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Apple Watch: Biggest Launch in Company History
Ima have to start by telling you “I told you,” because I’m just that way, and because I DID. Look it up. I said that it was gonna be huge for Apple, because it’s already huge for other people — and anything huge for someone else probably gonna get huger when Apple comes.
But I wasn’t thinking THIS big: $500 million.
On the first day.
Nearly 1 million U.S. consumers preordered the tech giant’s first smartwatch when it went on sale last Friday.
Apple’s latest offering was preordered by 957,000 people, who spent an average of $503.83 on the device, putting the watch on track to be the company’s biggest new product release ever.
Note two things:
The number of units. A million out of the gate? Compare to 74 days to sell the first million iPhones, and 28 days for the first million iPads.
As Tim Cook loves to remind people, the press and user base largely blasted Apple for the iPad…before they got their hands on it.
Signs point to an Apple target of 20 million of ’em in the first year. I’m betting the over.
The average order of $500+. Another “tolja so” from me: I’ve been saying here that people want MORE ways to give Apple MORE money. (Computers? Old news.)
Especially interesting to me: an average of 1.3 watches per customer, pointing to a meaningful number of people buying more than one.
You can find a ton of articles talking about this. I like this’n from c|net.
So I’ll just sit back and bask in my righteous, if rare, right-ness.
And, no, no froggin’ way I’m buying one. Are you on crack? LOL
EDIT:
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE.
The numbers for $/sale were worldwide. Here in the US, the for each sale: $707.04!
This here article goes into a deeper dive on things like which color watchband is most popular and such, but the big number I noted is that 32% of sales appear to be going to the more expensive model.
You haters keep on hatin’.
You know who’s not hatin’? Anyone who tries one on, apparently. Estimates at Apple stores suggest that as much as 90% of try-ons result in sales.
Now, that number is a) being provided off the cuff by jagoffs who work in malls, and 2) likely skewed by people who already wanted one. The try-on session is more like “I was pretty sure I was gonna get one, but oh em gee, it’s even cooler than I thought it would be. Are you sure I can’t figure out a way to spend more on it? Maybe if I buy 2?”
That is, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of those folks having opted for the more expensive model after having thought that the lesser model would do.
Which is of course crazy talk. If you think the less expensive model of ANYTHING will do, you have no business doing business with Apple. LOL
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22 Replies
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Great news for lovers of self-indulgence. Sad news for lovers of humanity.
David
https://AllinOneFilms.com -
Always salient points and we love to debate (in this forum especially) but I will definitely take the under.
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Interesting. I was at an official Apple store yesterday and there was no real interest in the case of watches on display. Even the sales person told me she saw no need to get one. I agree with her.
sw
Scott Witthaus
Senior Editor/Post Production Supervisor
1708 Inc./Editorial
Professor, VCU Brandcenter -
Let’s remember these numbers are NOT OFFICIAL, and have been reverse engineered from a specific analytics company.
Also, these are US PRE-ORDERS only, so the number could be much, much higher.
As for the comments below about self indulgence… I’m fairly bored by people who take their personal priorities as gospel.
The Apple watch, like ANY technology product, is not for everyone. If it’s health, fitness, or quick messaging priorities aren’t for you- that’s fine. But calling them self-indulgent just seems petty.
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The Watch looks really nice, but I still think it’s a little odd that Apple is pushing bigger screens for their phones because, I guess folks want bigger screens, and at the same time pushing this tiny screen watch. Why is this little screen on your wrist OK? : )
I think the watch will do well, but part of me feels that people will get tired of looking at the tiny screen and go for their bigger screen that’s in their pocket, or for that matter……..already glued to their hand.
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[Marcus Moore] “As for the comments below about self indulgence… I’m fairly bored by people who take their personal priorities as gospel.
The Apple watch, like ANY technology product, is not for everyone. If it’s health, fitness, or quick messaging priorities aren’t for you- that’s fine. But calling them self-indulgent just seems petty.”
Heaven forbid anyone think a $700 calorie counter was self indulgent. This watch is the definition of conspicuous consumption and Thorstein Veblen is laughing from the grave.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
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nothin’ attached to nothin’
“Deciding the spine is the process of editing” F. Bieberkopf -
The watch costs $350. If someone chooses to spend more for fashion reasons- that’s no more indulgent than someone who doesn’t buy the absolute cheapest car, pants, wine, or any other consumer product on the market.
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[Marcus Moore] “The watch costs $350.”
From tim’s original post
“The numbers for $/sale were worldwide. Here in the US, the for each sale: $707.04!”[Marcus Moore] ” If someone chooses to spend more for fashion reasons- that’s no more indulgent than someone who doesn’t buy the absolute cheapest car, pants, wine, or any other consumer product on the market.”
A key aspect of “conspicuous consumption” is that it be conspicuous – cars and clothes, yes, wine much less so, although it is conspicuous for that class of people you have gathered around your table.
But what can be more conspicuous than a Rolex, and now an Iwatch, that you wear on your wrist. In this case it isn’t, like the rolex, to demonstrate how rich you are by showing how much money you can waste, but rather by proving how smart you are by displaying Apples latest bauble for all to see. $700 is pretty cheap for that sort of validation.
Herb Sevush
Zebra Productions
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nothin’ attached to nothin’
“Deciding the spine is the process of editing” F. Bieberkopf -
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[David Cherniack] “Great news for lovers of self-indulgence. Sad news for lovers of humanity.”
Yep, no bigger threat to humanity right now than people spending money on buying themselves nice things
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