Apple Watch Sales Estimated at 5.1 Million in Holiday Quarter, Swiss Watch Sales in Trouble

[chrisbru]

This comparison seems a bit off. I mean, should Rolls Royce and Aston Martin be worried that their market share is small compared to BMW and Mercedes because they sold a lot of 5 Series and CLKs (who in turn should worry about Ford selling a lot of F-150s and Fiestas)?

I know that smartwatches (and apple in particular) are trying to position themselves as luxury purchases, but they're not the same market as Swiss watches.

People who want an analogue timepiece with a mechanical movement are always going to be out there. They might even also buy a smartwatch!

In general I dislike car comparisons - but this would be much more like Rolls Royce and Aston Martin being worried about losing market share while Tesla gains market share. Sure, they aren't directly competing - but there are enough people who like the technology that they switch to Tesla as their daily driver.

 

[igorsky]

Comparing sells numbers between swiss watches and Smartwatches is like comparing sales numbers of Rolls Royce to a Toyota.

2015 Profits (approx.)
Rolls Royce = $2 billion
Toyota = $18 billion

Which one has the better chance of surviving? Not saying that RR is going out of business because of Toyota. But people seem to be throwing out names like Rolex and Patek like they're invincible industry behemoths when they're not. They're very niche products that are losing more of their niche every day.

 

[andreyirra]

I kind of did this. I bought a Gear S watch to go with either my Note 4 or Note Edge phones last February. I lost interest in the watch after just three months and started wearing my either one of my old G-Shock watches just because they always show the time with no need to press a button or flick my wrist.

Two weeks ago, I bought a Note 5 so I started wearing the Gear S again.

I also have a 6S and a 6S+ but I really never was interested in the Apple watch to go with either one.

Why is the need for always showing time? I mean, the Apple Watch shows the time WHEN you need to know the time. What is the purpose of it showing the time the rest of your day if nobody needs it? It' like a tree falling in the forest and nobody being there to hear it.

 

[TheHateMachine]

Analyst estimates make your favorite corporation look good - The numbers are true, no if, and or but! Go Apple! I knew you were da bestest!

Analyst estimates make your favorite corporation look bad - These guys are clueless! I could be an analyst, seems like an easy and stupid job! These are just guesses guys! Analyst's don't know anything! ANALyst! B-B-B-BUT, APPLE TAKES IN MORE PROFIT!

Never change MR posters.

 

[ryanmcv]

Your watch is timeless? Very sad! Are your pencils also pointless, your coffee groundless, your music baseless and your dessert fruitless?

I really hope this was just a poor attempt at humor.

time·less
ˈtīmləs/
adjective
adjective: timeless

1. not affected by the passage of time or changes in fashion.
   "antiques add to the timeless atmosphere of the dining room"
   synonyms: lasting, enduring, classic, ageless, permanent, perennial, abiding,unfailing, unchanging, unvarying, never-changing, changeless, unfading,unending, undying, immortal, eternal, everlasting, immutable
   "the timeless appeal of a well-crafted rocking chair"

 

[dogslobber]

um... I don't think there's an option to NOT display the time on a mechanical watch. It can only show the time, all the time, by default. (I don't even know why I'm explaining this!?)

I don't know either.
[doublepost=1455897999][/doublepost]

You're part of the problem for unrealistic expectations. It'll get better for sure, but like the original iPad to iPad 2; there's probably a lot of tech/improvements Apple held back onto make sure there's room for an Apple Watch 2 later this year.

Wait. So if I go to a restaurant and the food is terrible then it's my fault for having "unrealistic expectations"? Is Apple really able to transfer faulted party here, or is the iWatch just a flawed, underpowered gadget? Your point about the iWatch 2 follows nicely about what Apple thinks of the mugs who buy revision 1.

 

[zhenya]

I don't know either.
[doublepost=1455897999][/doublepost]

Wait. So if I go to a restaurant and the food is terrible then it's my fault for having "unrealistic expectations"? Is Apple really able to transfer faulted party here, or is the iWatch just a flawed, underpowered gadget? Your point about the iWatch 2 follows nicely about what Apple thinks of the mugs who buy revision 1.

The original iPhone was also flawed and underpowered.

Guess how that worked out.

 

[Populism]

The Apple Watch would never have happened on Steve Jobs' watch.

 

[Recognition]

Why is the need for always showing time? I mean, the Apple Watch shows the time WHEN you need to know the time. What is the purpose of it showing the time the rest of your day if nobody needs it? It' like a tree falling in the forest and nobody being there to hear it.

Exactly, the light in a fridge only comes on when you open the door. Why aren't people outraged at that?! "I want the light on even when the door is closed!!!"

 

[jimbobb24]

Exactly, the light in a fridge only comes on when you open the door. Why aren't people outraged at that?! "I want the light on even when the door is closed!!!"

I think people want it not for them but the aesthetic and jewelry impact of the overall watch. The watch is supposed to be jewelry.

 

[zhenya]

I think people want it not for them but the aesthetic and jewelry impact of the overall watch. The watch is supposed to be jewelry.

I honestly don't want the watch coming on all the time unless they make it WAY dimmer in a dark room.

 

[ENduro]

3) it's actually SLIMMER than a square Tag Heuer Monaco, a very stilish, classic timepiece. Apple will not slim it further.

Have you followed Apple for more than 20 minutes? They'll sacrifice functionality, expandablity and battery life to reduce a product's depth at the first opportunity.

 

[djcerla]

Becoming a medical device is, thanks to most governments, a huge headache. Huge taxes also get added in US thanks to Obamacare/ACA.

Yeah. But just providing good sensors (for smart developers to exploit) will not make it a medical device per se, avoiding the medical devices regulations.

 

[OllyW]

I think people want it not for them but the aesthetic and jewelry impact of the overall watch. The watch is supposed to be jewelry.

It does look a bit bland when the display is off.

 

[djcerla]

Have you followed Apple for more than 20 minutes? They'll sacrifice functionality, expandablity and battery life to reduce a product's depth at the first opportunity.

It makes sense to have a slimmer phone,for many ergonomic reasons. It does not make sense to have a Rado-like thin watch. Thin watches are definitely a thing of the past, all the best mechanical watches are thicker than the Apple Watch.
[doublepost=1455899293][/doublepost]

After 2 years, the battery won't work

Bull.

 

[dogslobber]

The original iPhone was also flawed and underpowered.

Guess how that worked out.

Correct. And the resentment from the original iPhone owners who were treated like mugs and conned into buying that first gen device went ballistic when charged 500 bucks. Apple was forced into a massive climbdown to giving them cash back.
[doublepost=1455899452][/doublepost]

Exactly, the light in a fridge only comes on when you open the door. Why aren't people outraged at that?! "I want the light on even when the door is closed!!!"

That's fine if you store your iWatch in the fridge or have a fridge on your wrist. But the point doesn't go away that the iWatch is flawed and underpowered if its display isn't always on.

 

[Mac 128]

Why is the need for always showing time? I mean, the Apple Watch shows the time WHEN you need to know the time. What is the purpose of it showing the time the rest of your day if nobody needs it? It' like a tree falling in the forest and nobody being there to hear it.

I'll give you one reason -- other people can use your watch to tell time without bothering you. I don't wear watches, and I can't tell you the number of times I've been sitting in meetings without my iPhone, and glanced at the watch on the arm of a colleague sitting next to me to check the time.

On a more frivolous note, I tend to check out people's watches at business and social functions, and use that as a way to start conversations if they have a particularly beautiful or unusual watch face. I've never told someone how fantastic their watch band is, ever, and I've never complimented a black-faced square that is the Watch -- kind of silly really when one person's looks identical to all of them. I usually say something like, "oh you've got an Watch, how do you like it?" Well that works for a little while, but a year from now it's going to be boring, and there will just be more of them that look exactly like all the others.

The Apple Watch would never have happened on Steve Jobs' watch.

I think you're trying to be "punny" but Steve Jobs knew about the Watch before he died.
[doublepost=1455899984][/doublepost]

It does look a bit bland when the display is off.

Yes, but you clearly don't have the right band on it. A different band will set you apart from the crowd, and really make that dull black slab pop! ;-)

 

[Recognition]

That's fine if you store your iWatch in the fridge or have a fridge on your wrist. But the point doesn't go away that the iWatch is flawed and underpowered if its display isn't always on.

Quick example:
I'm wearing a coat, my watch is up my sleeve.
I can't see my watch.
Does it still need to show the time?

 

[OllyW]

Yes, but you clearly don't have the right band on it. A different band will set you apart from the crowd, and really make that dull black slab pop! ;-)

I've noticed in the Show off your Apple Watch! thread that some people are trying a little bit too hard in an attempt to make them look different.

I guess that's the problem when millions of people all own watches that have the same basic design.

 

[JackieInCo]

Why is the need for always showing time? I mean, the Apple Watch shows the time WHEN you need to know the time. What is the purpose of it showing the time the rest of your day if nobody needs it? It' like a tree falling in the forest and nobody being there to hear it.

Because there are times at my job when my hands aren't clean and I can see what time it is without getting greasy hands all over the watch. Make sense now? People have their reasons.

I get my hands dirty at my job.
[doublepost=1455900983][/doublepost]

Exactly, the light in a fridge only comes on when you open the door. Why aren't people outraged at that?! "I want the light on even when the door is closed!!!"

Because I have a job where my hands get greasy and grimy. Having a watch that always displays the time kind of makes sense now, right? People have their reasons. Don't be so close minded.

 

[dogslobber]

Quick example:
I'm wearing a coat, my watch is up my sleeve.
I can't see my watch.
Does it still need to show the time?

You're attempting to justify the flaw. That's the wrong question to ask no matter what way you want to spin it. Focus on the problem: "display isn't always on" then focus on who should be answering and fixing the problem: Apple.

 

[JackieInCo]

You're attempting to justify the flaw. That's the wrong question to ask no matter what way you want to spin it. Focus on the problem: "display isn't always on" then focus on who should be answering and fixing the problem: Apple.

People on here are always so quick to judge people's reasons rather then stopping to think they may have a valid reason for wanting the time to always display. It's like their mind can't comprehend.

 

[dogslobber]

People on here are always so quick to judge people's reasons rather then stopping to think they may have a valid reason for wanting the time to always display. It's like their mind can't comprehend.

If people want their display to be able to switch off then Apple can include an option for that handful when they fix the design flaw. For the rest of humanity, we want a display that shows the time 24x7 like every other watch on the planet does.

 

[Recognition]

You're attempting to justify the flaw. That's the wrong question to ask no matter what way you want to spin it. Focus on the problem: "display isn't always on" then focus on who should be answering and fixing the problem: Apple.

The display not being always on isn't a flaw, it's a necessity to ensure a longer battery life between charges.
The raise to wake option is there so you don't have to touch the watch with greasy fingers.
If Apple could keep the screen on and maintain the same battery life then great!
Till then we'll either accept it as it is, knowing full well it's specs and limitations before purchasing.
Or just not buy it and wait a year, 2 or 3 until battery/screen tech has advanced.

 

[JackieInCo]

If people want their display to be able to switch off then Apple can include an option for that handful when they fix the design flaw. For the rest of humanity, we want a display that shows the time 24x7 like every other watch on the planet does.

And that is when I will buy an Apple Watch. Till then, I wear a watch that always displays the time.