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The Apple Watch Edition is dead

The Apple Watch Edition is dead

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From gold to ceramic to nothing

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The super-expensive Apple Watch has been discontinued. With the introduction of Apple Watch Series 4 this afternoon, Apple showed off the standard aluminum and stainless steel hardware — but there was no mention of the premium Edition model. For last year’s Apple Watch Series 3, the company released a version with a ceramic casing. That doesn’t seem to be the case this time around.

It’s still possible to spend a ton of money on an Apple Watch Series 4, mind you. The Hermes variants can run up to $1,500.

When the Apple Watch debuted, Apple offered a high-luxury variant with a case made from 18-karat rose or yellow gold. It gave them out to celebrities including Kanye West and Beyoncé for some exposure. The first Apple Watch Edition was priced at $10,000 (and could be configured up to $17,000).

Apple

That’s not too unusual in the luxury watch market, but it always seemed unwise — allow me to just say downright stupid — to spend that much cash on a gadget that would become outdated the very next year. A traditional watch costing thousands is something you might hand down over generations. An Apple Watch? Not so much.

Beginning with Series 2, Apple retired the gold model and switched over to a ceramic build. But now the company seems to have abandoned the Edition tier entirely.