Apple Watch outsold the entire Swiss watch industry in 2019, adding another feather to the cap. On several, Apple Watch users have credited their smartwatch to saving their lives - either by detecting a serious heart ailment or calling emergency services at the right time. Either way, Apple Watch has emerged as a status symbol of its own, which is not something we can say about every smartwatch out there.
The latest entrant to the critically-acclaimed Apple Watch series was the Series 5, which we recently reviewed and found it to be incredibly useful. But, like any Apple product, the Apple Watch Series 5 doesn't come cheap. It costs a whopping Rs 49,900 if you're in India or ranges between $399 and $499 in the U.S. That's probably the budget for someone's primary phone.
If the pricing of the Apple Watch Series 5 is one of the reasons for you not to get this brilliant piece of hardware, you don't have to worry anymore. There's a way you can get the latest Apple Watch for as little as $49 - that's 10 times cheaper than its selling price. Too good to be true? Well, there are some conditions to the trade.
Apple Watch Series 5 for $49
The US dollar reference so far should have been clear that the offer holds good only for US residents. But that's not the only condition. In order to be eligible to buy the Apple Watch 5 for $49, buyers must be 65 years or older, must own iPhone 6s or later models with iOS 12.2 and must have Original Medicare. The offer is valid for 75,000 people.
What's the catch?
The age requirement among other things weren't the only things you should know before you fetch this deal. The buyers of the Apple Watch 5 will be a part of a study, which will test the smartwatch's incredibly-useful feature of detecting atrial fibrillation (AFib). For those unaware, AFib is an early indication for strokes.
For this study, Johnson and Johnson is partnering with Apple to study how early detection of AFib impacts stroke in people older than 65 years. The study is called "Heartline," which will be studying 150,000 participants with long-term follow-ups over two years.
If the participant is assigned to use the Heartline iPhone app, they can buy the Apple Watch 5 for $49 or borrow it and use the smartwatch for the duration of the study without paying anything. The study is also open to those who already own an Apple Watch and some participants might receive monetary compensation of up to $150 for being a part of the research.
