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Apple Sold 70% Fewer Apple Watches This Summer Compared to Last
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Yup. We know since forever that Apple is a premium brand, so nobody was expecting a bargain, but there's a fine line between "hmm, a little steep, but you know what, it's Apple so I'm comfortable with that pricetag" and "you have to be KIDDING me", and the Apple Watch isn't merely a little on the wrong side of that line, it's so far over you need binoculars to see it.
In the 80's when digital watches were all the rave and all the kids had a Casio, Citizen or Seiko, pretty much every model came in stainless steel with a metal link bracelet. There was nothing exclusive about that. It was only the worst kind of bargain bin/mail-order crap that had a nylon or plastic wristband. Those were practically disposable toy watches. And here we are 30+ years later and Apple figures that the plastic kiddie model is worth $300, and if you want a grown-up model with a leather or metal band you need to cough up $650-1000. Come on.
It should've been (and I'm being generous now, like... I'm Santa _and_ I just won the lottery type generous): $149 for the entry level toy model (aluminum case + nylon or plastic band), $299 for stainless steel + leather or milanese loop, $349 for stainless + metal link bracelet (there'd be no Hermes models). That's where the Watch belongs, value wise. The ballpark where the iPod was 10 years ago. If Cook & Ive want to cosplay Gucci & Versace they can do that in their spare time, with the blinds the **** down.
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Both Google and Apple had prototypes of wearables ready. When Google Glass hit the streets in 2013 after the hype Apple rounded up 100 people to make the Watch ready for market.
Google really opened the door...and then turned around
ok? I find it quite useful, especially as a fitness tracker and heart rate monitor, and as a replacement for my iPod shuffle.
I'm talking about notifications. People want to play with their phones only when they want to play with their phones. Otherwise it's just a nervous habit or distraction from a task at hand like driving or working. That's not desirable, it's a side effect of something else. It's like saying biting your nails is enjoyable. No one enjoys that.
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I hear you. Ever since Pokemon Go was released, I am on my phone 2-3 hours per day everyday. Not that the game's that great but I enjoy the walking activity aspect built around the game for my health. But what I don't enjoy is pulling out my phone every single time I approach a Pokestop or Pokemon. That's why I can't wait until the watch app is released. I get the same health and gaming benefits without having to pull out phone every minute. That's kind of what I would liken your situation too but if you enjoy being on you phone that much, more power to you.
It's very useful for what I need it to do. Seems people expect smart watches to do too much
Fitness
Notifications
That's the main thing for me
Good rant. 10/10 would read again.
On an unrelated note: if Casio would make a simple and cheap smart watch retro style they could make a killing.*
* I still wouldn't buy one.
Seriously, everyone had one of those, trouble is if they wanted to make them now they would probably target hipsters and make it expensive and over the top looking.
Hey there, GM!
I like that Nike band. I bought the Hermes this time. Just to get something different. It's really nice.
1. Dip in sales is easy to explain. A lot of people bought the Series 0, only a small subset upraded. People looking to buy their first one waited for the announcement. Now that we have 2 releases, expect dsales number to normalize as people will probably go with a "every second release" cycle, especially if the release are 18 months apart.
2. Battery life. It's adequate or what it does. It also charges fast. I played with sleep tracking for a while when I first got my watch. I'd come home from work and set the watch to charge. Slep with it. Put it back to charge when I woke up and picked it up when ready to go to work.
3. Round vs square debate. I have a Moto360 for over a year. Looks good. Text display is not optimal, as only the center can display the full line. I also like an analog clock face. With a round face, extra data, "complications" if you will have to live inside the face. With a square face, they can go in the top, bottom and corners.
One of my biggest compain with the AW is the lack of an app to let us create our own faces. I miss that from Android Wear.
2. Battery life. It's adequate or what it does. It also charges fast. I played with sleep tracking for a while when I first got my watch. I'd come home from work and set the watch to charge. Slep with it. Put it back to charge when I woke up and picked it up when ready to go to work.
3. Round vs square debate. I have a Moto360 for over a year. Looks good. Text display is not optimal, as only the center can display the full line. I also like an analog clock face. With a round face, extra data, "complications" if you will have to live inside the face. With a square face, they can go in the top, bottom and corners.
One of my biggest compain with the AW is the lack of an app to let us create our own faces. I miss that from Android Wear.
Nothing but the best for our Bunnicula!Hey there, GM!
I like that Nike band. I bought the Hermes this time. Just to get something different. It's really nice.
Which one did you get?[doublepost=1477418730][/doublepost]
I want the Pokemon app for my watch too. My SE is tiny enough that I can pull it out for Pokestops but a watch app would be much more convenient and fast. Our whole family is playing. Even my husband. The last update made it more fun to play again.
I think Apple's emphasis on health and fitness is a great idea. I have moved halfway to Android now that I use two phones, but Apple has found a way to make health and fitness more fun. I would definitely have trouble with my weight if it weren't for my obsession with filling my activity rings at least half of the week.
spot on. it's not like a phone. i don't expect to upgrade my watch every year...more like every 3 years. it still works fine.
The smaller Apple Watch has the same situation when compared to its larger brother. Hasn't stopped millions from buying the smaller display, because, after all, such small devices were never meant to display lots of text.
Yes, it truly is mind boggling that Apple hasn't come out with an Apple Watch Face Store.
You should share whatever crack you are smoking, you do know apple is set to post it's first year over year decline since 2001! All because Tim has struggled to put out up-dated products, lost of customers in Asia, and lost market share to competitors.
Millions of dollars in give ways? I think the gates foundation puts them too shame... Anyways.. I love how a 70% in sales in a new product category isn't a sign that the product is positioned wrong! Apple is lost, just like the last time Steve left... Tim isn't the person to lead anything, any idiot can be put incharge of Apple and give away to causes. ****, if they put me in charge and I will give away a billion!
Same experience here waited for Apple Watch 2 and just bought one here in Canada at the Jump store in Eastern Canada a few weeks back. Nobody else had them at the time including Best Buy. Apple pay is just awesome and I enjoy the fitness features.
You should share whatever crack you are smoking, you do know apple is set to post it's first year over year decline since 2001! All because Tim has struggled to put out up-dated products, lost of customers in Asia, and lost market share to competitors.
Millions of dollars in give ways? I think the gates foundation puts them too shame... Anyways.. I love how a 70% in sales in a new product category isn't a sign that the product is positioned wrong! Apple is lost, just like the last time Steve left... Tim isn't the person to lead anything, any idiot can be put incharge of Apple and give away to causes. ****, if they put me in charge and I will give away a billion!
Steve Jobs has been dead for over 5 years. Since then Apple has more than tripled its revenues. That's pretty phenomenal growth for any company, and says a lot about Tim's abilities to manage the company. Prior to the iPhone, Steve never saw this kind of growth. If Tim's predecessor had been anybody other than Steve Jobs, he would be held as a management genius. Unfortunately for Tim, he doesn't possess Steve's charisma, which makes him a failure in some people's eyes. But the numbers say something else.
What we saw in 2016 was an industry in transition operating in a global economy that is essentially stagnating. Hardware, which has always been Apple's strong point, has reached a saturation point. With the exception of emerging markets, there's just no room for growth in hardware. I think Tim is correct to focus on software and services. Unfortunately, that has never been Apple's strong point, especially in services. On this front, Apple is very much the underdog and is trailing Google. But it's the way forward, and I think Tim is doing an excellent job at managing this transition. What we're seeing is just the beginning of this transition.
Let's also keep in mind that Apple never invented new markets. It's modus operandi has always been to take existing categories and introduce new products that improve what was already there. It did this with computers, with music players, with tablets, cellphones. It has tried to do this with TVs, watches*, etc. At this point it's hard to imagine what Apple could improve. The oven? the toaster? People expect, unrealistically, for Tim to invent an entirely new kind of device -- something Jobs never did himself.
*Taken from this perspective, the watch is actually pretty successful. There's no doubt that the apple watch is one of the best in the smart watch market; unfortunately there's just no demand for smart watches in general. Apple nevertheless dominates this product category. The only thing Tim failed to do here was recognize that the smart watch market wasn't very big. But maybe he knew that all along as well.
Don't get me wrong, Jobs was fun to follow and gave Apple a certain electricity that hasn't existed since. But I still enjoy their products and don't see any reason to be worried. The ethos is still there, just not the reality distortion field.
Pokémon Halloween update started early. 2 for 1 candies on all Pokémon transfers, double for captures and double for hatched eggs. I just collected about 250 candies during a 90 minute walk so get out there this week!Nothing but the best for our Bunnicula!
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I want the Pokemon app for my watch too. My SE is tiny enough that I can pull it out for Pokestops but a watch app would be much more convenient and fast. Our whole family is playing. Even my husband. The last update made it more fun to play again.
I think Apple's emphasis on health and fitness is a great idea. I have moved halfway to Android now that I use two phones, but Apple has found a way to make health and fitness more fun. I would definitely have trouble with my weight if it weren't for my obsession with filling my activity rings at least half of the week.
they kind of over did it, too much features. I know this sounds good but not in the case that it will take a toll on battery life, size, and having to be connected to an iphone all the time.
I can see that, but what feature would they keep? (a rhetorical question)
Its a decent product, and I like my Apple watch, but I'm not sure if I'd buy another one so soon
It's funny I remember people were called all sort of things when they've stated smart watches are the new 3d TV. As long as smartwatches still depends so much on the smartphone, the UI is overdone (too many features, swipe gestures and not enough room).
Personally if I had to buy one it would be the Pepple Stainless Still just to look at my notifactions and otherwise be done with it, there really is no point in wearing a SW.
If I'm going to wear a watch it's gotta be something really nice that lasts for decades like a Breitling (first hand swiss quality!).
Personally if I had to buy one it would be the Pepple Stainless Still just to look at my notifactions and otherwise be done with it, there really is no point in wearing a SW.
If I'm going to wear a watch it's gotta be something really nice that lasts for decades like a Breitling (first hand swiss quality!).
Yep what Idc says is gospel.Since Apple doesn't supply sales figures where is IDC getting its figures from. I would guess Watch sales come more from Apple - either in a physical store or online than 3rd parties. No one ever questions these numbers (good or bad); they just accept them as if they were official figures given by Tim Cook on an earnings call.