Apple will house those pricey Apple Watch “Edition” units in safes overnight, according to the well-informed blogger Mark Gurman of 9to5Mac.
Unnamed sources told the author that each Apple retail store that’ll carry the device is going to be outfitted with safes designed to keep the most pricey version of the wrist-worn device protected from theft while charging overnight. The Apple Watch “Edition” features a case crafted from 18-karat gold.
Some of the stores have reportedly already begun installing the safes ahead of the Watch’s launch in April.
The author adds that the stores will house both demo and inventory Watches inside the safes. As you could imagine, Apple isn’t just using off-the-shelf safes.
According to Gurman, they’re custom-designed to Apple’s exacting requirements and include built-in MagSafe chargers to “keep the demo units charged up and ready to go for the next day of business”.
As if that weren’t enough, Apple is said to be working on special weight scales that retail employees will use to weigh the amount of gold in individual Apple Watch Edition variants upon replacement or return.
“Apple wants to ensure that no gold is removed from the units prior to replacement/return as the gold material is worth a substantial amount of money on secondary markets,” Gurman noted.
Tim Cook told investors on an earnings call earlier this week that the Watch is launching in April, starting at $349. He did not divulge other details and we still don’t know how much the gold edition is going to cost.
It’s certainly safe to assume that it won’t come cheap.
The company previously stated that the Apple Watch “Edition” comes in six elegant expressions, each sporting an 18-karat gold chassis that “our metallurgists have developed to be up to twice as hard as standard gold.” The case will be offered in two flavors of gold: yellow and rose.
Other premium features of the gold Apple Watch include the display protected by polished sapphire crystal and an “exquisitely designed band” that, in Apple talk, provides “a striking complement.”
Lastly, it’s rumored that new retail chief Angela Ahrendts (formerly Burberry’s CEO) has commissioned changes inside Apple Stores with special emphasis on dedicated areas with Watch display tables. Furthermore, the company is said to have devised a special sales process for the gold Watches in order to differentiate them further from the stainless steel and aluminum models.
Source: 9to5Mac