Apple's new smartwatch has uncertain fate even in China. (Photo : Technology News China)
Apple’s new smartwatch is yet to settle among Chinese Apple gadget lovers even after the company called out to them through announcing a new store in eastern China’s Hangzhou City in San Francisco, California.
Unlike in the case of iPhone 6, the new Apple smartwatch has been announced to go on sale in China simultaneously with the United States on April 24 for a minimum price of nearly 3,000 yuan ($479), inclusive of tax.
They also revealed that the new Apple gadget would be compatible with WeChat, the social messaging app popular in China.
However, experts believe that it might be too soon to predict whether the recent addition to Apple's line of high-end smart gadgets would become widely popular even in China, which has been deemed as the second-largest iPhone market in the world, following the U.S.
According to a report from Reuters, the gadget would have a Sport model, which would be priced much lower, compared to its luxury edition that costs a hefty 145,000 yuan ($23,157) in China.
These two, however, are priced much lower in the U.S., with the Sports edition's price tagged at $349, while the top-end luxury edition costs $17,000 only.
Many Apple patrons all over the world have already learned their lesson when it comes to the company's gadgets which become outdated almost immediately because of the release of a new edition every year, says Reuters.
Aside from that, Chinese users are still looking for the more practical option other than the Apple smartwatch which, says the Reuters report, they consider to be impractical because of its small screen size and the absence of a "killer app."
"It's almost impossible to send WeChat messages when staring at such a small screen. I'd rather buy a traditional luxury watch at the same price," says 46-year-old Huang Hongwen, a freelancer from Shanghai.
