Apple Watch logs pre-orders at 1 million
14 Apr 2015
Enthusiastic Apple fans eagerly placed their order for the company's new wearable over the week end.
The number of pre-orders for the Apple Watch stood at around 957,000 in the US on Friday, new data from digital commerce researcher Slice Intelligence showed.
Though Apple had not released official sales data for the watch, Slice Intelligence tapped its panel of over 2 million online shoppers to estimate that early Apple Watch buyers spent an average of $503.83 per watch.
As per expectation, most buyers (62 per cent) opted for the cheaper Apple Watch Sport model. People who ordered the Sport version spent $382.83 on average per watch while those who ordered the pricier Apple Watch spent $707.04.
Space black aluminum proved to be the most popular case, with 40 per cent of buyers choosing that option, followed by stainless steel at 34 per cent, silver aluminum at 23 per cent, and space black stainless steel at 3 per cent.
"Whether they bought an Apple Watch or the Sport edition, most consumers opted for the larger 42mm case, with 71 percent overall selecting the larger format," Slice Intelligence wrote.
The Black Sport Band was the most popular among bands.
Slice noted that the halo effect was strong with the Apple Watch, as 72 per cent of customers bought another Apple device in the past two years, while 21 per cent preordered an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus late last year. Around a third purchased two Apple products, while 11 per cent bought three new devices, plus the Watch.
The report also noted that around 48,000 new MacBooks were sold, with Space Gray once again the most popular colour, followed by gold. Around 43 per cent of Macbook buyers also bought an Apple Watch.
Other analysts also noted the success of the Apple Watch, and in a note to clients, Piper Jaffray's Gene Munster wrote that launch day supplies sold out within the first 10 minutes to half an hour depending on the model.
Cowen and Co analyst Timothy Arcuri meanwhile reported that in-store Apple Watch showings were translating into successful pre-orders 85-90 per cent of the time.
