Apple's Time Flies Event 2020 product launches with prices

Apple for the first time conducted an E-Event due the the current pandemic and launched a bunch of products including a refreshed iPad, iPad Air, Apple Watch Series 6 and an Apple Watch Se.

The Apple Watch Series 6 is available for pre-order now with shipments starting on Friday, September 18. The aluminum GPS-only model starts at $399 for the 40mm size and $429 for the 44mm. The GPS+Cellular version costs $499 and $529, respectively.

The Apple Watch SE is also available for pre-order today with shipments starting on Friday. The 40mm model starts at $279, while the 44mm starts at $309. Adding Cellular connectivity brings the starting price to $329 and $359, depending on size.

The new iPad Air, running iPadOS 14, will be available next month in silver, space gray, rose gold, green, and sky blue starting at $599 (Wi-Fi-only) or $729 (Wi-Fi + Cellular) with 64GB of storage. It will also be offered with 256GB storage at $749/$879.

The entry level iPad has been launched at $329 for the Wi-Fi-only model, and $459 for Wi-Fi + Cellular.

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Nike Launches Apple Watch NikeLab

Seven months after the launch of the first Apple Watch Nike+, Nike has launched a new variant called the Apple Watch NikeLab. As can be inferred from the name, this will be part of Nike's NikeLab range of products, which means it is also limited edition.

The Apple Watch NikeLab is functionally identical to the Apple Watch Nike+. What's new here is the color palette; while the Nike+ comes in a black or white color options, the NikeLab variant combines both to form a stunning new design, with a Space Gray aluminum body and Light Bone/Black band. Apart from that, it has all the features of the standard Apple Watch Series 2, along with the Nike exclusive extras, such as Nike+ Run app and exclusive Siri commands, found on the Nike+ variant.

The limited edition Apple Watch NikeLab has been available starting April 27 at NikeLab doors and at an Apple Tokyo pop-up in Isetan.

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Source: GSMArena

Apple running the show in the Wearables Market

The wearable market is growing slowly but its dynamics are changing. According to Strategy Analytics, Apple ousted Fitbit from the top position with 3.5 million wearables shipped during the first quarter of this year.

That’s a jump of 59% compared to the same period last year. Apple raced ahead of the market, which grew only 21% annually for a total of 22 million units shipped. Fitbit went from first (with 4.5 million in Q1 2016) to third (with just 2.9 million in Q1 2017), a massive slump.

Xiaomi also declined - from 3.8 million to 3.5 million - but it still kept enough market share (15%) to go up to second place. The market also diversified, makers outside the Top 3 went up from 7.7 million units to 12.2 million.

Growth mostly came from North America, Europe and Asia. The Apple Watch 2, in particular, was a hot seller in the US, UK and several other countries as helped out by strong marketing.

This is a good place to mention that Xiaomi mostly ships smart bands, Fitbit has a variety of fitness trackers and smartwatches (though not Android Wear) while Apple only ships full-blown smartwatches. So numbers are not always directly comparable.

Still, the main takeaway from this is that the once market leader, Fitbit, is now in trouble. Shipments, along with revenue and profits, have fallen and it will be a struggle to recover.

Source: GSMArena