Why are the new Series 3 Apple Watches with GPS & Cellular connections not for Sale in Ireland?

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mathepac

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Unlike our near neighbour the UK, the new Series 3 Apple Watches with GPS & Cellular are not being offered for Sale in the Apple Store Ireland.

Is this because of the pathetic 4G / LTE investment and lousy coverage in the country or for some other reason?

And YES I've already asked Apple. :)
 
Most likely because Apple have not arranged network partnerships with the mobile networks here (yet?). I assume it is a major undertaking to come to an agreement with multiple vendors in multiple countries to have something to show at launch. Also what is the likely uptake in this country for such a service? Measured in the hundreds I would have thought as it will be an extra monthly cost that most (myself included, as an Apple Watch devotee) would not bother with, certainly not sufficient to be a Tier 1 launch country let alone further down the line...
 
Only 8 countries made the list for the initial release date on Sept. 22nd (they're only on pre-order now). Given the size of our market I'd have been surprised to see Ireland included. EE have exclusive cellular rights in the UK, I wonder will any of the Irish providers pay the price Apple are demanding for exclusivity?
 
They don't need network partners as it works from the existing SIM in your iPhone which gets paired with an electronic SIM card in the Watch. You can make or pick up calls on either and there is no additional operating cost. It just struck me overnight that may be COMREG or the Deepartmint of Gatepost and Telegraph poles dropped the ball here about having two devices with the same phone number. or maybe Noreen O'Sullivan vetoed it from a Garda Intelligence stance in a last act of defiance and misunderstanding :)
 
Not an apple watch user but i assume cellular refers to data capabilities much like 4g on the phone ? Dont we offer a cellular package with the ipad ?

A lot of commentary across the media / social platforms regarding the pricing of the latest releases with the Iphone X 64 gig coming in at £999 and $999. I wonder what way the euro pricing will work and what kind of bundles the carriers will put together for upgrading customers.
 
Yes but those iPads take traditional SIM cards like the iPhones. The advantage I saw was having a usable phone on your wrist while your phone is still in the charger at home and you only need a single SIM card with no need to swap it around devices. One number for two devices, the opposite to the dual SIM phones where you can have one device with two numbers.
 
Pugmister said:
Wow, €1179 in Ireland, £999 in the UK and $999 in the US.

Based on current rates the UK is £245 dearer than the US and Ireland is €340 dearer.....quite astonishing really.
Click to expand...

US prices don't include sales tax, Irish & UK ones include VAT.

The US is a much bigger, more competitive market, so tech prices are always cheaper there than they are here.
 
Leo said:
US prices don't include sales tax, Irish & UK ones include VAT.

The US is a much bigger, more competitive market, so tech prices are always cheaper there than they are here.
Click to expand...

Very true, i always forget that America price without tax but even taking New York as an example $999 at 8.875% tax the retail will be $1,087.....that's still €269 euro dearer.
 
Got through to Apple via online chat after some delay and wound up typing at a guy who was sat in front of the same information I had, namely the Apple Store website!! I ended up answering his questions to an extent.

I know they'll be adding countries as quickly as they can to the list of markets where the cellular watch will be available, the annoyance is in not knowing IF that includes us and if it does WHEN.

Not the end of the world by any means, but I did point of the inconsistency in their messages, which isn't like them in fairness. Their web-site Text says "Phone and Messages. Send messages, make calls and get meeting invitations." but the graphic is of a product that will never have that functionality, according to Apple's own product recognition criteria - the watch has no red dot in the centre of the crown.
 
Pugmister said:
Very true, i always forget that America price without tax but even taking New York as an example $999 at 8.875% tax the retail will be $1,087.....that's still €269 euro dearer.
Click to expand...

Factor in the difference between an 8.875% and 23% sales tax, add a currency hedge margin and the difference is less. Ireland is such a small market in comparrison, we'll never hit the scales of efficiencies of a large market. And of course Apple and other price at what the market will bear.
 
Only a matter of time until someone is on to Joe Duffy asking why the goverment isn't giving a grant to people who can't afford to buy it because they're as much entitled to it as anyone else. Wait and see?
 
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