Since the Apple Watch is categorized as "activewear", one important feature to consider is the ability to protect your device. What happens if you accidentally smash the watch into a door, or drop it off of a two story ledge? That's where AppleCare comes in.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant has offered its own repair/replacement services for a long time. While all Apple devices come with one to two years of AppleCare included in the purchase, that lets users fix it under certain circumstances. AppleCare+ is something else altogether, as it is what customers buy to provide a new level of protection in case they actually damage their iPhone or Macbook and want to be absolutely sure that they can replace it. While all of this sounds good, how much will it cost the customer?
The Apple Watch Edition's AppleCare+ package will cost users $999 a year, which is 10 percent of the original price, according to 9to5Mac. Compare that with $79 for the regular Apple Watch, which will average out to be anywhere between 9 percent and 18 percent of the Watch's price, depending on which band and screen size the customer buys. Finally, Applecare+ for the Apple Watch Sport will cost $59, a mere 14 percent to 16 percent of the device's cost.
The Apple Watch and Apple Watch Sport come with a year of basic AppleCare, while the Apple Watch Edition will come with two years. However, AppleCare+ offers users a longer period of product protection, as well as more options for repairing and replacing parts.
"As is the case with many other Apple products, AppleCare+ for the Apple Watch will be offered at the time of purchase within physical Apple Retail Stores and the Apple Online Store," 9to5Mac noted. "If Apple does indeed replace an Apple Watch under AppleCare+, there will likely be a deductible price for replacement, which will be far less than replacement pricing for customers without the AppleCare+ plan."
If users do damage to the Apple Watch, they won't be able to have staff repair it in-store, or at least they won't be able to upon launch. Damaged Apple Watches will have to be shipped off-site for repairs, though it's likely that this will change in the future.
