Tim Cook Says Apple Watch Set New Sales Record in First Holiday Shopping Week

[Stella]

Why would you care as a consumer?

Only trolls are interested in sales numbers, even if Apple sold a billion of them, it still won't be enough.

Why wouldn't I care about sale figures? For a product that is driven by an ecosystem, I would want to know if there was enough sales to warrant third party developer interest. If sale figures / marketshare was low, then 3rd party support would probably slow down because there aren't enough users.

Additionally, how long can a product keep being sold for if sales are lacklustre before it is canned?

I'm not spending $500 on a product that is performing badly in the market place.

If Apple sold "a billion Apple Watches", I'd be very happy.

 

[JPark]

I don't doubt it. The Series 2 38mm Rose Gold has been impossible to find in stores, including the Apple Stores.

 

[OllyW]

I live in a densely populated suburban upper middle class area. Very few android users, lots of BMW's, lots of Apple Watches. Even at the burger joint near my house at least half the employees have one. I basically can't leave my house without seeing apple watches all over the place.

I live in the third most populated area of the UK but can still go weeks without seeing another Apple Watch. I'd say iPhone and Android are split roughly 50/50 around here.

 

[Rogifan]

If sale numbers were really good, why not put AW in its own category for the revenue charts?

I don't necessarily think that if the sales are good, it is a good product though. Example, I think that Macs were a lot better with hardly anyone used Apple products.

But, I also think Tim Cook is not being fully honest about sale records.

If Apple didn't sell one AW all year, and then sells a few, that would be considered record sales.

I disagree. Apple should provide the bare minimum the SEC requires. Amazon stock is at record highs yet they never disclose Kindle or Echo sales. They never say how many Prime customers they have. The only people that care about Apple disclosing Watch sales are the ones that want to see it fail.

 

[kdarling]

Difference is Tim Cook is responsible to shareholders and the SEC. Tim Cook can make stuff up because eventually the truth comes out in financial reporting. Who is IDC responsible to?

That's why Cook spouts vague phrases that have plausible denial... like "best sales ever" and "off the charts". He's always done this. He tells the truth, but not the whole truth. He got this from Jobs.

(I actually quite enjoy watching the way he manipulates words. It's almost poetic. If we were ever in an extended war that involved the whole nation, we'd want Apple to be in charge of propaganda.)

But like a poker player, he also has a "tell". When he gets very specific, you know something is up.

In this case, it's because he used a "sell through" reference. (He's done this once before with the Watch and it worked as a distraction, so I'm sure he thought it would work again.) This is meaningless unless we know the sell-in as well... as THAT is the number that Apple uses to calculate sales revenue.

 

[NormChuck]

IDC is always negative about Apple and has been for years now.

I'm the meantime I see more watches popping up on the subway every day.

On Black Friday I finally bought myself a series 1 and my wife bought herself a series 2. Apple Watch is def not for all. I like it for what it does which is why I didn't want to pay extra for the series 2. But at 218 bucks for the 42 version I bought it. =)

 

[mydogeatsbeats]

I like my Apple Watch

 

[nope7308]

I think the more interesting question is whether Tim Cook is starting to believe his own lies.

 

[WarHeadz]

I live in the third most populated area of the UK but can still go weeks without seeing another Apple Watch. I'd say iPhone and Android are split roughly 50/50 around here.

Apple in general seems to have a high saturation rate here. Not just with phones but with computers as well. I guess the amount of watches I see just follows that trend. Good thing there's plenty of apple stores in driving distance.

 

[cdmoore74]

I bought an Apple watch only because it was a newer model. Never planned on buying the first gen watch and that was the plan when the watch was first announced.

 

[Rogifan]

Nobody. Thats why IDC needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Have to understand where their numbers are coming from, and who pays the bills for IDC to do their reporting. Just like anything, and EVERYTHING, using critical thinking is important.

Even if Cook says something. Need to act Critically.

Apple has been moving awa from sharing sales figures for a while now. We don't even get launch week sales figures for iPhone anymore. I personally would like to see Apple stop providing sales figures all together. The financials will tell investors how well (or not) the company is doing.

 

[NT1440]

Why wouldn't I care about sale figures? For a product that is driven by an ecosystem, I would want to know if there was enough sales to warrant third party developer interest. If sale figures / marketshare was low, then 3rd party support would probably slow down because there aren't enough users.

Additionally, how long can a product keep being sold for if sales are lacklustre before it is canned?

I'm not spending $500 on a product that is performing badly in the market place.

If Apple sold "a billion Apple Watches", I'd be very happy.

You'd be happy if Apple sold a watch for one out of every 8ish people on the planet? That's the measuring stick that's used here? Really?

 

[yourtoys7]

I purchased 2 weeks old Serious 1 220.USD/ 300CAD, after 3-4 weeks I sold it. Just wasn't wow, dont miss it at all. I would never pay full price.
Simple tracker with text notifications 100-150. would work.

 

[zorinlynx]

The Apple Watch is the first product they make that I don't feel any desire to own at all, even though I love my iPhone, iPad and Macs quite a bit.

My current watch is a solar-powered Casio G-Shock, 80s style, which syncs up every night using WWVB to always have perfect time. It's nearly indestructible, doesn't need to be charged every night, and ALWAYS works. When I want to know the time or date, I just glance at my wrist. No tapping buttons, no waiting for the screen to come on.

If I need to do ANYTHING else, I just use my phone. I ENJOY using my phone; pulling it out is not an inconvenience. The Apple Watch doesn't really give me anything I can't do with the phone. Hell I don't even need the G-shock; I just like it because it's "retro" and being able to glance at the time is nice.

Count me in as someone who likes Apple products, but doesn't need the Watch. I'm sure I'm not the only one.

 

[MNJohn]

Earlier today data from market research firm IDC said that Apple Watch's share of the wearables market fell to 5% as fitness trackers "reigned supreme." In an email responding to a Reuters inquiry about the report, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple Watch's sell-through rate hit a new high recently.

Cook added that Apple's data shows that the Watch "looks to be one of the most popular holiday gifts this year." The IDC report estimated that Apple shipped 1.1 million Apple Watch units in the third quarter, down from 3.9 million shipments last year during the same quarter.

IDC attributed the decline to an "aging lineup" and an "unintuitive user interface." Apple addressed those concerns with the Apple Watch Series 2, but the model's launch date in mid-September hampered its impact in the third quarter.

While Cook told Reuters that Apple's sell-through rate was high, he has not yet responded to Reuters' request for specific sales figures. Apple doesn't disclose Apple Watch sales figures, instead grouping it into its "other products" category, which also includes iPod and Apple TV, in earnings results.

Article Link: Tim Cook Says Apple Watch Set New Sales Record in First Holiday Shopping Week

Not surprising given the fact

I just find nothing particularly compelling about the Watch yet...honestly not sure I ever will.

Glad to hear some enjoy theirs however!

Lots of empty space at the Apple Store to try one if anyone's interested.
At my local store, the only vacant spaces are the Mac Pro and Watch areas.

Made the same observation at the Mall of America Apple Store the week the new 15" MacBook Pros arrived. You'd swear the Apple Watch counter had been declared a hazardous radioactive waste zone!

 

[honglong1976]

The GUI was better, sure. Everything else, Meh. Yes, it did start a new era of smartphones.

I think the AW had the potential - the GUI is eye candy ( like original iPhone ). Not sure about long term usability because I haven't used one for long enough. But the consumer isn't interest for whatever reason. Maybe like the iPod, the AW just needs more time.

Capacitance touch sensor, proximity sensor, lack of keys, mute button on the side

 

[JackieInCo]

I live in the third most populated area of the UK but can still go weeks without seeing another Apple Watch. I'd say iPhone and Android are split roughly 50/50 around here.

I don't think I've seen anyone wearing one and I work in a customer service type job everyday. I probably see 50-100 people daily.

 

[skinned66]

I'll believe the numbers themselves, not Tim Cook's cheery platitudes. Since those aren't forthcoming I'll have to make do with speculation. As far as any transparency goes he could be talking about increased watchband sales which really don't tell me how the watch is doing.

 

[a.gomez]

What was the base number? Retailers also slashed the price on it left and right.

 

[Stella]

Capacitance touch sensor, proximity sensor, lack of keys, mute button on the side

Yes - the touch sensor and proximity sensors were good. Lack of Keys - well, thats a personal choice. Some people like a physical keyboard over a touch screen.

 

[JackieInCo]

My current watch is a solar-powered Casio G-Shock, 80s style, which syncs up every night using WWVB to always have perfect time. It's nearly indestructible, doesn't need to be charged every night, and ALWAYS works. When I want to know the time or date, I just glance at my wrist. No tapping buttons, no waiting for the screen to come on.

Same. I bought two G-Shocks last month, a Mudmaster and a Rangeman. Nothing beats never having to set the time or having to charge a battery. These watches do their job well.

 

[cdmoore74]

Apple in general seems to have a high saturation rate here. Not just with phones but with computers as well. I guess the amount of watches I see just follows that trend. Good thing there's plenty of apple stores in driving distance.

With computers!!!! I can't believe that. I would say that 1 out of every 10 people I know owns a Mac. I would love to own a Mac mini but Apple has made poor decisions when it comes to laptop/desktop. It's almost like with each passing year the Mac becomes more irrelevant. Why should I invest into a platform when Apple itself is not investing in getting more Mac's in peoples hands? Their keeping the product niche on purpose. It's feels like Tim Cook wants to keep Mac ownership under 10% on purpose.
I now find it ironic that I'm typing this out on a website called "macrumors" when the majority of rumors are on everything but Mac.

 

[Glideslope]

Sure Tim. Hows the new job search going?

 

[cdmoore74]

Same. I bought two G-Shocks last month, a Mudmaster and a Rangeman. Nothing beats never having to set the time or having to charge a battery. These watches do their job well.

I personally bought the Apple Watch (and before that the Pebble and Moto 360) because their smartwatches that receive notifications and as a side effect can tell time. I didn't buy those watches just to treat them as dumb watches. If you need a watch just to tell time then you shouldn't be looking at a smartwatch in the first place.

 

[bag99001]

Btw, Windows Phone did surpass iOS back in 2015.

https://www.macrumors.com/2011/03/2...-phone-to-top-iphone-in-market-share-by-2015/

Are you being ironic or just misreading the post you just linked? The post is from 2011 and is a PROJECTION for 2015 that didn't actually happen - "IDC Projects Windows Phone *TO* top iPhone Market share in 2015"