Apple Declares $17,000 Gold Watch As "Obsolete", Refuses Repairs

Apple's first-generation Apple Watch is no longer available for repair or upgrade as the company declared the product as "obsolete". This includes the premium 18-karat gold version, which adheres to Apple's seven-year warranty policy. The watch was released in 2015 with a price range of $10,000 to $17,000 and was only available for one year before Apple replaced it with less luxurious watch variations, as per a report in The Verge.

The obsolete tag not only means the end of software updates but also the end of hardware support. The company will no longer provide parts, repairs or replacement services for the watch at Apple Stores and Apple Authorised Service Provider locations. It is to be noted that the original Apple Watch, referred to as Series 0, was never updated beyond watchOS 4.3.2 in 2018.

As per Apple's website, when a product has been out of production for more than seven years, the company considers it to be technologically outdated. The first-generation devices just surpassed that seven-year milestone since the original Apple Watch was discontinued in September 2016 in favour of the Series 2 and Series 1 versions.

The solid-gold Apple Watch Edition was a pet project for Jony Ive, who served as Apple's previous head designer. Celebrities were spotted wearing it when it first debuted, including German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld and singer Beyonce, who paired it with a gold link bracelet that was never made available to the general public.

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Not only this, all other Hermes-branded 38mm and 42mm aluminium and stainless steel models of the original Apple Watch are also regarded as outdated. The ceramic Apple Watch Edition, which could be purchased for up to $1,299, was later replaced by the solid-gold Apple Watch in 2016.

Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 were launched on September 12 at the company's Wonderlust event. The wearable smartwatches come with considerable upgrades over their preceding models. The Apple Watch Series 9 is offered in Midnight, Pink, (Product) Red, Starlight, and Silver colour options and is priced at Rs. 41,900 whereas the Apple Watch Ultra 2 is priced at Rs. 89,900. It comes with Alpine Loop, Trail Loop, and Ocean band options.