop the Apple Watch and reveals some interesting, previously unpublished information. At this point, the public already knew that the Apple Watch was Ive’s passion project for Apple, but a Wall Street Journal report contained details that showed how intrigued Ive was by the possibility of continuing to work on the Apple Watch’s technology. The iPhone is a portable device device.
According to the report, some executives rejected the idea of a smartwatch because they feared such a device wouldn’t have a compelling killer app. However, Tim Cook approved the project and I started work in 2013.
This is what the Wall Street Journal says:
He met with the team almost daily, delving into the details and helping to imagine the signature hexagonal grid of apps that changed as people scrolled. He worked with Apple’s acquisitions team to hire his friend Marc Newson, the industrial designer who had developed designs for rectangular watches. He urged Apple to hire CEO Yves Saint Laurent to lead the business side of the project. The article further claims that some Apple executives wanted to position the watch as an extension of the iPhone, while Mr. Ive viewed it as a fashion accessory. The result would have been a compromise. What would Ive’s non-negotiated vision have looked like? That’s hard to say, considering the Apple Watch launched in both a $17,000 gold version and a Herms design. Interestingly, the report states that thousands of Golden versions remained unsold. L, little surprise.
The final interesting detail is this: The company sold about 10 million units in its first year, a quarter of what Apple expected, a person familiar with the matter said. Apple clearly had higher expectations for the watch from day one, but it took until the Series 2 for the wearable to reach the sales volume Apple was hoping for and help make it the smartwatch success it is today.
The reaction of internet users
Some chose humor:
What the hell am I supposed to do with all of mine now? Others said that the situation was completely normal: at some point it happens: the technology becomes outdated at some point and is no longer supported by the providers. Sad but predictable. The type of technology in this watch cannot run forever. Even if the watch itself doesn’t break, apps that require network support will eventually stop working. Others have highlighted the limitations of smartwatches compared to traditional watches: The difference between a Rolex and an Apple Watch is that a Rolex will still function perfectly after 10 years, regardless of complications. Others believe that Apple should make a goodwill gesture to those who paid so much: for $17,000, Apple should regularly equip them with the latest technology. And others think that the Apple Watch is just too expensive: I remember when the Apple Watch was new, I went to the Apple Store to look at it and somehow found myself talking to a man who had a T -shirt and shorts and a Rolex that cost more than my car. (Of course, that $17,000 Apple Watch, too, but the Rolex would have bought two.) At one point, he simply handed it to me and asked me to feel its weight.
It was a strange few seconds.
Anyway: I still don’t have an Apple Watch, but maybe one day I will. But there’s no point in paying for the gold version*!
Sources: Apple, Karl Lagerfeld never configured his Apple Watch, Jony Ive and Apple Watch
And you ?
What do you think about connected watches in general and the Apple Watch in particular? Do you have one? For what ?
What do you think of Apple’s strategy to make the first generation of Apple Watch obsolete, including the $17,000 gold model?
Do you think the gold Apple Watch Edition was an innovative product or a commercial failure?
Would you be willing to buy a luxury smartwatch or would you prefer a traditional watch?
What do you think is the future of connected watches? What features would you like to see in future models?