Apple Watch Price Predictions

Apple Inc.'s AAPL unveiling event on Monday is one of the most highly-anticipated events of its kind in the history of the company. The wearable Apple Watch device has been rumored, predicted, discussed, criticized and praised in the tech world for years, but the Apple Watch era should officially begin on Monday.

The event starts at 1:00 p.m. EST, which means there are only hours of speculation remaining. John Gruber, writer and developer of technology blog Daring Fireball, took a stab at predicting the prices of different versions of the Apple Watch on Saturday. Fortune describes Gruber as "a seasoned Apple watcher with good sources in the company's marketing department."

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Here's some of what Gruber had to say on Saturday.

Expect To Pay Up

Gruber points out that some of his readers are expecting to be able to get a basic Apple Watch with a link bracelet or Milanese Loop band for as low as $150. He believes that these expectations are not realistic. Gruber predicts the lowest-cost sport edition of the watch will fall in the $349 range.

Third-Party Bands

If the Apple band prices are too steep, Gruber expects a huge new market for third-party band makers. He compares this market to the market for iPhone cases, which has exploded in recent years.

Price Targets

In his piece, Gruber makes price predictions for a wide range of variations of the Apple Watch. Here are his final numbers (38mm/42mm band) going into Monday's event:

• Apple Watch Sport (all colors): $349/399
• Apple Watch, steel, Sport Band: $749/799
• Apple Watch, steel, Classic Buckle: $849/899
• Apple Watch, steel, Milanese Loop: $949/999
• Apple Watch, steel, Modern Buckle (38mm only): $1199
• Apple Watch, steel, Leather Loop (42mm only): $1299
• Apple Watch, steel, Link Bracelet: $1499/1599
• Apple Watch, space black steel, Link Bracelet: $1899/1999
• Apple Watch Edition, Sport Band: $7499/7999
• Apple Watch Edition, Modern Buckle (38mm only): $9999
• Apple Watch Edition, Classic Buckle (42mm only): $10,999
• Apple Watch Edition, Gold Milanese Loop: $14,999/$16,999
• Apple Watch Edition, Gold Link Bracelet: $17,999/$19,999

Guessing Is Fun

While Gruber uses well-reasoned arguments for his price predictions, he clarifies that Apple's secrecy surrounding the watch makes the predictions little more than speculation. "But there is one good reason for last minute speculation," Gruber explains. "This is fun."