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10% of Consumers 'Very Likely' to Buy a Smartwatch in 2015, Suggesting 24M Apple Watches

The big reasons I have no interest in the Apple watch are.. price, ugly UI and inability to use it without iPhone.
 
I haven't been more excited for an Apple product before. I see this becoming like the iPod did. It was seen as a useless product at first, and then exploded for Apple, and I can see it happening again.
 
Wow, so much negativity. Was this article posted too early? All the "love must have" commenters usually don't get here until about 9:15 am Pacific Time for some reason.

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Cayden said:
I haven't been more excited for an Apple product before. I see this becoming like the iPod did. It was seen as a useless product at first, and then exploded for Apple, and I can see it happening again.
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Oh, never mind. Here we go. Everything is fine now.
 
The issue of cost aside, I'm undecided as to how this would be useful for me. As mentioned in another post I too find it fairly redundant.

I completely stopped wearing a watch when cellphones made them irrelevant. I don't see anything that would make me jump up and say 'I gotta have this!'
 
bbeagle said:
I don't think the numbers mean what you think they mean.

Only 29% of Americans currently have a Tablet - ANY manufacturer's tablet.
http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/11/two-thirds-of-americans-now-have-smartphones/

If pretty much the same number of people want smart watches that own tablets, well, smart watches will be a smashing success.

27% is a HUGE number. Apple was only interested in 2% of the cell phone market originally.
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Except a tablet is a stand alone product. This will only sell to iPhone owners so only to a subset of that group. Not 27% (or in my opinion easily half or a quarter of that in the end) of the whole population, but 27% of iPhone users, around a quarter of the adult population
http://fortune.com/2014/01/16/npd-better-than-1-in-4-adult-americans-now-own-an-iphone/
so now you're talking a quarter of a quarter which I think would be wildly optimistic. Especially when you look at the percentage of people who have older iPhones that can't support the new watch.

No I think iWatch sales will be far below what the analysts suggest. Maybe in line with what Apple believes but the analysts will be disappointed.
 
Well, I guess I am with the majority.
Make it waterproof and get rid of the iPhone for most tasks then I am in.

It might take few years to happen if it survives until then. That said I think the watch will sell OK but it won't be a smash hit. I could very well be wrong and Apple for many times has proved skeptics wrong. I hope they do it again.

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I really want is a sport tracker band. I hope Nike and Apple can come up with a rad waterproof Fuelband.
 
10 percent cited that they are "very likely" to buy a smartwatch

Are those people looking to buy iWatch or any other smartwatch? By the time the new iWatch is available, the second gen Android watches will be out! Looking forward to seeing the Moto 360 v2
 
I think it needs a "killer app" and what I've seen so far doesn't cut it, in my opinion.

It can be used independently of an iPhone, but in reality, it's an iPhone accessory, starting at $350, presumably for the Sport edition. The price of the nicer ones will escalate quickly from there. I question the gold ones, by all accounts, the gold in them will cost thousands of dollars, and is it worth paying a few thousand for a device that will be obsolete in a couple years?

I think it looks awfully thick too. Even if I wanted one, I'd wait a year or two for it to slim down and lower cost.
 
AirThis said:
The problem with the Apple watch is that it's redundant, rather expensive, and has extremely poor battery life. Furthermore, it's thick, and a 1st gen product. So, essentially, it's not very attractive to me. In contrast, when I saw a demo of the first iPhone, I was thinking "wow, this is the device I've wanted all my life. I want one... Now!". The Apple watch is just meh in my book... I'm not sure if 10% of buyers will adopt Apple's vision of the smart watch. Other companies might nail this market segment before Apple. Time will tell...
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Everything you say sounds awfully familiar to what people were saying before the iPod came out, also the iPad. Time will tell indeed.
 
BCWorld said:
WOW! at $4000.00 each for certain models, I can see this. :D
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the people who buy one of those will be buying another 'style' for themselves on weekends, a matching 1-2 for their wife, and a couple sporty ones for the kids. not sure how many people fully realize the sizable and frivolous spending habits of those with what we like to call 'affluenza'
 
medazinol said:
First rule of Apple products: never buy the first generation of any new product. Let someone else be the guinea pig and sort out the inevitable quality problems and issues. Buy the next model a year later.

Apple's penchant for secrecy negates their ability to thoroughly test products in the wild in all sorts of conditions. First adopters are the beta testers.

I'm not buying, I sure hope my wife restrains herself from buying me one ;)
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I've never had a problem with a first generation Apple product. I think people are just too nitpicky.
 
I've yet to see anyone explain the purpose of this ugly thing.

Just because you *can* make something doesn't mean you *should*.

What's next? The Apple Glove, for those times when you don't feel like looking at your phone or your watch?
 
The Apple Watch seems pretty nice to me. Good design and I don't really mind snapping the cord on every night. I need a replacement for my Pebble anyway - the Pebble sucks.
 
Tjex said:
10 percent cited that they are "very likely" to buy a smartwatch

Are those people looking to buy iWatch or any other smartwatch? By the time the new iWatch is available, the second gen Android watches will be out! Looking forward to seeing the Moto 360 v2
Click to expand...

Why would you look forward to the 360? Also, why do you think its a good thing that they'll be on the second generation in such a short time?
 
Daalseth said:
Except a tablet is a stand alone product. This will only sell to iPhone owners so only to a subset of that group. Not 27% (or in my opinion easily half or a quarter of that in the end) of the whole population, but 27% of iPhone users,
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This study was about SMART WATCHES in GENERAL, not Apple watches. Smart Watches in general do not need an iPhone paired.
 
I'm very much one of the 10% and can't wait to get the Alu Sport variant and then poss a gold one depending on ultimate cost ... I haven't worn anything on my wrists since 2002 and genuinely looking forward to this. Odd really since I've not really been tempted by any of those other options currently available on the market right now!
 
Tim Cook jokes that he "knows a lot about fashion" but the issue with the Apple Watch as a fashion device (especially if it's geared towards women) is that it looks exactly like the kind of watch a bunch of nerdy Googlers would think was "cool" in their Mountainview Googleplex. The squarish frame, the swappable color bands, all give this away as a watch designed by male engineers that will appeal to ... male engineers.

Prediction: this watch will be a great hit in the Silicon Valley, from 1 Infinite Loop to 1600 Mountainview. But it will begin and end there.
 
Last edited:
Apple Newton Law: will apply to the Apple Watch.

Good idea. The realisation... not so good.

Dead On Arrival I'm afraid.

But. It will perhaps shake up the top management and make them realise that innovation isn't just bringing out different sized version of the iPhone.

Good. Sorted. Fine. Done.
 
I'll be in the batch buying a smart watch, but probably not till 2016 or later when prices go down and any initial bugs/issues are ironed out.
 
ArtOfWarfare said:
I'll eat my own mustache if 24M Apple Watches are sold next year, (assuming Apple doesn't have some major new features / killer apps that they didn't already show off.)

It has a collection of neat ideas, but they don't come together to look like a product that warrants the price tag to me.

The iPhone, when it was first revealed, was the best iPod ever (which meant it was worth at least $300), plus it was the best phone ever (bump up by another $200), plus it was the best for personal email and web browsing (another $300). Plus it had a few other apps. That's how it warranted its huge price tag.

The Apple Watch? It has a few neat ideas, but none of them are worth $100+.
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I'm guessing Apple will add new features.
I'm not sure about 24M but the "neighborhood" of 20M sounds reasonable me.

I noticed that Apple is marketing this product a bit differently though - it's marketing towards the fashion arena ( at least so far it seems this way).

This means it's trying establish the item towards an industry like watches and jewelry (as oppose to the tech enthusiast which often attempts evaluate the price based on functionality). I don't know understand why someone pays $180-$240 for jeans (when $20 pair is just as functional) ... but it's big business. I guess that's why Apple hired a lot of fashion executives recently.

I know I'll probably be in line to buy one. The kool-aid is sweet, keep it coming. :)
 
medazinol said:
First rule of Apple products: never buy the first generation of any new product. Let someone else be the guinea pig and sort out the inevitable quality problems and issues. Buy the next model a year later.

Apple's penchant for secrecy negates their ability to thoroughly test products in the wild in all sorts of conditions. First adopters are the beta testers.

I'm not buying, I sure hope my wife restrains herself from buying me one ;)
Click to expand...

There is little truth in your claims. Mostly FUD.
 
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