Apple has updated its
website to indicate that the
Apple Watch will launch in India on November 6. There's no word yet on its price, but we will update you as soon as we hear something.
Based on the US price of $349 (roughly Rs. 23,000) for the base Apple Watch Sport model, we can expect the wearable to start around the Rs. 30,000 mark in India. The Apple Watch model starts at $549 (roughly Rs. 35,600), while the Apple Watch Edition can go up to $17,000 (roughly Rs. 11 lakhs).
(
Also see: Apple Watch Review: The Smartwatch You Want, Not the One You Need)
The Apple Watch was
launched in a handful of countries including the US, France, Japan, and the UK in April, and has since seen a phased rollout in other countries.
In the Gadgets 360
review of the Apple Watch, we concluded that if you have an iPhone and if you want a smartwatch, the Apple Watch is your best choice in the smartwatch market. Despite Google's recently rolled out
Android Wear support for iPhone, it would be hard for app and platform developers to provide the same level of functionality on a rival platform. Other products like the Pebble Time and Fitbit Surge have limited interactivity with iPhones due to Apple's software restrictions.
(
Also see: Why It Is Wrong to Think of the $17,000 Apple Watch as a Tech Product)
Overall, we felt the Apple Watch feels very polished for a first generation device and its trade-offs (battery life, lags) are minor and shouldn't stop you from buying the device. The company in September
released watchOS 2 as well, the updated system software for the Apple Watch, which brought
features like activation lock, native apps, and more.
Finally, we found the Apple Watch's price was high especially if you pick one of the more expensive variants, but then it is a mistake to think of those Apple Watch variants as technology products. They're luxury products for those who can afford them. For most people, the base variant with the sport band will work just fine.