Apple debuts discount watch

San Ramon (US), Sept. 16: Apple introduced a cheaper version of its smartwatch, its latest attempt to broaden the appeal of its trend-setting products while many consumers are forced to scrimp during the coronavirus pandemic.

The scaled-down Apple Watch follows on the heels of a budget iPhone the company released five months ago as the economy cratered and unemployment rates rose above the levels reached during the Great Recession more than a decade ago.

Apple also took the wraps off a new high-end watch model, a next-generation iPad and a couple of new subscription services during a virtual event held on Tuesday.

The company normally also rolls out its new iPhones at this time of year, but production problems caused by the pandemic have delayed their release until at least October.

CEO Tim Cook didn't mention iPhones during Tuesday's one-hour presentation recorded at the company's massive, but now mostly empty, headquarters in Cupertino, California.

The Apple Watch has never come close to rivalling the iPhone's popularity, but it does dominate the market for smartwatches.

Canaccord Genuity analyst T. Michael Walkley estimates about 51 million Apple Watches will be sold this year, a 5 per cent increase from last year. The research firm GlobalData pegs Apple's share of the USD 64 billion smartwatch market at roughly 60 per cent.

The new discount model, called the Apple Watch SE, will sell for $279 and be available beginning Friday. The price is a markdown from the $399 that Apple is asking for the next version of its higher end watch, the Series 6. Apple watches have been selling for an average of $377, based on Walkley's calculations.

Apple added more features to help the watch monitor its owner's health, including a sensor that can read blood oxygen levels.