On Wednesday Apple launched the Apple Watch Extremely, a $799 wearable meant for individuals partaking in excessive actions like climbing mountains, operating ultra-marathons, or diving. However as MacRumors factors out, breaking its display screen, button, sensors, or different varied components whereas doing any of those actions might be very costly: repairs for the watch will price $499 if you happen to don’t have AppleCare Plus (we’ll get to that in a minute), in response to an estimate device on Apple’s web site. That’s considerably greater than the $299 restore for an entry-level Sequence 8.
Getting the battery changed on an Extremely can even price greater than it will for Apple’s much less excessive watches, coming in at $99 as an alternative of $79. That does make some sense; the Extremely possible has a a lot larger battery than the Sequence 8, provided that Apple estimates it’ll final twice as lengthy.
Whereas I do get that it’s all the time enjoyable to poke enjoyable at Apple’s typically out-there pricing — I nonetheless typically have a giggle on the $19 sprucing fabric — I do considerably perceive why the Extremely’s repairs will price a lot. Apple Watches are basic tiny and glued collectively, and neither of these elements make for simple repairs. That extra or leaves leaves Apple with two choices once you ship it your damaged watch; it may well simply recycle it and ship you a refurbished one, or it may well rent of us with severe expertise to truly restore it. Neither of these choices are precisely low cost.
Truthful or not, the Extremely’s excessive restore worth isn’t distinctive. Apple estimates you’d must pay the identical $499 to get a Titanium Sequence 7 Version repaired, which tracks provided that the Extremely is constructed from the identical materials. (A footnote does say that delivery is free for Apple Watch Editions, the place you need to pay for it in any other case. Apple didn’t instantly reply to The Verge’s request for touch upon whether or not it’d cowl delivery for the Extremely too.) These aren’t even the most costly repairs although; if you happen to break your ceramic Sequence 5, you can be out $800 if you need it mounted with out AppleCare Plus.
Talking of AppleCare, although, that’s actually the answer right here. Apple’s safety plan for the Extremely is $100 up entrance (or $4.99 a month), and that’ll knock repairs all the way down to a way more manageable $79. In case you get your Extremely repaired even as soon as — and let’s face it, if you happen to’re one of many “out of doors adventurers” Apple’s advertising and marketing the watch to, you’ll in all probability must in some unspecified time in the future — you’ll come out approach forward with AppleCare. Plus, Apple simply made it so the coverage covers limitless repairs as an alternative of simply two a yr, which is a boon for many who’ll be pushing themselves and their gear to its limits.