The online Apple Store updated their Apple Watch page on Friday to post the
official start time for pre-orders for the device: 12:01AM PT on April 10. While not unexpected, given traditional pre-order times for iPhone and other devices, Apple had not made it official until now. Despite some initial skepticism, industry observers now believe the Apple Watch will sell well during its launch weekend, and should prove to be a modest hit, though not on the scale of devices like the iPad or iPhone.
The watch retails for between $350 and $17,000, depending on the options chosen. There are two sizes: a 38mm unit, and a 42mm one, with the latter commanding a $50 premium. The Apple Watch comes in three different casings: aluminum for the Sport model, stainless steel for the regular model, and 18kt solid gold for the Edition model, the latter of which starts at $10,000. Band options can add to the base cost, and there is a rumor that AppleCare for the Edition models may cost as much as $1,000.
Munster, others offer Apple Watch sale predictions
Analysts have begun to offer their best guesses on how many Apple Watches the company will sell during its initial launch weekend, which is coming up beginning Friday, April 24. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster has offered an unusual prediction for just the opening weekend, believing that Apple will move
one million units in that three-day period. He cites both the two-week "try-on" period where Watch models will be available for inspection at Apple Stores and for pre-order on April 10, and the initial rush of fans who will want one virtually unseen. He expects 300,000 units will be sold in the first 24 hours, suggesting that spot sales in stores will be higher than pre-orders.
2015 predictions from various analysts
Munster bases his prediction on a survey of 10,000 Apple customers, which helped him divine a roughly eight percent attach rate to customers owning an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus. He believes that after a short initial rush, sales will die down to a lower but steadily-growing level that will build until the holiday season for 2015, resulting in a total of eight million units sold across the year. The consensus among other analysts for 2015 sales puts Munster as the most pessimistic, with an
average of 22.47 million units for the year. Trip Chowdry of Global Equities Research, who has had a good track record of predictions, is much more optimistic -- he believes Apple could sell as many as 41 million units over the next nine months.
Apple Watch appears on Canadian style magazine cover
The latest magazine cover to feature the Apple Watch is now the
May issue of
Flare, a Canadian fashion magazine. The cover features actor Hailee Steinfeld wearing an Apple Watch Sport (with the black Sport band) on one version of the cover, and the more expensive stainless steel Watch model with a white Sport band on an alternate cover. An accompanying article explained
more than a dozen abilities of the new device, with the editorial staff saying they were "obsessed" with the device and calling it a "stylish timepiece."
Specifically,
reports AppleInsider, the magazine spotlights the Apple Watch's ability to use mobile boarding passes, control an Apple TV, and unlock hotel room doors at Starwood Hotels. it also notes a Watch version of the foreign language translating app Babel. The article praises the Watch as being highly customizable and versatile, and joins a number of other fashion magazines in its enthusiasm for the device not only for its functionality but for its ability to blend in with and even inspire fashion looks.
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