The Apple Watch is still searching for its “killer app,” claims a new report — arguing that the lack of a “must have” use-case is stopping Apple’s wearable device from achieving its sales potential.
The analysts in question suggest that the Apple Watch will sell between 9-12 million units this year.
For those keeping track at home, that’s more than the 7.5 million units the iPad sold in its first fiscal year, and way more than the 5.4 million iPhones Apple sold in year one.
Since both of those markets exploded the year after (iPad sales quadrupled in 2011, while the iPhone became, well, the iPhone) I don’t think Apple has too much to worry about going forward — particularly as the Apple Watch becomes more of a standalone device.
9-12 million units is about in line with the more conservative early analyst predictions. Gene Munster previously argued that first-year Apple Watch sales would be around 10 million, while Trip Chowdhry overcompensated for his Apple doom predictions if it didn’t release an Apple Watch by May 2014 by predicting a whopping 42 million unit sales.
The “killer app” argument is an interesting one. For those unfamiliar with the term, it was first applied to computers in the 1980s when the spreadsheet VisiCalc suddenly made it clear to big businesses and home business owners why they’d want to buy a personal computer.
Since then, there’s been a lot of discussion about whether or not the term is relevant — with an articulate case against it being made by ex-Appler Ken Segall (the man who came up with the “i” naming strategy.) Segall’s case is backed up by recent research showing the broad range of things people use their Apple Watches for.
Do you think Apple Watch is hurting because Apple and developers are failing to provide that “must have” app that makes your non-techie dad or partner run out and buy an Apple Watch? Or would 9-12 million be solid first year sales that are going to explode from here?
Leave your comments below.
Source: Digitimes
