Apple Watch pricing and availability

Here's the big question: we know that the Apple Watch will be available starting at $349, but how much higher will it go?

Update: Read our review of Apple Watch.

It seems like a very safe assumption that $349 will get you the Apple Watch Sport. With its aluminum body and synthetic rubber strap, it's clearly the cheapest option and meant to be sold to the masses. It's possible that there will be multiple configurations of the Sport, but we really know nothing yet of how Apple plans to sell this. All Apple Watch models are available in two different sizes, and we'll also find out how much more the larger model will sell for than the smaller model.

Even with all of those questions, there's still plenty left to speculate on. The first question is what the standard stainless steel Apple Watch will cost. Apple pundit John Gruber, of Daring Fireball, wrote a lengthy piece on this late last month: he speculates that the standard Apple Watch will have an average price of around $1,000, which sounds like a reasonable guess. He also suspects that it may start lower, at around $700, but could jump up to well over $1,000 depending on what band it's paired with.

How much for the gold watch?

Then there's the question that's received the most heated attention: how much will the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition models cost? Many are speculating that their pricing could be around what you'd pay for a fine analog watch. Gruber is in that camp, placing the price between $10,000 and $20,000, also depending on what band they're paired with. Developer Marco Arment, on the other hand, writes on his blog that he suspects these high guesses could be off the mark, with the real pricing landing around $5,000. Either way, it should be one of the most expensive products Apple currently sells, and everyone's going to be talking about whatever price Apple chooses.

Apple has already said that the Apple Watch will begin shipping in April. On Monday, it should announce the exact date, where you'll be able to get it, and when preorders will begin.

Bands and accessories

Personalization is a big part of the Apple Watch, and — as with most watches — swappable bands play a major role in that. Apple already showed quite a few bands during the Apple Watch's introduction event last year, but this time we should learn about which ones you'll actually be able to buy — and how much you'll pay for them.

It seems likely that all of the sport bands will be available for sale. But the story could be different for the leather and metal bands, especially given that some of them have body color-specific attachments. This may make them more expensive to sell on their own or simply impractical to sell, whereas the sport bands all terminate in their own color, thus preventing this issue.

Some bands could cost a lot more than others

As for third-party bands, we may have to wait to hear about that. Apple doesn't often discuss accessories from other manufacturers on stage, so even if it is encouraging manufacturers to make these — another thing we don't know yet — we may find out after the fact. The big exception might be if Apple, as a report at TechCrunch brings up, provides a way for manufacturers to create smart bands that interface with the watch. While this would be a nice addition, it doesn't appear to be in the cards — at least for this version of the watch.

Apple could also discuss an accessories program for the Apple Watch. Apple's biggest products all have vibrant accessory ecosystems, and part of that is because Apple monitors them through an accessories program. You can bet that, one way or anther, accessories are going to start showing up for the Apple Watch very soon. Whether Apple decides to make it official on Monday isn't clear, but it's something to look for down the road.

Watch apps

Apple previewed a number of apps during the Apple Watch's introduction, but it'll have a lot more to show this time around. That's in large part because of third-party apps: developers have had coding tools in their hands for almost four months now, and you can be sure that Apple will want to show off the biggest and the best on stage. Expect to see a lot from outside developers, possibly large and small, and potentially even some from Apple itself that it didn't show last year.

Along with previewing apps, Apple may also detail what it's doing with the App Store to account for them. For now, it's possible that there won't be many changes. Apple Watch apps will all be running off of iPhone apps, so they may just exist inside of iTunes as they do today. Eventually, Apple plans to bring native apps to its watch, so Apple could have a Watch App Store app to show off. If not, that may be something for another time, such as when native apps become available later this year.