We now know the 18k gold Apple Watch Edition will start at $10,000 with models ranging up to $17,000, while the aluminum Apple Watch Sport and stainless steel Apple Watch will start at $349 and $549, respectively.
Aside from limited availability and a monumental price difference, the Apple Watch Edition will also include a more premium warranty. For the extra $9,000 or so for the Edition model, Apple is throwing in twice as much hardware repair coverage as the Apple Watch and Apple Watch Sport collections.
Apple hasn’t yet unveiled the price for the Watch’s AppleCare+, the extended warranty for Apple products, but here’s what we know about the warranty so far.
Both the Apple Watch and less expensive Apple Watch Sport include the same complimentary AppleCare warranty coverage.
This includes “one year of hardware repair coverage” and 90 days of support over the phone or online complimentary out of the box. AppleCare+ will be available for purchase, adding “up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage” with a cost and a full two years of hardware coverage and technical support.
The $10,000+ Apple Watch Edition already comes with a two full years of both limited hardware coverage and phone support. That’s one extra year of hardware coverage, and two years rather than 90 days of complimentary technical support. AppleCare+ for the Apple Watch Edition will extend both to a full three years and add the same two accidental damage incidents.
While Apple hasn’t unveiled extended warranty or repair pricing for the Apple Watch, AppleCare+ for iPhone and iPad each costs $99 while AppleCare for Macs ranges from $99 to $349, for reference. The repair costs for each Apple Watch collection, especially the Edition, will be interesting to find out next.
