Apple Watch repairs will cost up to $2,800
Apple Watch buyers might want to consider a warranty if they don't want to be hit with hefty repair charges. Apple says that out-of-warranty service fees will range from $229 all the way up to $2,800 on Apple Watches.
The Apple Watch appears on display in New York. Out-of-warranty Apple Watch repairs could cost owners thousands of dollars.
Bebeto Matthews/AP/File
People who shell out big bucks for an Apple Watch might want to consider a warranty if they don’t want to be hit with another hefty charge for repairs.
Apple has revealed that out-of-warranty service fees will range from $229 all the way up to $2,800 on the smartwatches, which went on sale Friday.
The fees, spotted by Apple-oriented blog MacRumors, would be for repairs that aren’t covered by the watches’ one-year warranty.
It will cost $229 to repair the entry-level Apple Watch Sport, $329 on the Apple Watch and a whopping $2,800 on the luxury Apple Watch Edition, which carries a price tag that can run upward of $10,000.
An Apple Care+ warranty for an extra year on the Sport costs $49. It’s $69 for the Apple Watch and $1,500 for the Edition.
Early reports suggested brisk sales of the Apple Watch on Friday. By mid-morning Eastern time, there was a four-to-six-week shipping estimate for one of the watches. Apple did not say how many of the watches were going to be made immediately available in its retail stores.
Tech companies are sometimes thought to limit the initial release of their hottest products to generate buzz and drive demand for them.
Apple Watch prices range from $349 for the Sport to $549 for the Apple Watch to a minimum of $10,000 for the Edition.
Available in limited quantities from select Apple Store locations, Edition will be made from solid 18-karat gold and come with a selection of custom-designed wrist bands.
The release date for the Apple Watch is April 24, but pre-orders began Friday.
Buying an Apple Watch or Apple Watch Sport at an Apple Store will require an appointment for customers who don’t want to be placed on a will-call waiting list. People interested in the Apple Watch Edition may walk right in — just one of the perks of a fancy sales pitch devised by a team Apple hired from the likes of luxury brands Yves St. Laurent, Louis Vuitton and Burberry.
Doug Gross is a staff writer covering personal finance for NerdWallet. Follow him on Twitter @doug_gross and on Google+.