Apple fans who wrote to Santa asking for an official Apple Watch charger just had their wish granted. According to the Cupertino-based company, an Apple-manufactured charging dock for the Apple Watch is ready for purchase.
The white round docking station has an embedded magnetic puck, strongly resembling the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Cable, which already comes with the original package.
Instead of the single USB-powered charging cable, the dock is powered by a 6.5-feet Lightning cable that has to be connected to its side.
The Apple Watch can be placed in two positions on the charging dock. One way is to lay the face up flat on the dock, or to place the watch with its side up via the new WatchOS 2 "nightstand mode."
The Apple Watch has the capacity to mimic the functionality of a bedside clock, so it would make sense to create a nightstand-adapted charger. The metallic puck from the center of the charging disc can be lifted up to support the Apple Watch, virtually transforming it into a digital alarm clock. To those concerned, snoozing works by pressing the crown.
After initial rumors approximated the price tag to be around $100, Apple revealed that the retail price of the Apple Watch Magnetic Charging Dock is $79. When compared to third-party docks, such as ones that can be bought from Best Buy and Amazon, the official Apple Watch charging dock is cringe-worthy expensive.
For example, the BlueLounge's Kosta charging coaster fills up your Apple Watch with power for only $15. Elevation Lab's Nightstand is slightly more expensive at $30, but it offers matching colors with the wristbands of Apple devices. Buyers who are prepared to shell out more can choose the Forté for Apple Watch, a $60 metallic and leather dock which is quite stylish, but still cheaper than Apple's.
With the Magnetic Charging Dock, Apple keeps up with its tradition of delivering high quality design that is severely overpriced.
Watch sales reached one million units during the first 24 hours of preordering, and sources familiar with the matter claim that Apple sent out around 1.7 billion units by the end of September. While this could prove that the market for a Magnetic Charging Dock is consistent, the device is still terribly expensive.
After all, an iPhone dock made by Apple costs $39.
