Compared to the massive numbers of iPhones it unloads each year, Apple has “only” sold around 6-7 million Apple Watches since the device’s launch earlier this year.
Granted, that’s still more than the entire rest of the smartwatch industry combined, but a new report suggests that Apple could be on course to sell almost the same quantity again over the holiday quarter — signalling a near-doubling of sales for Apple’s debut wearable device.
The report comes from FBR Capital Markets senior analyst Daniel Ives, and is based on “anecdotal evidence” from both retailers and customers — particularly over the Thanksgiving/Black Friday weekend.
“Our Black Friday Apple-store checks revealed growing interest in Apple Watch sales heading into the holiday season,” Ives notes.
“While Watch unit sales have been roughly 6 million since launch, based on our analysis and improving consumer interest heading into the holiday season, we believe Watch sales in the December quarter should be close to the 5 million/6 million unit mark.”
To me at least, it’s no great surprise that Apple products would prove to be “must have” Christmas devices, particularly now that the company has had time to educate the public about what the Watch can do.
Another recent report from analytics firm Argus Insights listed various Apple Watch models as 4 of the top 10 desired wearables going into the all-important holiday season.
More interesting is what this will mean for the already-shaky analyst reports trying to guesstimate how well the device has done so far — and will do from this point on. Hope they remembered to include Christmas in their models!
Via: Wareable
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
4 responses to “Apple could sell up to 6 million Watches over holiday season”
Apple could be waiting for the newsworthy “10 million Apple Watches sold” announcement. This would be a great recommendation for the next round of buyers. This could happen in the next few months and definitely in the first year of sales, which is a great start for Apple Watch.
Sadly, in some people’s eyes there is nothing you or Apple or Cult of Mac can say that wouldn’t make this product a failure.
Even if Apple sells over 10 million AppleWatches it will still be seen as a failed product simply because some analyst at some point said Apple should sell about 30 million AppleWatches. Anything less than that 30 million unit number will certainly ruin Wall Street’s view of AppleWatch sales. One of Apple’s biggest problem is that things analysts say about Apple tends to be written in stone. Whatever numbers Tim Cook says is immediately ignored. Any sales numbers guidance given by Apple is always considered useless to investors. That’s something I really don’t understand. Who should really know best? Apple or analysts? I would think Apple should know best.
Indeed. Never was a job title more apt, as a Wall Street analyst literally plucks figures from his/her backside, especially when it comes to Apple. I can think of no other profession that rewards so highly the simple act of guessing.