Analysts have already been busy gazing into their crystal balls to determine just how much of a success the Apple Watch will be when it launches later this month. Estimates have ranged from about 15 million from Strategy Analytics to nearly 26 million by J.P. Morgan. While these may be dampened by reports that Apple and its partners are facing production challenges that could see shipments only reach about 1.5 million units a month, at least one analyst expects that Apple Watch sales will start with a bang.
Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster today predicted in a note sent to customers that Apple will sell one million Apple Watches over the weekend it launches. He adds that pre-orders which start on April 10th could also be strong and top 300,000.
At the same time, Munster’s Apple Watch 2015 sales fall substantially lower than Wall Street’s average estimate of 14 million units. He expects that sales will “only” reach 8 million units, suggesting a rapid drop in sales after that debut weekend. It’s not clear though if Munster expects that production issues will keep Apple from selling more or if he expects consumer demand to be less than most predict.
Our own little poll suggests that the majority of consumers is not quite ready to buy an Apple Watch.
Apple Watch pre-orders will start on April 10th. Sales will begin on April 24th. Apple will offer three collections: The Apple Watch Sport, the Apple Watch and the Apple Watch Edition. Prices will start at US$349 (CA$449), US$549 (CA$699) and US$10,000 (CA$13,000) respectively.
Source : CNET