The Apple Watch will soon be available to purchase at your local Best Buy, just in time for the holiday season. Best Buy recently announced plans to start stocking their shelves with the wearable device, making them the first retail chain to start selling them.
WHY YOU NEED IT
Apple’s new wearable device is arguably the most innovative and talked about gadget on the market today. However, very little is still known about the watch itself. For example, did you know that the dial that you would use to adjust the time on a regular watch will be implemented on the Apple Watch, which Apple dubbed the Digital Crown? Only instead of fixing the time—kept perfectly accurate automatically using global positioning, according to Apple—the dial can be used to easily zoom in and out of pictures, graphics, and maps, instead of having to do that annoying pinching thing on such a small screen.
Another impressive function is the watch’s ability to show you exactly what you want to see in a single glance. Whether you want to check the time, the weather, the front page headlines, or the next turn you’ll have to take, the Apple Watch is extremely customizable. And speaking of customizing, Apple has given customers a whopping 16 different models of Apple Watch to choose from, all available in a variety of colors, materials, and come with a variety of bands. Not only this, but the Apple Watch comes standard with a wide variety of watch faces to best suit the customer’s preferences.
HOW TO GET IT
Best Buy recently announced plans to sell the Apple Watch in stores across the US starting on August 7th. However, only a select 100 Best Buys will actually physically carry the device—at least initially. Eventually, more than 300 Best Buy stores are planned to carry the device, just in time for the holidays, according to senior category officer at Jason Bonfig.
With more than 1,400 Best Buy establishments nationwide, the chances of picking up an Apple Watch from the location closest to you may be slim. However, customers will also be able to buy the watch from Best Buy’s online store.
A NEW (OLD) MARKETING STRATEGY
With reports showing the Apple Watch failing to meet sales expectations, Apple has been looking to alternative marketing strategies, as their usual TV commercials and online advertisements just don’t seem to be doing the trick. One of these strategies is a push to spread knowledge of the device through retail, giving customers a comprehensive hands-on experience with the watch.
Although demand for the watch was initially low in the first quarter of sales, attention to the Apple Watch skyrocketed when Apple put it on its shelves across the country in April, bringing in a whopping $1 billion in sales just last quarter. Apple CEO Tim Cook says he’s more than satisfied with the watches’ sales, and is ready to gear up for the holiday season, understandably “excited about how the product is positioned for the long term.”
Pricing for the Apple Watch starts at $350 for the “Sport” version, complete with a simple aluminum case and white plastic band, and can go as high as $17,000 for the most expensive “Edition” version, which boasts a 38mm 18-karat yellow gold case with a red buckle.
