Apple Supplier Numbers Suggest Apple Watch Sales Are Below Analyst Expectations

[doelcm82]

Apple has a very long tradition of appealing to "the opposite of power users".

As an Amiga user in the 80s, I thought the Mac was slick, but annoying, because it didn't have a CLI. And the PC was just boring.

 

[The Game 161]

Or you could have used your phone.

But it's far easier using your watch certainly if you have the large 6 plus

 

[BMcCoy]

Article from Engadget, on
why the Apple watch is flopping

 

[ToroidalZeus]

I agree with you on a number of points, but I don't think we can quantify that the AW is failing, if it was, Tim Cook would be obligated to state the bad news on the financial call in.

Tim Cook has show be hyper-vigilant of media scrutiny. When Apple maps came out he apologized for the bugs (which honestly were perfectly normal for a such a huge undertaking imo). When asked about innovation he always defends himself and says apple has plenty of stuff in the pipeline. Just recently with the whole flag debate, all the confederate flag apps were pulled. From what I've seen he is super sensitive to negative media attention and wants to avoid it at all costs. I don't see a person like him being able to give bad news. Tim Cook seems like a friend you can only count on in the good times.

On a more business note. When analysts are jacking up a stock because of future earnings the last thing a company would want to do is disappointment them with bad news; it'll cause the stock to plummet. The best course of action is to delay as much as possible. Let people emotionally brace for the impact so they don't over react. Plus people will care less about the AW once the hype for the next gen iPhone starts building. And most importantly if they release earnings beating the exceptions for the next-gen iPhone it can negate the bad sales of the AW.

 

[vmistery]

I'd be tempted to buy one when we reach V2 and they are sold as part of an iPhone contract. I think that will be the key sales oportunity as £299 seems a lot but an extra £12.50 a month for some reason doesn't seem to bad. Apple would also get the benefit of people upgrading them every 2 years like the iPhone. Thoughts anyone?

 

[Tech198]

"We're all curious about how many Apple Watches Apple has sold,"

I'm not...

But I do agree with what Tim always says, first about charging for off the shelf parts are not accurate, and now this..

Kind of make sense if no one is accurate in their results. On report says one ting, another says completely different based on certain findings...

I throw in the towel at all of it.. I'm no party pooper, but no point in getting in over our heads.

 

[AreanFSL]

Definitely too expensive for me. Although I do want to try one, I feel like it's a iPhone notification device. Hopefully the watch os2 will revive the reviews and sales.

 

[Jax44]

Or you could have used your phone.

Or a check!. Or cash, or a debit card.

 

[AreanFSL]

I do hope they lower the price like apple did to the beginning sales of the first gen iPhone.

 

[Rocketman]

I was on the phone with Apple the other day to work out an issue of recovering data from an iPhone 1. BTW they call it iPhone 3. Odd. iPhone "3" had weak sales as compared to any subsequent iPhone. Of course. Watch 1 was essentially a developer sample product. Once Watch OS 2 comes out and standalone apps are out there will be more adopters of Watch. Also people are now trained by years of iPod and iPhone releases to know and expect 2 and 3 and 4 to have features and benefits they know they will need. Nobody knows why or how yet.

When Watch OS 3 is out and Watch 2 is in the middle of its product cycle, we will begin to know how many people really want an Apple Watch. Those folks will be talking to their wrists alot.

 

[Serban]

Are you really so stu**id to not know that Apple has the ideas for the next 2 apple watch generation, like they did with first iphone, they already know the apple store will come along side with 3g
For profit Apple will never release a new product with the ALL IDEAS for it in just 1 generation ! But with the 3rd generation will be having a very well build/luxury product with more useful things and better battery life and probably even more than 1 shape of the watch to choose from

 

[The Game 161]

When I get the 6 plus S I will feel I need the watch as I learnt with note 4 with the gear S it'd not always best to keep taking it out your pocket for every notification

 

[pickaxe]

This device launch is, compared to other Apple mobile devices, a market failure. Just like the iPhone 5C.

Apple may prefer to sweep the iPhone 5C under the rug, and fanboys will keep (correctly) claiming that iPhone 5C moved an impressive amount of units when compared to some non-Apple manufacturers, but it's another lukewarm launch of a "brand new" product from Cook-era Apple. That much is undeniable, or would be once actual concrete Watch sales numbers are released.

Look, I love Apple. I really do, despite how much I like to complain about the company's deeds. But either the Reality Distortion Field is starting to dissipate or Apple are doing things wrong, and my money is on the latter.

 

[macrooster]

What else were you expecting it to be? It does more than send notifications you know. A SWATCH can't do that, and their watches are $60. And a $20k Rolex can't do that either, but you're complaining "it's an overpriced notification band."

This defeatist approach to the apple watch is my favorite. I, personally, was expecting MUCH more than what we got. This means I was expecting a bit more innovation and creativity which is what we usually get from Apple. Yes, it does more tech functions than a Rolex, but that's not a reason to just accept it for what it is and close up shop. It's too expensive, it's got too many models to choose from and it does too little at this point. I do think when the app store opens and allows the watch to run "local" apps all of us early adopters might find something we can use.

Mine was a gift from my girlfriend and I'm glad. I would never have purchased one on my own and it's a fun product, but no more than that.

 

[Serban]

@pickaxe: This device is compared to the other first products a bigger big bang. i don't know if iphone 1 was sold like apple watch and same scenario as the ipad or first mac or first ipod !
People first they need to learn about it, to see it and until then the second generation will appear

 

[AustinIllini]

It will be interesting to see how Apple responds to what is, by their lofty standards, an complete failure.

Edit: Also, get rid of Force Touch. It is never clear in any app whether or not Force Touch does anything.

 

[mr.steevo]

Or a check!. Or cash, or a debit card.

The poster was pointing out he forgot his wallet and needed to pay for his purchases.

 

[prowlmedia]

I love my Watch - Use it daily and looking forward to the 2.0 software. but you do have to have a need for it. And the upgrade will possibly bring that.

looking forward to
Home control with Homekit
more remote controls for third parties
And in later hardware versions
Facetime/skype when a front facing camera happens.
More independence from phone. - By watch 3 i bet there will be 4G version - that still works in conjunctions with your phone so you can answer either / can take it out on runs without your phone

 

[Aidyn's X]

If that. I don't get it. You have to have a stupid phone to even use it. How lame can you get? Comical, at best.

Well when the iPhone first came out, you needed a computer to do anything with it and people said for that reason it was going to be a flop. I am sure you can't agree with those comments. I am confident that the watch will be more independent in a few hardware iterations if not software.

 

[Aidyn's X]

Yes but the primary target (young people) are not sick and celebrities do not want to measure how much drugs they are using.

You don't need to be sick to want to monitor your health. There are millions of people who keep track of these vitals during workouts to make sure they are getting as much out of it as possible. I for one find that at a particular blood glucose level, I have more energy and in some cases even have better vision. These are the kinds of features I am holding out for. It's fine if you don't like the watch, that makes the watch a bad product for you, not a bad product.

 

[Serban]

It will be interesting to see how Apple responds to what is, by their lofty standards, an complete failure.

Edit: Also, get rid of Force Touch. It is never clear in any app whether or not Force Touch does anything.

You sure not used the force touch OR you think you are smarter than people in Apple
Force touch is a very nice feature that will be copy by other in the year next to come

 

[IbisDoc]

So what? Right now Watch is an iPhone accessory. The idea that 3+ million sales in one quarter - when there were supply constraints and for 2+ months it wasn't even available in stores - equates to a flop is ridiculous.

And as far as Apple not managing expectations...I think Cook saying last October that Apple would be reporting Watch with accessories gives a pretty good indication of what their expectations were.

OK my last post in this thread. My point is and has always been there is no way to define what is a success and what is a flop. That why I get so annoyed with the knee jerk "it's a flop" reactions. Like you said there are very few facts. The only fact we have is Cook saying it beat their expectations. It's a category in its infancy with very few, if any, companies reporting sales. My guess is Apple is being entirely rational about Watch estimates and it's the Wall Street clowns out of control. The same clowns that threw out iPhone "whisper" numbers of 53M right before earnings release and caused the stock to drop 5% the next day.

Is it an accessory, or a category?

 

[AustinIllini]

You sure not used the force touch OR you think you are smarter than people in Apple
Force touch is a very nice feature that will be copy by other in the year next to come

The problem was always simple. "When do you use force touch?". It was NEVER clear. You wouldn't be sure how to do something, you'd try force touch, it wouldn't work. By then, you could take out your iPhone and do everything without all the silliness.

 

[Knockworstface]

It's too expensive for what it does. The price doesn't justify for what it does.

 

[The Game 161]

It's too expensive for what it does. The price doesn't justify for what it does.

How much more do you want it to do?