The launch of the Apple Watch is being hailed as a success by Apple — but some analysts aren't quite as enthusiastic. A new study suggests that consumer interest in the Apple Watch is waning.
The preorder date of April 10 had many loyal Apple fans fuming when they found out that they weren't going to be the first to get their hands on the first-generation product — and would instead have to wait weeks or months to receive their device. This was in spite of going online precisely at the 3:00 AM EST launch time for the Internet-only sale of the wearable and placing their orders as fast as they could type.
It was the first time Apple had launched a new product or even a new version of an existing product exclusively online, with the device completely unavailable in retail stores. It was also the first time that Apple chose not to announce the first days sales of the product — leading to much speculation that despite extensive backordering, overall interest was underwhelming.
A new estimate by Slice Intelligence finds that while 2.5 million Apple watches have been ordered to date, over half that amount accounts for orders placed on launch day. The report suggests that interest has been severely dwindling since, with only a slight spike in sales on the official "release" date of April 24. The company estimates that current sales of the wearable are an unimpressive 20,000 per day.
Other analysts agree. KGI Securities' Ming-Chi Kuo – who is noted for his expertise in reputably forecasting future growth and sales of Apple related products – recently slashed his estimates for first year sales of the wearable to 15 million, from his prior prediction of 20-30 million units.
The key unknown factor in all of this remains how public interest and response may or may not change when the product becomes available in stores. While customers can go into a Apple Store and try out the Apple Watch, they still can't buy it in any brick-and-mortar retailer.
Apple has announced that some models will begin selling in retail starting in June. How that affects sales will be an important factor in judging the success of the launch.
