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Apple Watch Edition might end up costing $5,000 according to analyst

• Egon Kilin
• September 17th, 2014

Previously known as iWatch, the Apple Watch was finally announced and detailed – partially – last week at a special event in Cupertino. There’s quite a large amount of interest regarding this device seeing as how it’s Apple’s first smartwatch and all, but we’ll have to wait until next year before we’ll get the chance to wear one. Apple revealed that the device will be available for purchase for the price of $350, which is a pretty standard price for a smartwatch all things considered. By comparison, the Moto 360 will be priced at $250 while the LG G Watch R is believed to end up costing about $400 so the Apple Watch is somewhere in between. Or is it?

A certain analyst that goes by the name of John Gruber believes that Apple will announce two more versions of its wearable device and they will cost a lot more. He says that the standard $350 version will be called Apple Watch Sport and will have a reasonable price because it’s made from aluminum and glass. However, he thinks there will also be a variant with stainless steel and sapphire and this one will cost $1,000. Moreover, Gruber suggests that Apple will go so far as to launch an 18-karat gold and sapphire Apple Watch Edition priced at $5,000. He explains this price by saying that the materials used for a device that’s made out of solid gold cost a small fortune.

“Most people think I’m joking when I say the gold ones are going to start at $5,000,” Gruber says. “I couldn’t be more serious. I made a friendly bet last week with friends on the starting price for the Edition models, and I bet on $9,999. The lowest conceivable price I could see for the Edition models is $1,999 — but the gold alone, just as scrap metal, might in fact be worth more than that.”

So, would you be interested in a solid gold Apple Watch Edition or do you think the device is just ridiculously expensive? We’re dying to read your opinions in the comments section below.