Rumor: A gold Apple Watch Sport that could cost much less than $10,000

 By 
Raymond Wong
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Fancy yourself a gold or rose gold Apple Watch, but don't have a spare $10,000 lying around?

Don't worry. You may be able to buy a cheaper version this fall.

A report from KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggests that Apple may release gold and rose gold-colored Apple Watch Sport models to match the also-rumored rose gold iPhone 6S.

The new Apple Watch models will not be made from real 18-karat gold. Rather, as Sport models, they will still be made from aluminum, but anodized to be gold and rose-gold colored. The anodized watch case will look more like the gold iPhone 6 and new MacBook.

Since the watches are Sport models, they should cost significantly less. If Apple were to charge a premium for the new gold and rose gold Apple Watch models, it could price them at $449 for the 38mm and $499 for the 42mm -- right between the $399 42mm Sport model and the $549 stainless steel Watch model.

As Mashable reported (and Apple CEO Tim Cook later confirmed), Apple's obsession with giving its products the gold makeover is a response to Asian preferences (especially China's).

In the same report, Kuo claims the iPad mini 4 will come with updated internal hardware as well as a thinner and lighter design that matches the svelte design of the iPad Air 2.

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