Apple Sold 70% Fewer Apple Watches This Summer Compared to Last

[SAIRUS]

Probably the situation:
"Lets improve the battery life"
(1 year later)
"It now lasts 7 days!"
(5 minutes later)
"Umm can we apply this tech to the phones?"
"We need people to buy new ones! In fact make the lightning cable weaker!"
"Sir, she can't take any more of this"

 

[Born Again]

My wife and I love our Garmin watches - That's vivoactive for her and 735xt for me. We both run and cycle and are very active.

The apple watch doesn't fit our lifestyle yet so it's not quite compelling.

When apple supports ANT+ sensors I'll give them another look.

 

[OllyW]

Apple watch is not for everyone. You are either a watch person or not. I am not a watch person. Even though I have all other Apple products, I have zero interest in the Apple watch or any kind of watches or health trackers etc.

You either love it or you hate it.

I think it's alright.

 

[DoctorDoctor]

You either love it or you hate it.

I think it's alright.

So you either love, hate or think it's alright.

 

[Robert.Walter]

This is hardly surprising. Purchase intenders would easily delay their buy to wait for the AW2 to hit the market.

We have had 3 AW1 Sport in the family, as well as several friends with them as well. Everyone has been happy with them (biggest gripe for two of them has been the wholly predictable "the lens breaks if you drop on tile or concrete.")

 

[pally]

Because everyone was waiting for the second-generation...

Happens with every product. When there's a new one incoming, sales of the current product decline.

Hang on, is this actually an article?

OR... It could be that the masses will not be truly excited again until these watches have full LTE connectivity. It COULD be that apple could have done this with the latest generation, but apple knows full well that many people would give up a phone in favor of a watch with a bluetooth earpiece. It COULD be that every online video content provider and cellular carrier in the United States is begging apple to keep fully functional watches out of the hands of consumers for fear of people putting down their portable TV's and the enormous data usage billings that come with them. It COULD be that Apple has become a company that is more interested in deals with other companies than providing the best innovation possible. It COULD be that Apple is now just another company out milking the herd. Sad, but somewhat true.

 

[Robert.Walter]

I skipped the 1st gen Apple watch (Series 0). Glad I waited for the Series 2. I've had it a little over a month and it's encouraged me to get up and move around more often than I would have otherwise. So far, I've dropped about 5 pounds. No complaints here.

As for this article, I hope someone didn't actually get paid to conduct this "research". Anyone who follows any product will tell you that there is a decline in sales when word gets out that a new version is just around the corner.

It's just IDC trying to make themselves relevant. I hope their numbers here are better than in their automotive segment forecasts. IDC was really lousy a few years ago.

 

[QCassidy352]

Goodness me, 70% fewer.

Seems to me that Apple should put the Apple Watch out of its misery, and end its short life. Fitbit, which is conveniently left off this table, has won this market.

Depends on how you're defining "this market." You seem to think the Apple Watch is primarily a fitness tracker, as that's the market in which Fitbit is doing well. Fitbit has not won, and is not likely to win, either the smart watch market or the gps/fitness watch market.

 

[spinedoc77]

Returned mine, just didn't have the functionality I expect a smartwatch to have in 2016. I wasn't super fond of the form factor as well. It was nice for HR tracking in the gym, and I may grab a used one in the future for that purpose. But might also look closer at other companies which specialize in that such as Garmin or Polar.

 

[BigJohno]

Still a useless device for me. No wonder Steve Jobs didn't approve of this...

 

[MrXiro]

Most everyone who really wanted one got one last year... no new product means no new sales really... is this actually news?

 

[jweinraub]

You want monthly?

No it is a watch. It isn't like a phone where I buy a new one every other year. But I am not into smart watches. I can wear my analogue watch until the day I die and be okay with that. The fact new watches come out annually, and the fact they need to be charged, is the main reason why I have zero desire to get one.

 

[roksraka]

This is still the closest to what I would want my smartwatch to look like, back from the day of early Apple Watch concepts...

 

[alvesik]

Confused by your statement. If you're constantly on your phone then how do you have any peace and quiet that can be interrupted? I'm assuming you have moments of peace and quiet off your phone that you do not wish to be interrupted. That's fair enough but I can only assume you are on your phone constantly because your job or family/friends require it. Wouldn't a notification system that doesn't require you to pull out your phone as much be ideal for someone like you? I only get a few calls/texts per day and even I pull out my phone 20x less per day. One of Apple Watch's unknown killer features is that it actually adds a lot of battery life to your iPhone (not that I need it) and that battery life translates to my time which I have more of now thanks to the watch.

Okay it was an overstatement. I'm glued to my phone the vast majority of my free time. I find my iPhone extremely relaxing. There's nothing like lying in bed with the world at your fingertips, and when I'm enjoying my many NYT articles or whatever else I feel like learning about, I don't like being interrupted. Or even if I'm just having a conversation via iMessage, I'm on my phone waiting for the other person to respond and I will know about it enough time without interrupting whatever it is I'm doing.
Make no mistake though, no one knows how to be more productive on an iPhone than I do. I've written numerous papers and even my valedictorian address in the notes app because sometimes things just come to me and I don't feel like pulling out my MBP.
In the past 24, I've spent 5 hours on it. I have notoriously strange usage habits. I'm eccentric I suppose

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Lol, well there's a surprise. Not.

Everyone knows that a watch can be an important part of someone's identity. The brand, design, technology and heritage all tell you something about that product and the mindset of the wearer.

Granted, Apple has nailed the ability to customise faces and straps, but it takes a lot more than this to create an appealing product. You have to consider the design in its entirety, including the body. I think that Swatch are a great example, as they produce wonderfully loud and vibrant watches that all appeal to different kinds of people; with the point being that they're unconventional, like the wearer. For this reason, you associate these types of designs with Swatch rather than, say, Seiko.

I'm not suggesting that Apple should have designed and released different bodies, but if they had held off releasing the product and waited until technology caught up with something truly innovative - like the patent for a 'snap' band with battery modules and a display - the aesthetic design can follow suit.

 

[ThaRuler]

This is proof that the AW should is a flop and should be phased out ASAP.

 

[alvesik]

If you're always on your phone (and not talking through it).... then you're not out there making the money for it and you're not Apple's market.

Frankly I have more just in my stock portfolio already in my 20s than most people hope to make height of their career. I use my iPhone a hell of a lot in my free time to be precise.

 

[tnypxl]

You mean a device with short battery life, limited app usage, and main feature is for people too lazy to get to their smart phone for an alert is not selling well? I am just shocked!

When the watch can replace the smart phone, they will sell well. until them it's not even a hobby...

The watch will not be replacing the smartphone because... its a watch. Not to mention the fact that not even Apple can solve the slow crawl of battery innovation. If you're waiting for the watch to replace your smartphone, good luck.

 

[cdmoore74]

If Apple comes out with a all brand new design tomorrow I don't see the need to replacement my Series 1. So I can understand the reason why first gen folks are not interested in upgrading. The watch is not something you need to upgrade every year or 2.
The way I use my watch right now I plan on keeping it until the battery dies.

 

[rowspaxe]

Wouldn't a notification system that doesn't require you to pull out your phone as much be ideal for someone like you? I only get a few calls/texts per day and even I pull out my phone 20x less per day.

No, this is the exact problem. People love playing with their phones! Take a look around in any bar, bus, train, elevator, etc. Playing with the phone creates personal space and relieves anxiety--most people do not really want to replace this

 

[SSDGUY]

I still believe the iPhone killed the wristwatch for many. It certainly did for me. I don't see nearly as many people wearing watches these days. Sure, some love their Apple watches, but asking a lot of people to get excited about strapping on a watch again, smart though it may be, is a tough sell.

 

[tooltalk]

Because everyone was waiting for the second-generation...

Happens with every product. When there's a new one incoming, sales of the current product decline.

Hang on, is this actually an article?

Sure, but not by 70%.

 

[Michael Scrip]

I live in a big European capital city and haven't seen a single person with one.

Well if that chart is any indication... you'd see even fewer of any other smartwatches!

 

[pally]

The watch will not be replacing the smartphone because... its a watch. Not to mention the fact that not even Apple can solve the slow crawl of battery innovation. If you're waiting for the watch to replace your smartphone, good luck.

Many people do not need a mobile device to do anymore than make calls, answer email, and instant message. Perhaps a calendar and appointments with reminders. That is all that the vast majority of people really NEED. The rest is fluff for many would be watch buyers. I think you are in denial of a very real fact: Phones do more than many people require on their persons. I do not believe apple will see a significant rise in watch sales until their watches have LTE, I think they could have done it by now, and I think that apple phone sales and cellular providers could see a significant sea change when wearables can perform these functions with LTE connection.

 

[dwaltwhit]

one of the big drivers for this very website is "should I buy or wait to buy X item." Most people are not going to drop this much money without a cursory google search. Especially with an ancilary item like the watch, people can hold out a while. Unlike phones, many people will wait a month or two for a new eddition rather than buy some outdated tech, especially a second generation that promises to fix many of the ails of the first.