I’m no Apple fanboi by a long shot, but 31 million at a few hundred bucks a pop is a LOT of money.
It’s not a necessity. People are buying it almost solely because Apply made this. If some generic technology company had made this, it likely would only sell a few million units at best, possibly not even a million.
Most are onto the fact that this first iteration of the Watch is to be skipped. Right now it’s simply a toy that has the Apple Logo. The real payoff will future versions that actually make the product a benefit beyond the iPhone.
They should have called it the “iSwatch” (except for the inevitable lawsuit).
Smartwatches make no sense for what some of these guys are charging.
99 dollars to 150 (200 tops), are the only legitimate price they should go for.
Apple never intended the Apple Watch to be a high-volume item, because frankly, even Apple can’t quite figure out the market for this device yet. As such, don’t expect strong sales figures even in China.
gee.. are they going to claim another part failure so they can continue the perception of supply shortage?
who could’ve guessed the casio from the 80s would be a dud with the fashion crowd. it’s just like google glass.
for hundreds of years, artisans had designed watches. not just the inner workings, but the overall look and appeal. there is no limit to the number of designs. yet the fanbois think a large rectangular glob with a thick plastic band is going to compete?!
Apple is going to have to create this market, and I think they have the ability to do so successfully. And the truth is, that can only benefit the market as a whole, and other manufacturers will benefit.
One thing I see that manufacturers of this and similar products are doing, is that they are really emphasizing the Exercise aspect of it. With the West getting fatter and lazier, I don't know if that will be enough to get people to buy it.
One day they say Apple sold more then predicted and sold out and then the next day they are saying sales are anemic. It is sad to have so much jealousy for such a great company. I feel the same for Walmart and McDonalds who can’t do a thing right in the minds of liberals and press.
Today the oceans had tides, the wind blew, the sun will rise and set and an analyst is wrong again.
Watches are also a piece of jewelry and a statement of personal style. There are appropriate watches for certain occasions. Most people wouldn’t wear an iwatch to a job interview or black-tie event.
The thing is pretty bulky too - I can easily see scratching the display as it brushes against everyday stuff.
I neither hate nor love Apple, but I will not be purchasing an Apple watch.
For the price of one of those plastic things you can buy a nice entry-level Swiss, or mid-level Japanese wrist watch with an automatic movement that is nothing short of a mechanical marvel.
In my opinion, a lackluster assortment of silicon and plastic components simply cannot measure up to that.
Not to mention that there is no way my mechanical Tissot, Oris or Seiko watch can be used to track my movements and report them back to the government.
They expected bigger sales of a wrist-borne I/O device for an iPhone? An iOS device that worked on its own in a wrist-watch format and had some nice apps specifically designed to work well on the small screen might have generated some excitement, but not what they actually released.
Fits my definition of “unneeded technology.”
PC's filled lots of needs for people. Laptops filled a need to make computing portable. Tablets filled a need to make portable computing more affordable and light-weight. Cellular phones and smart phones filled a need for mobile communications.
Smart watches just don't address anything other than being cute gimmicks.
The only apple items I own are actual apples and pie filling.
So an actual timepiece does it even work that well? Or if someone forgets to put it on the charger do they find out that they have idea what time it is because their watch/phone/thing died. Or does it have a reserve power to keep its primary function as a watch active?
For the record, Business Insider is not business, and not insider. They suck, and I won’t click through to them. I keep wondering why otherwise intelligent Freepers keep posting their bullcrap.
But to the point of the article, which I will read only as much as is excerpted: 31 million is tepid? With 310 million people in America, having one in ten people buying one of these, is tepid? I’m sorry, but for an item whose usefulness requires the user to also own a 400 iPhone, 31 million is f*****g phenomenal.
I like my Timex, it’s got a nice blue light that comes on when I push the stem.