Apple Shipped an Estimated 30.7 Million Apple Watches in 2019, Beating Entire Swiss Watch Industry

[b11051973]

90% of the time I see someone wearing an Apple Watch, I wonder, sometimes aloud, WTF do they need notifications on their wrist for.

People don't need iPhones or iPads or cars or a television or a million other things. People can't just want notifications on their wrist? Spending time wondering why someone is wearing a watch 90% of the time you see one, seems like someone that needs to better manage their time.

 

[bobob]

...you have to adjust the [Rolex] timing at least a week or it'll be off a few seconds. The Apple Watch will be much more accurate with no user input.

Why the Apple Watch is the Most Accurate Timepiece Out There

"According to Apple’s VP of Technology, Kevin Lynch, the second hand on the watch is perfectly in sync with the second hand on every other Apple Watch out there. Each device is accurate down to 50 milliseconds of coordinated Universal Time (UTC). "​

 

[gugy]

I love mechanical watches. I have a Omega SeaMaster and always wanted to get a Cartier and Rolex. I was very skeptical of the AW but I end up buying the AW Nike Series 2. I love it! Now I am on my third AW S5.

I work out everyday and the tracking information is a game changer for my fitness/health goals. I honestly use the AW everyday and my Omega now sits on a drawer and I think in the last 3.5 years I used it only twice. I gave up on mechanical watches despite the fact I love the design and classy look. I think like me, many people moved into the AW and are not looking back.

Because the life span, I only buy the cheapest option. Usually the Nike+ and after 1 or 2 years sell it to recoup part of the investment. This is where mechanical watches beat the AW. They last for generations and hold their value pretty well. Still, I would love Apple to have a band with the capabilities of the AW so I could go back to my Omega and use both at the same time. Maybe someday.

 

[gplusplus]

Yea well, my Swiss watch never runs out of batteries and it’s worth about $2k more than what I bought it for. But I can’t get notifications on it.

 

[danny842003]

Major difference. One is a sophisticated quartz wristwatch. The other is a tradition based industry with history to show for it.
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If you look into any watch forum of a certain standard, you know how horrible wrong your statement is. There is big money to made if you have the right insight.

Ok I worded it wrong. Who is buying a daily wear watch as investment?
Swiss watches of a value similar to an Apple Watch are not investment items.

 

[StarryNights]

This article makes it seem like Swiss watch companies will close up shop imminently because of the AW. Swiss watches aren't going away, take the Rolex Daytona in stainless steel for example, the MSRP on that watch is $13,150 yet the waiting list for that watch is as high as ten years in some markets. If you want that watch sooner you have to pay the market price on that watch which is about $25,000 and people will pay that price all day long.

 

[Abazigal]

Don’t you need to send your watch in for servicing every now and then? I don’t see it’s a problem that I need to buy a new Apple Watch every 3-4 years, but not that I have to send my expensive watch in for servicing every year, which probably costs as much as an Apple Watch itself.

 

[Makosuke]

While an interesting milestone, it's not really that relevant a comparison because the only similarities between a Swiss watch and an Apple Watch are that they go on your wrist and can be used to tell the time of day even though that's not really why you're wearing it.

A Swiss watch is a piece of jewelry. Sure, it tells time, but fundamentally you're wearing one because you like how it looks and/or it's a fashion statement, in a way that is socially acceptable by current standards of masculinity.

An Apple Watch is, depending on the use case, a health tracker, notification device, an exercise music player, and/or lightweight communication tool. Sure, it tells time, but fundamentally you're wearing it for other reasons.

There's nothing wrong with either of those use cases, but pretending that you own a $10,000 Swiss watch as a clock is as silly as pretending you own a $400 Apple Watch as one.

I was initially going to make the comparison of an old-school cellphone to a modern smartphone, but that actually doesn't work at all. It's more like comparing a painting to a TV--they both hang on your wall and have an image in a frame, but fundamentally you put them there for completely different reasons.

 

[fairuz]

Isn’t that comparing apples to oranges?

They occupy the same spot on your wrist exclusively, so it's reasonable to compare them. But I'm guessing the average Swiss watch is more expensive.

 

[sirwoodland]

I bought a Swiss watch last year... planning on still having it on my wrist in 40 years.

 

[fairuz]

Don’t you need to send your watch in for servicing every now and then? I don’t see it’s a problem that I need to buy a new Apple Watch every 3-4 years, but not that I have to send my expensive watch in for servicing every year, which probably costs as much as an Apple Watch itself.

Haven't heard of my family members sending their high-end mechanical watches in for service. But anyway, an "analog" watch around the same price point as the Apple Watch won't be mechanical and won't need service.
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Who’s buying a watch as an investment? You could say the same about most purchases your tv, car, etc etc it’s a totally false comparison.

Most things don't appreciate. TVs and cars definitely don't on average. Even nice cars usually depreciate, and if you ever get lucky and end up with a sought-after car decades later, it's still a loss when you factor in maintenance and inflation. Something small and valuable like a watch might be feasible to those in the know, but I can't say.

 

[iapplelove]

5 years ago I would have bought one. But the older I get the less I want to be bothered by notifications and tech itself. When I get home from a long day of work, the phone goes on the counter and I’m gadget free with the exception of an iPad from time to time

 

[imac_g4_1702]

90% of the time I see someone wearing an Apple Watch, I wonder, sometimes aloud, WTF do they need notifications on their wrist for.

They look ridiculous - they're the Pager of the current generation. Most people who had a pager them kept them as a fashion accessory.

Conspicuous consumption of a device that depreciates to $0 in 5 years. TOTAL waste of money.

You have no idea.
It works great for:
Two factor authenticator, silent alarm when you dont want to disturb others, small navigator on your wrist when you dont want to flash your phone when walking around, heart beat checker, fitness tracker, voice recorder, airpod controller, music controller, and so much more.. You only find out when you use it.

 

[Macaholic868]

The trend will continue because of planned obsolescence in the form of WatchOS. At some point everyone who uses one and likes it will upgrade on their own like I did from the original to Apple Watch 4 for its cellular connectivity and other features I wanted or they’ll eventually be be forced to. If the day comes when it can also track your blood pressure they’ll get their $300 - $500 dollars from me again.

 

[fairuz]

The trend will continue because of planned obsolescence in the form of WatchOS. At some point everyone who uses one and likes it will upgrade on their own like I did from the original to Apple Watch 4 for its cellular connectivity and other features I wanted or they’ll eventually be be forced to. If the day comes when it can also track your blood pressure they’ll get their $300 - $500 dollars from me again.

Yeah, vs those regular watches that only increase in supply over time and never really change. I love analog watches, but I'll tend to buy them used. There are just so many. Every time someone dies, that's like 20 more on the market that most people won't bother with.

 

[StyxMaker]

The difference is , your 10 grand watch will increase in price in the next ten years. Your Apple Watch 4 will be worth close to nothing.

Chances are good I’ll be dead in ten years which means the dollar value of the watch on my wrist is something I wont care about.

 

[fairuz]

I heard the same thing when people were saying when do we need a mouse when using a computer. Keyboard is faster when we remember all the shortcuts and mouse is slowing down the CPU because there is one extra task for it. It's all history

You're forgetting how much failed technology is out there, along with failed tech companies that used to be massive.
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The only thing i really need the Apple Watch for is Apple Pay. It's just the fastest and easiest way to pay and once you get used to it, it's hard to go back.

Using the smartphone for this is not the same.

Once you find a place that actually accepts it

 

[Kabeyun]

Jony Ive broke himself for this product. He’s got to be pleased.

 

[spinedoc77]

Major difference. One is a sophisticated quartz wristwatch. The other is a tradition based industry with history to show for it.
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If you look into any watch forum of a certain standard, you know how horrible wrong your statement is. There is big money to made if you have the right insight.

That's the trick right? To have the "insight". Should we all quit our jobs and become day traders? Do we have the "insight" to know which watches will appreciate and/or appreciate significantly? Interesting enough if you had the "insight" to purchase the first iphone and keep it, it might be worth thousands of dollars today. Who knows, maybe that will be true of the first AW? (Personally I highly doubt it but I'm saying it to make my point).

 

[Macaholic868]

5 years ago I would have bought one. But the older I get the less I want to be bothered by notifications and tech itself. When I get home from a long day of work, the phone goes on the counter and I’m gadget free with the exception of an iPad from time to time

You have full control over the notifications you get. It can also bail you out if something happens to your phone and you need to make a phone call if you get the cellular model. It also saved my life. It tracks your heart rate and can take an EKG. I got a couple of high heart rate warnings, went the doctor I had recently switched to for health insurance reasons and was diagnosed with a high heart rate, high blood pressure and obstructive sleep apnea that would almost certainly have caused a stroke.

I knew when I got older I’d need to keep an eye on heart rate and blood pressure because strokes run in my family but I never thought I’d have to worry about them at 38. My family members who had them were in their 60’s. I wouldn’t have lasted that long and my previous doctor thought the high blood pressure and heart rate readings were “white coat” symptoms and returned to normal when I wasn’t in his office or being poked and prodded at the dentist.

My new doctor took a look at the heart rate readings that the watch tracks over time and new something was wrong right away. In fairness to my previous doctor I didn’t have the Apple Watch to track those things while I was seeing him.

For me those features alone are worth it. I really don’t use it for more than that and tracking exercise.

 

[incoherent_1]

90% of the time I see someone wearing an Apple Watch, I wonder, sometimes aloud, WTF do they need notifications on their wrist for.

They look ridiculous - they're the Pager of the current generation. Most people who had a pager them kept them as a fashion accessory.

Conspicuous consumption of a device that depreciates to $0 in 5 years. TOTAL waste of money.

I didn’t buy an Apple Watch because I thought it was useless. I was given one as a gift this year, and can safely say it’s my most unexpectedly prized piece of technology.

I thought the notifications would be irritating, but having customizing them, it’s a huge time save for me — if there’s a work crises, I know right away, while less important things stay on my phone for later review.

That said, the other features have been my favorite part:
- having a remote control for my AirPods and speakers
- having Apple Pay on my wrist so I’m not fumbling to authenticate my phone to pay for small purchases or board public transit
- health features and health tracking to help me stay on top of my fitness goals
- ability to control my house/lights/temperature from my wrist

You don’t buy an Apple Watch as an investment any more than you buy a car as one. It’s a utility that adds value to your life and helps you save time. If you don’t see that value — I didn’t just a few months ago — it’s worth a second look.

 

[rp2011]

Isn’t that comparing apples to oranges?

Apple’s to Swatches.

 

[InuNacho]

Apple watch that lasts 3 years or a timepiece I can hand down for a few generations.
Tough call.
/s

 

[rp2011]

With more medical functions and insureance subsidies, we can only expect the numbers to keep going up For Apple and other smart watch brands .

 

[StyxMaker]

You're forgetting how much failed technology is out there, along with failed tech companies that used to be massive.
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Once you find a place that actually accepts it

I have no idea where you live, but i cant think of anyplace i do business that doesn’t accept accept Apple Pay. Even the gas stations i go to have readers on the pumps.