Would You Buy A Rugged Case Kit For The Apple Watch?



Of all the complications that will worry the outer rim of Apple Watch buyers’ minds, the question of whether they need to purchase a case to protectively encase their expensive wrist-wear is perhaps the most frivolous.

On the surface it sounds ludicrous. Who keeps a watch inside a case when it’s attached to their person? And yet the Apple Watch is really a very small wrist computer, with a price-tag that ranges right up to the luxury end of the market. To $10,000, or even $17,000.

It’s also intended as a multipurpose device, with fitness tracking functionality rubbing up against notifications and comms, with some ostentatious bling thrown in (at least if you’re shelling out for 18-karat gold). So it’s supposed to track you when you sweat through a half marathon and then remain on your wrist during that fancy dinner. Same device, different aspects.

Add to that, given that keeping your smartphone in a protective case is well-established behavior, the notion of similarly encasing a smartwatch is only really a small step away.

And so enter device case-maker, Lunatik, with a plan to build and sell ruggedized cases for the Apple Watch. It’s been working on this accessory since Apple officially unveiled its smartwatch last fall, using a mechanism previously patented for encasing the iPod Nano when worn on the wrist. The metal case is being designed to protect without limiting access to the various controls and sensors on the watch.

The forthcoming Epik Apple Watch Kit is only in prototype form at this point (with the latest samples pictured pictured below) — the team is aiming for a shipping timeframe of three months after the Apple Watch itself comes to market at the end of April, so circa summer.

Lunatik founder Scott Wilson says the intention is to test the market for this Apple Watch accessory, via a crowdfunding campaign. So it’s ready to admit it might have misjudged the madness of the moment.

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