Apple Watch U.S. Online Sales Estimated at 3 Million Through 3 Months

[Chupa Chupa]

Now if one doesn't buy Tim Cook's comments, the only other reason for hiding the Watch within an "other" category would be because Apple doesn't expect it to be an iPhone/iPad like blockbuster from day one. But if that's the case it's kind of hard to call it a flop if Apple's expectations for it were modest from the get go.

True, but even while Apple buries revenue in a catch-all category they are doing anything but promoting it like the original or even v2 Apple TV which even SJ said wasn't a product, but a "hobby." THAT is the proper way to safely and reasonably lower expectations. In the interim years, no one said AppleTV was a failure, no one cared. That gave it the ability to grow organically.

What Apple (Tim Cook) is doing here is just confusing everyone with high level promotion up-to launch. That's not Apple being modest or saying its going to let sales grow slowly with promotion mostly by word of mouth and store display/demos like the AppleTV or a true accessory.

Cook not revealing sales numbers is like a kid playing hide the ball because he knows he can't hit the ball and will be laughed at. Otherwise, he'd proudly announce he sold X the first week and that the momentum is in an upward direction. Ultimately, it's not early adopter sales numbers that matter, but direction of the sales curve once the early adopters have been satiated. I think that is what Tim Cook fears -- the quick rise then drop to the abyss.

 

[JeffyTheQuik]

If we could make calls from our watch without having to talk to stupid Siri, i bet it would be a LOT higher

If we could answer the watch, and have it automagically go to our Bluetooth headset, that would be awesome too...

 

[Rogifan]

Apple is not going to say how many it sold. Tim Cook has already stated they are not breaking out the numbers. So we here in forum land can sit and play armchair ceo, but the reality is, Apple watch outsold android wear based on a years worth of sales and we only know the minimum amount of sales, not the actual amount, based on data reported by some tracking app.

I don't trust any figures other than what Apple supplies. If Apple Watch ever turns into a big enough business that warrants its own product category on Apple's website then Apple will start breaking it out. Until then it will be best buds with TV and Beats. Are those products flops because Apple doesn't provide consistent sales data on them?

 

[I7guy]

True, but even while Apple buries revenue in a catch-all category they are doing anything but promoting it like the original or even v2 Apple TV which even SJ said wasn't a product, but a "hobby." THAT is the proper way to safely and reasonably lower expectations. In the interim years, no one said AppleTV was a failure, no one cared. That gave it the ability to grow organically.

What Apple (Tim Cook) is doing here is just confusing everyone with high level promotion up-to launch. That's not Apple being modest or saying its going to let sales grow slowly with promotion mostly by word of mouth and store display/demos like the AppleTV or a true accessory.

Cook not revealing sales numbers is like a kid playing hide the ball because he knows he can't hit the ball and will be laughed at. Otherwise, he'd proudly announce he sold X the first week and that the momentum is in an upward direction. Ultimately, it's not early adopter sales numbers that matter, but direction of the sales curve once the early adopters have been satiated. I think that is what Tim Cook fears -- the quick rise then drop to the abyss.

Cook is not the first, nor will he be the last ceo to bury sales volumes of product lines.

I frankly don't care how many they sold. I'm waiting for mine.

 

[AppleScruff1]

I've not once said the product is a huge success. I have no idea. I don't even own one. All I'm saying is we don't have any credible evidence to suggest it's a flop.

I understand that, but some people jump in the thread saying the watch is a flop while others disregard the source of the information as unreliable. And flop is a matter of opinion to the world outside of Apple corporate.

Remember the predictions a few months back where the Edition was going to sell over 800,000 before the end of the year? Some ridiculed that while others embraced it and were bragging about how many billions Apple would make. If the numbers in this article are anywhere near accurate, the Edition didn't come close to selling as the earlier article predicted.

And for the record, I have stated many times that I think they did a very nice job with the watch. Personally I don't see it as the next big thing, but what do I know, I just have an opinion like everyone else.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Exactly. Which just proves my point that all these Wall Street analysts predictions are nonsense. This isn't a mature product category. They have nothing to base their predictions on. And knowing that Apple would be burying Watch results in this "other" bucket should've given them a clue not to go crazy with sales predictions. Unless you have short sellers who intentionally threw out crazy predictions so they could later revise them down.

That's all this stuff is, predictions and estimates. Only Cook and Co. Know the facts. Personally, I think everyone expects everything Apple makes to be the next iPhone, so by this standard a million a month is disappointing.

 

[ninethirty]

It literally is in the top nav on the site. So now what?

I don't trust any figures other than what Apple supplies. If Apple Watch ever turns into a big enough business that warrants its own product category on Apple's website then Apple will start breaking it out. Until then it will be best buds with TV and Beats. Are those products flops because Apple doesn't provide consistent sales data on them?

 

[dusk007]

So something of about 1% of potential customers (aka iphone owners) have gotten themselves one of these watches.
What was it again with 30% showing interest in polls back before it was released?
Smartwatches aren't going to be storm the market that much is obvious. But if iphones weren't subsidized they wouldn't be all that popular either. Either those watches will drop in price (which they likely will NOT) or they will stay a niche for quite some time.

 

[Agent-J]

If we could make calls from our watch without having to talk to stupid Siri, i bet it would be a LOT higher

"I'm sorry, I can't help you with that right now."

 

[Rogifan]

True, but even while Apple buries revenue in a catch-all category they are doing anything but promoting it like the original or even v2 Apple TV which even SJ said wasn't a product, but a "hobby." THAT is the proper way to safely and reasonably lower expectations. In the interim years, no one said AppleTV was a failure, no one cared. That gave it the ability to grow organically.

What Apple (Tim Cook) is doing here is just confusing everyone with high level promotion up-to launch. That's not Apple being modest or saying its going to let sales grow slowly with promotion mostly by word of mouth and store display/demos like the AppleTV or a true accessory.

Cook not revealing sales numbers is like a kid playing hide the ball because he knows he can't hit the ball and will be laughed at. Otherwise, he'd proudly announce he sold X the first week and that the momentum is in an upward direction. Ultimately, it's not early adopter sales numbers that matter, but direction of the sales curve once the early adopters have been satiated. I think that is what Tim Cook fears -- the quick rise then drop to the abyss.

Perhaps Apple is moving away from releasing sales figures. They don't do it anymore when new iPads launch. They never do it with Macs. I suppose they have no choice with iPhone but it wouldn't bother me if they stopped doing it all together. None of their competitors consistently release sales figures why should Apple? Is there an SEC reg that requires a breakout of sales figures?

 

[ArtOfWarfare]

Good article.

1,875 Apple Watch Editions!

When did Apple last sell so few of a product? I think this may be a record. Did the Newton ever have such low numbers?

Wasn't there an article about how Apple was only selling 1000 17" MacBook Pros per month, which is why they discontinued that size?

Other than that, I think their lowest selling product after the Apple Watch Edition is the Mac Pro, which sells in the low thousands per month, as I recall.

 

[Pilgrim1099]

Where I think we agree SJ is missed is the vetting gap he left. Clearly Apple's new UI's from iTunes to AW are not as polished or intuitive as SJ would have demanded. Ive was great because he had SJ to give critique him and buff out the rough edges or tell him to start over. I get the sense that Cook doesn't have this ability or influence or just believes the Apple logo is like Midas's Touch. The AW in concept is a great idea. But Apple's execution has been confusing.

This is one of the biggest reasons why I think Cook isn't the right guy on board. He doesn't have a background in the liberal arts or design related fields to strike that balance.

Jobs was, it seems, able to speak in the language of the designers and know when it looks right. After all, he was one of the founders of Pixar back then which was one of the best animation houses in the industry.. And it still is.

Jobs knew how to tap into talent and make them grow. Cook, on the other hand, is reliant on them. Jobs motivates them, Cook uses the hands off approach, trusting people to do their thing. It's very subtle but the problem is there.

I don't think a lot of people are aware of the Pixar background that Jobs had.

When a designer doesn't have a source of feedback or critique that understands his creative process to push the envelope, it becomes a problem of complacency or lack of direction.

I greatly suspect this is why Apple had Marc Newson there to act as a springboard of feedback/motivation for Jony instead of Cook.

 

[skellener]

Just wondering how it compares to the launch of the AppleTV which was a hobby.

 

[0098386]

So something of about 1% of potential customers (aka iphone owners) have gotten themselves one of these watches.
What was it again with 30% showing interest in polls back before it was released?
Smartwatches aren't going to be storm the market that much is obvious. But if iphones weren't subsidized they wouldn't be all that popular either. Either those watches will drop in price (which they likely will NOT) or they will stay a niche for quite some time.

I guess I'm in that 30%. At this stage I'm just waiting on Gen 2 and if there are sufficient updates. Certified waterproof, slightly longer battery, let's see what 3rd party apps can do first.

And regarding subsidised, is that just a US thing? iPhones are very popular here in the UK and we have a healthy split of subsidised phones and "buy outright" ones.

 

[I7guy]

This is one of the biggest reasons why I think Cook isn't the right guy on board. He doesn't have a background in the liberal arts or design related fields to strike that balance.

Jobs was, it seems, able to speak in the language of the designers and know when it looks right. After all, he was one of the founders of Pixar back then which was one of the best animation houses in the industry.. And it still is.

Jobs knew how to tap into talent and make them grow. Cook, on the other hand, is reliant on them. Jobs motivates them, Cook uses the hands off approach, trusting people to do their thing. It's very subtle but the problem is there.

I don't think a lot of people are aware of the Pixar background that Jobs had.

When a designer doesn't have a source of feedback or critique that understands his creative process to push the envelope, it becomes a problem of complacency or lack of direction.

I greatly suspect this is why Apple had Marc Newson there to act as a springboard of feedback/motivation for Jony instead of Cook.

When Lou Gerstner took over IBM in 1993
his background was not tech, yet he turned the company around.

Parallel to Tim Cook...in spite of a lot of negativity on these forums Apple by all measures seems to be doing just fine.

 

[MartinAppleGuy]

It always makes us feel better about ourselves when we get compared to lesser people (in our minds) doesn't it! Is this true with the above statement?

The purpose of the comparison was due to the amount of android users I've seen comment around the web how it's been a flop.

 

[CFreymarc]

Less than two thousand editions sold? These things will appreciate over the years.

 

[The Game 161]

Thought if was a flop? Clearly not

 

[citysnaps]

Jobs was, it seems, able to speak in the language of the designers and know when it looks right. After all, he was one of the founders of Pixar back then which was one of the best animation houses in the industry.. And it still is.

Jobs was not a Pixar founder - it began in 1979 as group within Lucasfilm. Jobs purchased Pixar from George Lucas in 1986.

 

[thekeyring]

Good article.

1,875 Apple Watch Editions!

When did Apple last sell so few of a product? I think this may be a record. Did the Newton ever have such low numbers?

Thank goodness for Slice. They are doing what Steve Jobs used to do at each keynote: tell us how many products Apple have sold.

Jonny Ive has said that he is "very tired." The reason for this is because he tried his hardest to design a thin, attractive watch and failed. The trauma of a thick watch is just too much to bear. He knows his heart is not in wearables. Neither is the general public's.

Are you seriously claiming that selling >1,000 units of a product that retails at $10,000, that everyone claimed 'no one will buy' is a failure?

I constantly see your name accociated with negative comments. Not normal run of the mill objective criticism. What's your problem?

 

[JSB1540]

Are you seriously claiming that selling >1,000 units of a product that retails at $10,000, that everyone claimed 'no one will buy' is a failure?

I constantly see your name accociated with negative comments. Not normal run of the mill objective criticism. What's your problem?

Agreed, I never see anything but criticism from his posts. Certainly there must be something good in his life he could let us know about.

 

[M7ck]

Jobs was not a Pixar founder - it began in 1979 as group within Lucasfilm. Jobs purchased Pixar from George Lucas in 1986.

Wrong. Pixar was founded in 1986 using Steve Jobs' money.

 

[now i see it]

Avg price of $505 X roughly 3 million units = roughly $1.5 Billion dollars in sales in 3 months.
That's $500,000,000 a month
That's a lot of moolah.

 

[dusk007]

And regarding subsidised, is that just a US thing? iPhones are very popular here in the UK and we have a healthy split of subsidised phones and "buy outright" ones.

Yeah almost everyone buys iphones subsidised. It is only sort of subsidised because you eventually pay for it anyway, it just does not appear so expensive at first.
I don't know about the UK but the US has a iphone market share that gets close to 40%+. In Germany iOS market share is like 10% and the biggest difference that much more people here in europe buy outright because it is just cheaper if actually calculate what you would pay otherwise. All iphone owners I know even here buy them with subsidizes.
Just checked the uk is apperantly in between at some 25% Apple market share. Still I think you guys are much more infected by Apple fanboyism than mainland europe. Apple market share in the US is a lot different from europe/south america/asia.

 

[thekeyring]

Agreed, I never see anything but criticism from his posts. Certainly there must be something good in his life he could let us know about.

I replied to something he'd said previously and ended my comment with "This forum is better without trolls." (Which, to be fair, is true of any forum.) The result was a 3 day ban from the website.