The release of the new Apple Watch Series 9 connected watches is fast approaching, and before that, the American giant would already be emptying its stocks of bracelets.
As journalist Mark Gurman reports, many Apple Watch leather bands are currently out of stock on the Apple Store. It seems that the American giant is already anticipating the imminent arrival of the new generation, the Apple Watch Series 9, already getting rid of old models.
It seems that Apple has decided to move away from leather straps, which could impact its partnership with luxury brand Hermès. In France, these start at 339 euros, and soar up to 899 euros for the most expensive. Last year there were already reports of the phasing out of Hermès straps for the Apple Watch, but that didn’t happen. Instead, Apple introduced new colors for the Apple Watch straps when it launched the previous generation. Howevergiven these stock shortages, we could see a more drastic change in this year’s accessories.
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Apple is already anticipating the arrival of the Apple Watch Series 9
According to information from Mark Gurman, Apple would have offered its employees reductions of up to 90% on certain leather bracelets, including those of Hermès. A bracelet offered at 899€ would therefore go to only 89 euros, a rather attractive offer.
These steep reductions would have precipitated stock shortages, good news for the company which is preparing to launch a new generation of connected watches from September 12, alongside the next iPhone 15. “ Several other accessories, including numerous Solo Loop bracelets and the MagSafe charging station, are also at a significant discount to clear the stock. “, announces Gurman. We should therefore expect new iterations during the Keynote next week.
Along with moving away from leather straps, it looks like Apple has also made a big change in the design of its watches, with some now partially 3D printed. It remains to be seen how this will impact the supply of devices, but also their prices.