Selfridges to Sell Apple Watch in Luxury Department
Is it a smartwatch for techies or a luxury watch for the fancier of fine timepieces? The Apple Watch is a little of both and one of London’s most prestigious department stores will be stocking the Edition model alongside some of the finest Swiss timepieces.
When the Apple Watch finally goes on sale April 24, Selfridges on London’s posh Oxford Street will have the wearable device on display in the Wonder Room alongside the most expensive models from Rolex and Cartier as well as the most dazzling diamond jewelry. Not only will the gold Apple Edition be displayed in these tony surroundings, it will have its own dedicated area in the Wonder Room, right on the ground floor.
And while customers can walk in off the street to try on a Rolex, they’ll need an appointment to get their hands on the Apple Watch Edition.
Apple Watch Reviews Mixed
Some journos in the tech field have been spending the last week becoming familiar with the Apple Watch and the reviews are in. While the device had its fans, the reviews were more mixed than Apple CEO Tim Cook was hoping for.
Nilay Patel of The Verge called the Apple Watch “an extraordinarily small and personal device” as well as “the first smartwatch that might legitimately become a mainstream product.” That sound promising until he added that the watch “is kind of slow.”
Similarly mixed praise came from Lauren Goode of Re/Code who said, “of the half-dozen smartwatches I’ve tested in recent years, I’ve had the best experience with Apple Watch.” On the other hand, Goode was not impressed with the design. “Apple Watch strives for high fashion, but it still looks like a techie watch.”
David Pogue at Yahoo! Tech took a more favorable view of the watch’s looks, saying it is “much smaller, sleeker, and more beautiful than any other smartwatch. Small is so important. It’s the difference between wearing jewelry and strapping on a little phone.” However, he added, “The truth is, navigation is a big watch weakness.”
Starting April 24, Apple will be getting the reviews that really count—the ones from the buying public.
