Apple Watch Price & Release Date: Tech Giant Stops Selling Jawbone Up, Nike+ FuelBand in Stores Ahead of Apple Watch's Debut
On Monday, Apple officially announced the Apple Watch launch date as April 24, and already the tech giant is eradicating competitors from its retail store offerings.
Several Apple stores in U.S. cities have stopped selling the Jawbone UP and the Nike+ Fuelband, reports Re/code.
Fitness trackers are becoming increasingly popular, and although the Apple Watch is clearly a more comprehensive device, it makes sense for Apple to eliminate the competition since it is attempting to sell a $349 wearable-having more affordable products available in-store is detrimental.
The Apple Watch does seem to outshine the competition in fitness tracking thanks to the iPhone's sensors like GPS. One thing the Jawbone Up and the Apple Watch have in common is that they can both track heart rate, whereas Nike+ Fuelband does not.
Nike's health and fitness tracker is already phasing out, so the removal from Apple stores won't be a hardship. The removal of Jawbone, on the other hand, is significant as the company presumably relies on Apple's retail space for a chunk of its sales.
The removal of Nike and Jawbone products probably has as much to do with display space as it does with eliminating the competition.
It's not the first time Apple has taken a hard line with competitors. In October 2014, the company pulled all Bose headphones and speakers from its online and several brick-and-mortar stores. Apple had acquired Beats Electronics and was offering Beats by Dre. Also, Bose had filed a patent lawsuit accusing Beats of infringing on many of its patents regarding noise-cancelling headphones. The lawsuit was later dismissed.
If you are looking to purchase an Apple Watch for April delivery, you have your choice of shiny chrome or space black finish. The touchscreen is covered by sapphire crystal, which is said to be more scratch-resistant than the iPhone's Gorilla Glass. Prices range between $549 and $1,099, depending on your choice of 38mm or 42mm case and band.
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