Apple introduced its follow-up to the original Apple Watch today with the Watch Series 2, which is waterproof, includes a GPS radio, faster processors, and a brighter screen.
The new watches are available in aluminum (gold, rose gold, silver or space black) or stainless steel (stainless or space black). Pricing starts at $369. There’s a new Watch Edition in white ceramic for $1249, and a Series 2 Hermes watch starts at $1149. No mention was made of the $10,000 solid gold Edition case.
Original watches — now dubbed Series 1, without GPS or water-tightness but with a dual core processor — will be available in aluminum only for $269.
Pre-orders start Sept. 9 (Friday), with availability Sept. 16.
Apple made a big deal of the Series 2 particular applicability to swimming and running. But the company also brought out Niantic Labs, the folks behind Pokemon Go, to demo a version of Go for Watch. Sadly, it was promised only for before the end of the year. We’ll see if Pokemon Go has burned itself out by then.
Of perhaps more consequence was an Apple Watch Nike+. Nike and Apple have been working together for more than a decade. They’ve now produced a version of the watch — aluminum only — with a special band and a Nike+ Run Club app that tracks your activity and provides motivation. The distinctive straps are available only bundled with the watch. It was not clear whether the app is available separately. Like the regular Series 2 watch, the Nike+ version will cost starting at $369 for ordering Sept 6. Deliver won’t be until late October.
