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TAG Heuer's latest golf smartwatch offers more help with your shots
TAG Heuer has unveiled a new golf smartwatch that promises more help for your game — and a better watch all around.
TAG Heuer's smaller luxury smartwatch will set you back $1,800
TAG Heuer has unveiled its next-generation Connected smartwatch, and there's now a smaller 42mm model along with much-improved hardware.
Amazon needs to get a handle on its counterfeit problem
Chances are you wouldn't suspect that whatever you're buying from Amazon, whether it be clothing, sunglasses or a handbag, is fake. And, for the most part, that tends to true. But that doesn't mean you should trust that every product is legit. In fact, right now if you search for "Yeezys," a highly coveted pair of Adidas shoes, you'll get more than a thousand results that are clearly fake. Two dead giveaways are design flaws and an unlikely low price -- trust me, Adidas doesn't sell them for $20. The worst part is that some of them bear the seemingly trustworthy Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) label. But all that really means is that the company is acting as the middleman between you and the actual seller.
The world of high fashion finally has its answer to Amazon
To give you an idea of the kind of customer LVMH is after, all you need to look at is Louis Vuitton's new $2,900 Android Wear smartwatch. The French company, which owns brands like Dior, Fendi, Givenchy and Marc Jacobs in addition to LV, is the epitome of luxury. And now, with 24 Sèvres, LVMH has what it hopes can become the main online destination for high-fashion shoppers. CEO Eric Goguey says the site is designed to be the web version of Le Bon Marché, an iconic retail space often described as the most selective department store in Paris.
Recommended Reading: What if there were a PBS of social networks?
The Case for a Taxpayer-Supported Version of Facebook Ethan Zuckerman, The Atlantic What if there were a publicly-funded social network open to all that provided a diverse world view rather than an echo chamber catered to one's deeply-held principles? Sounds like a great idea. The Atlantic makes the case for the PBS of social networks, including why it's needed and what it might look like.
Luxury fashion brands slowly embrace internet shopping
Luxury fashion brands have been notoriously reluctant to embrace the internet. While you can find their wares on some third-party stores, you typically have to visit an old-fashioned retail store if you want to buy straight from the source. However, that's set to change. LVMH, the owner of many of the world's biggest luxury brands (including Bulgari, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton), is launching its own online store in June.
Why the fashion world won't let Amazon in
There's no doubt Amazon has already mastered the art of selling groceries and other essential goods online. But the company aims to be more than that. It's focusing on streaming technologies, with services like Prime Video and Music Unlimited, a rival to Spotify and Apple Music. Then there's fashion, a space that may be the hardest (though not impossible) to conquer. While Amazon isn't new to selling clothes, the company sees high-fashion retail as its next holy grail. It wants to be the place where you can have a $12 Hanes hoodie and a $1,500 Louis Vuitton frock in the same cart.
TAG Heuer's Android smartwatch is (relatively) popular
TAG Heuer's $1,500 Connected smartwatch may have been a big gamble, but it's paying off... relatively speaking. LVMH watch chief Jean-Claude Biver tells Bloomberg that his company is upping production of the Android Wear timepiece to meet demand from retailers, and it's even freezing online sales until May or June for the sake of giving physical stores a better shot. However, the numbers aren't about to keep established smartwatch makers awake at night. Production is increasing from 1,200 per week to a not-so-whopping 2,000 -- for context, IDC estimates that Apple sold 3.9 million smartwatches in the third quarter, or about 43,000 per day. TAG's device is successful in the luxury world's terms, but numerous smartwatch brands will easily outsell it.
TAG Heuer's first smartwatch gets a $400 price bump
Normally, when a company changes its mind about the pricing of a forthcoming gadget, it's to surprise us all with a nice discount. Luxury watch brand TAG Heuer, on the other hand, felt that its first smartwatch, the Carrera Wearable 01, was actually too cheap at $1,400. In an interview with CNBC, CEO Jean-Claude Biver revealed that the timepiece, created with Google and Intel, will now actually retail for $1,800. Biver also let slip that the watch will launch on November 9th at the LVMH building in New York. The executive also feels that $1,800 is a fair price for the unit, since it's only a few hundred bucks more than you'd pay for an Apple Watch Hermés Collection -- produced by a rival luxury goods brand that may, one day, be owned by TAG's parent company.
TAG Heuer's Android smartwatch will cost you $1,400
So much for hopes that TAG Heuer's first smartwatch will cost less than its conventional counterparts. Jean-Claude Biver, the head of TAG's parent company LVMH, says that the Android Wear timepiece will cost about $1,400 when it ships in October or November. That's in the ballpark of lower-end quartz models from the watchmaker's Formula 1 line, but it makes even the $1,000 steel link Apple Watch seem like a relative bargain. That money will get you more than just a luxurious brand name, however. Biver estimates that the TAG Heuer device will last 40 hours on battery, so you won't have to panic if you forget to top it up one day. This is just a friendly reminder that watch prices at this level are dictated more by the design than what's inside -- a nice steel watch won't come cheap. [Image credit: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images]
Swatch co-inventor Elmar Mock is a fan of the Apple Watch
As one might have anticipated, the Apple Watch elicited its fair share of groans and critiques from traditional watchmakers who were quick to question the device's utility and design aesthetic. LVMH executive Jean-Claude Biver, for example, said that the watch has no sex appeal, is too feminine, and "looks like it was designed by a student in their first trimester." In a subsequent interview with Forbes, Biver said that the Apple Watch, at present, "cannot compete at all with European watches." Singing a different tune, though, is Swatch co-inventor Elmar Mock who recently told the website Swissinfo.ch that traditional watch companies would be well advised not to so readily dismiss Apple's foray into the watch market. The Apple Watch is by far the most attractive of the smartwatches. I would definitely wear it. Don't forget that the early smartphones did not immediately replace conventional mobile phones. ... It's understandable why [luxury brands] Breguet, Rolex, Cartier or Patek Philippe are disinterested. Swatch, on the other hand, should be taking a leading a role. Swiss watchmakers seem to have forgotten how they underestimated Japanese quartz watches in the 1970s as mere gadgets and not real watches. That mistake led to the near collapse of the watch industry. Once the Apple Watch goes on sale, we'll soon know whether or not Biver is spot-on or if his pessimism will become yet another example of Apple proving naysayers and skeptics embarrassingly wrong. Recall former Palm CEO Ed Holligan's statements made in the wake of the iPhone unveiling: We've learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They're not going to just walk in. And yet, that's exactly what they did.
Apple recruits one of the watch industry's most important sales execs
Apple's recent hires in wearable tech have largely taken place outside the watch industry, which is slightly odd for a company rumored to be making a watch of its own. However, it just addressed that discrepancy in style -- LVMH's watch division has confirmed that Apple has snagged Patrick Pruniaux, TAG Heuer's sales and retail VP, as part of a broader campaign to poach talent from watchmakers. We've reached out to Apple to learn more about its plans, but LVMH group head Jean-Claude Biver tells CNBC that Pruniaux will be working on the "iWatch." Clearly, the team in Cupertino wants someone who can market wristwear to a large audience.
Louis Vuitton cellphone belt buckle is fake, potentially harmful to your manhood
This Louis Vuitton cellphone belt buckle comes to us by way of China and brings together two things that should never be combined: fake designer belts and wireless communication. First off, we've all heard the warnings about a cellphone's proximity to our baby-makers; second, we're pretty sure that taking your belt off every time you get a call will not only lead to frustration, but some pretty weird looks on the subway; and finally, it's a fake. Look, it's not like we're anti-excess here, but it seems to us like a solid gold cellphone is a far more practical investment. This rather ridiculous contraption apparently comes complete with Bluetooth earpiece and built-in camera, and supports dual card standby and TF card expansion. You know how we feel about it, but if you must, there's a video after the jump.
TAG Heuer to partner with ModeLabs on luxury handset?
It looks like the competition in the luxury phone market is heating up, as folks still trying to choose between Gresso, Vertu, GoldVish, the D&G RAZR, or the ridiculously pricey Black Diamond could see one more alternative in addition to the recently-unveiled LG Prada. According to Sybarites, TAG Heuer -- the folks responsible for Jeff Gordon and Tiger Woods' sumptuous wristwatches -- is teaming up with ModeLabs to introduce "a completely new phone" for deep-pocketed talkers. While details (including a sneak peek) are scant, the phone is "expected to be made of stainless steel and have many similarities to TAG watches," but it seems we'll just have to wait this one out before making any other far-reaching predictions.[Thanks, James]
