It's not unreasonably priced compared to other watches, though. Jewelry tends to be high markup. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple tweaks the pricing in the future. They did so with the iPhone and the iPad.
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Apple Watch U.S. Online Sales Estimated at 3 Million Through 3 Months
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It's not unreasonably priced compared to other watches, though. Jewelry tends to be high markup. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Apple tweaks the pricing in the future. They did so with the iPhone and the iPad.
1/4 the sales, 1/1000000 the hype. Hard to pic the bigger loser.
But whose estimates? I always thought those estimating sales in the tens of millions were being unrealistic. Given that Apple sells about 250 million iPhones per year, and initial polls said that about 10% were "interested" in the Watch, I expect that potentially Apple can sell a decent number of them (i.e. maybe eventually 25 million), but didn't think they would sell that many initially. "Interested in" and "actually buying" are two different things. People may be waiting for a price drop, or the second version, and not having stock in the store probably muted the initial wave. We'll get some clues next week with the earnings call. Analysts will be looking to see how much the "Other" category has increased.
Except that the average price for the Apple TV is almost a magnitude less. Is something on the order of 10X bigger than a multi-million dollar hobby still a hobby?
Same here... the Apple store was buzzing yesterday. Apart from the Apple Watch table in the middle of the room - which was empty.
When they start moving the AW displays to the back of the stores then will be the time to pronounce on the success (or otherwise) of the Apple Watch.
This pretty much sums up the dynamic between Slice, tech media, and consumers.
EDIT: And here's the underlying article.
EDIT: And here's the underlying article.
If you strictly go off Slice's #s, are these figures even disappointing?
Units Sold Average Price ~Total
Apple Sport 1,950,909 $381 $743,296,329.00
Apple Watch 1,086,569 $695 $755,165,455.00
Apple Edition 1,875 $13,700 $25,687,500.00
Total: $1,524,149,284.00
Units Sold Average Price ~Total
Apple Sport 1,950,909 $381 $743,296,329.00
Apple Watch 1,086,569 $695 $755,165,455.00
Apple Edition 1,875 $13,700 $25,687,500.00
Total: $1,524,149,284.00
I don't understand these posts. It's way too early to tell imo, people still thought that the iPhone would flop within a few months of its launch. I mean, I definitely think that it COULD, but I don't think anyone can definitely say that at this point.
I'll wait until Apple releases official numbers on the quarter. I know they're not releasing individual sales numbers for the watch, but it should be easy enough to look at the category as a whole, look at what it did in previous quarters/years, and make a general guess at how much money it's brought in.
People comparing the Apple Watch sales to Rolex sales completely miss the point. Yes it's impressive that Apple was even able to sell 1800 of those 10k+ watches but that's not even a splash in the bucket for a company with as rich a history as Rolex.
Rolex does not, and has not, EVER tried to sell "millions of Rolexes" per year. Instead, they will sell a FEW watches that total more than a few millions. Apple will eat up all the small time players, but they won't hurt the luxury makers.
Rolex does not, and has not, EVER tried to sell "millions of Rolexes" per year. Instead, they will sell a FEW watches that total more than a few millions. Apple will eat up all the small time players, but they won't hurt the luxury makers.
I'll pay attention if and when Apple releases numbers. But I won't be at all surprised if the 
Watch gets relegated to the "hobby" category, at least for now. I can see the potential, but right now I just feel like the watch is a solution to a problem I don't have.
Watch gets relegated to the "hobby" category, at least for now. I can see the potential, but right now I just feel like the watch is a solution to a problem I don't have.Yeah and I don't know about anyone else, but I keep seeing people wearing them in the wild. Not any Sport models yet, all SS models.
Is that really any different that the desperate urgency to paint the watch as a success? Or to put it differently, why do so many Apple fans have such thin skins about any perceived criticisms of anything Apple? I have not paid much attention to Slice and their methodologies may be great or may be grossly flawed but the level outrage over it is bizarre to me. It's an "educated guess" at the number sold in the US, nothing more or less. Apple fans (and I say this as someone who has bought into the entire ecosystem with multiple iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple TVs in my family) are so uber sensitive about everything. Heck, there are entire sites like MDN that regularly iCal things people predict so they can go back and mock them if proven wrong. The days when Apple was the underdog are LONG gone and this hyper-sensitivity is really strange. Oh well...
The iPhone literally ushered us into a new era of mobile technology, especially in regards to touch. There were also issues and arguments around whether or not people would actually spend $400+ for a phone each year or two years considering that we were pretty much used to fully subsidized, or massively subsidized phones. Now we know and trust Apple's offering in this space, and we'll spend the money. People do, regularly. Although things are somewhat subsidized again. Wearables of all kinds have been available for a while, and while fitbit's are popular with some sporty folks, most people don't seem to have much of an interest or need here. Even Apple wasn't able to convince people. Second, the Apple Watch didn't get the best reviews. It's an underwhelming product, especially for it's price.
People around here seem convinced that it's a grand slam, but Apple won't release numbers, and what other people have managed to surmise here, is that Apple didn't quite hit it out of the park. And if you want to discredit Slice (and if you do, I'd like to know what your professional qualifications are that allow you to do so), look around you. You seeing a lot of people wearing Apple Watches? Are people constantly telling you how awesome this thing is and that you absolutely must have one? My guess is no.
Hence the 2 points. Everyone here will argue both of them. They'll tell you anything to refute them both, but it is what it is. I'll hapilly eat my words if I'm wrong, but I strongly suspect that I'm not. If sales were through the roof, no matter what Tim Cook said, they'd be bragging about it. They knew this would happen, which is why they didn't plan to talk #'s.
People around here seem convinced that it's a grand slam, but Apple won't release numbers, and what other people have managed to surmise here, is that Apple didn't quite hit it out of the park. And if you want to discredit Slice (and if you do, I'd like to know what your professional qualifications are that allow you to do so), look around you. You seeing a lot of people wearing Apple Watches? Are people constantly telling you how awesome this thing is and that you absolutely must have one? My guess is no.
Hence the 2 points. Everyone here will argue both of them. They'll tell you anything to refute them both, but it is what it is. I'll hapilly eat my words if I'm wrong, but I strongly suspect that I'm not. If sales were through the roof, no matter what Tim Cook said, they'd be bragging about it. They knew this would happen, which is why they didn't plan to talk #'s.
At least someone still has critical thinking skills...
http://kensegall.com/2015/07/apple-doubters-in-a-feeding-frenzy/
Oops just noticed someone else already posted this.
http://kensegall.com/2015/07/apple-doubters-in-a-feeding-frenzy/
Oops just noticed someone else already posted this.
I was just talking about seeing them in the wild this weekend with my wife as I have been toying with picking one up. Neither one of us have seen a single one out yet here in SoCal, not that this really means anything.
Huh, whenever I'm at my local Apple Store the iPhone and iPad tables are usually empty. So I guess that means those products are flops too.
There will always be wearable technology. As technology continues to miniaturize, we'll only see more of it. I don't know what makes it a fad or gimmick.
I agree. I think it's doing pretty well for something in this product category at this point in time.
Especially considering that it has the look of old smartwatch tech, it doesn't do anything in particular better than any other smartwatch, and its price is a bit high.
Well, it's neither jewelry nor a regular watch, both of which can often be used for years if not decades, so I don't think those values or comparisons apply in the minds of normal consumers.
Moreover, this category can be tough. For instance, I recently gave a son's wife an Apple Watch for her birthday, along with extra bands and cash to buy more. She's a huge iDevice user and a casual athlete, so I thought it was a perfect gift. But she doesn't really wear it that much, and I understand why:
The first thing that struck me was that it took a pretty long time to go through and explain to her all the ways to interact with it. I can't even imagine what this learning curve is like for those who haven't studied it the way that most people here on this forum have.
But the more important factor is that she normally has her iPhone in her hand almost constantly, and she responds to everything, using the iPhone's keyboard. Thus the Watch is neither necessary nor really useful to her.
I think she reflects a lot of users these days. Others of us who don't reply to everything, are the ones who find wrist notifications and glances to be more useful.
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Wearable technology may be the future, but this product isn't it.. Why Apple felt the need to come out with such a product before it's time has everything to do with $ and continuing to add revenue to impress its shareholders. Personally, I wish Apple would base decisions on which product to make next not on what will impress Wall Street but on true innovation that will shake up the landscape. Some say that we are in a technological "plateau," but I'm not buying it. Apple has billions of dollars in cash on hand. They should have the ability to come up with new breakthrough technologies that stun the market.
Instead we are left with a product that seems motivated by a desire to add more revenue by manipulating customers through unprecedented marketing, over the type hyperbole, and an attempt to sell something that is neither breakthrough nor different from every other smartwatch that is on the market. Is it the most impressively designed and built with high quality? Absolutely. Does it have near non-existent utility function? Sure seems like it. When its biggest attribute being sold by those who have bought into the hype seems to be that it allows one to check notifications on the wrist, versus pulling the phone out of your pocket, or "gasp," turning the phone on if it's already on your desk, you know you have a dud.
Apple needs to refocus and not take its customer base for granted. Not all of us will buy a new product just because you say its amazing. Show us its amazing. I don't care what Pharrell or the Blonde Salad (Instagram Connection for those of us "in the know") have to say about it.
Instead we are left with a product that seems motivated by a desire to add more revenue by manipulating customers through unprecedented marketing, over the type hyperbole, and an attempt to sell something that is neither breakthrough nor different from every other smartwatch that is on the market. Is it the most impressively designed and built with high quality? Absolutely. Does it have near non-existent utility function? Sure seems like it. When its biggest attribute being sold by those who have bought into the hype seems to be that it allows one to check notifications on the wrist, versus pulling the phone out of your pocket, or "gasp," turning the phone on if it's already on your desk, you know you have a dud.
Apple needs to refocus and not take its customer base for granted. Not all of us will buy a new product just because you say its amazing. Show us its amazing. I don't care what Pharrell or the Blonde Salad (Instagram Connection for those of us "in the know") have to say about it.
I think the average "life" of an Apple Watch will be closer to that of an iPad than an iPhone. I don't see significant functionality to be added over the years. So while it won't be "jewelry" in the proper sense, it could well be comparable to a typical mall watch, particularly if the pricing gravitates toward $249 for the Sport and $399 for the Watch, which may well happen.
The learning curve of an iPhone is overwhelming if you try to demonstrate all the ways of interacting with it to someone who has never seen something similar before. Since it started out with so little functionality and has added it over 8 years, people find it more "intuitive." In my interaction, using the Apple Watch has been pretty easy. I don't use apps except for notifications and the occasional Glance. I think Apple's messaging should be changed to better reflect that using it is actually pretty easy and that you don't need to use everything it does for it to be useful.
I gave my mother an Apple Watch that she wasn't expecting, and have actually been surprised by how much she uses it. Then again, usually the phone stays in her purse, so perhaps the messages and notifications are more useful.