Apple Watch Sale: $100 Off Ahead Of Rumored Apple Watch 2 Launch

The Apple Watch is discounted $100 this Valentine’s Day, a month before a new Apple Watch 2 is expected to launch.

iDigitalTimes said the Apple Watch was discounted $100 for Valentine’s Day at B&H Photo, with the watch sale lasting until Monday (February 15). The site said Target and Best Buy are offering the deal, as well, with some models starting at a price of $249.

The steep discounts on first generation Apple Watches could clear out inventory of the old models just in time for the expected March product launch, iDigitalTimes said.

“An Apple product event is expected on March 15 and many outlets are already suggesting that Apple will likely unveil a new 4-inch Apple iPhone 5se, an Apple iPad Air 3, and also an updated Apple Watch (Apple Watch ‘S’ instead of the Apple Watch 2, if you will). The Apple Watch facelift reportedly delivers a front-facing camera to enable Face Time. The March Apple event is slated to introduce new band designs as well.”

Even though iDigitalTimes is touting the new Apple Watch and features like a front-facing camera, Tech Crunch said it believes Apple is simply trying to capture marketshare in this still new market of smartwatches.

Crunch may be on to something, especially since the Apple Watch has not yet been on the market for a full year. It would seem a bit odd to introduce a completely different model line when most additions could be done via a firmware update over Wi-Fi and other changes, such as new straps, do not require a complete change of device.

Something else Tech Crunch has noticed is that the pricing discounts are only happening at non-Apple stores. While retailers like Best Buy and Target could continue some of these discounts for the long-term, you won’t find the discounts at your neighborhood Apple store.

“Also worth noting, it’s interesting to see that Apple doesn’t want to discount the Apple Watch in its own stores. Instead, the company relies on third-party stores for these discounts, keeping the Watch at its original price point in the Apple Stores.”

If you are skeptical of Tech Crunch‘s reporting and expect a new Apple Watch to launch this year, Value Walk has sources it says are feeding them full of the goods on the latest Apple Watch model.

Perhaps the most notable change is the ability for the watch to use Wi-Fi as a standalone device, removing its dependence on the iPhone. If true, it is a big step forward for the Apple Watch and the iPhone. One of the many complaints about the new Apple Watch is that its dependence on the iPhone via Bluetooth is draining the iPhone’s battery life.

The issue of battery life is not just with what the Apple Watch does to iPhones, but its also a big deal on the watch itself. In many instances, complaints have focused on the fact that the watch can’t seem to keep a charge for a full-day, which could be a problem for being needing to tell the time.

Other features expected on the device, according to Value Walk, include the inclusion of health monitoring and data, along with better durability.

One last rumor on the Apple Watch that Value Walk says is not nailed down (at this point) concerns the overall design. They say it is possible the device could be both thinner and rounder in design, appearing more like a standard watch versus the thicker and clunkier Apple Watch models that made their debut last year. One of Steve Jobs’ enduring design elements was the thinner device. He was always looking to reduce the size of Apple products and even in death, his desire for thin units appears to continue.

[Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images]