2 When Apple Inc. disclosed the prices for its smartwatches, I gasped. Its most expensive version, with a 24 karat-gold-encrusted case, costs $17,000. "Why, you could buy a car for that kind of money!" I thought. Which may have been Apple's goal all along. As Apple rolls out a carefully orchestrated marketing plan to introduce the Watch, the first new product category under CEO Tim Cook, the Cupertino tech giant may also have been laying the groundwork for how to eventually promote and sell a much more expensive and intricate product: an automobile. Apple is reportedly developing an electric car, and an alliance with or acquisition of Tesla has long captured the imagination of Wall Street and Silicon Valley. Last year, The Chronicle reported that Tesla founder Elon Musk met with Apple's head of mergers and acquisitions. Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself. But if there's one thing Apple has proven over the years, it's that the company likes to think three steps ahead. Prior to the Watch's release April 24, Apple is allowing people to book appointments at stores to try out the watch. And just as shoppers are not likely to buy a Lexus over the Internet, the… Read full this story
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