"There's a *huge* difference between a tablet, which many use to replace their phone browser and/or laptop when on the go, and a watch that had redundant functionality and yet must be carried in addition to a phone."
I don't think the article Kelly posted is entirely relevant to this conversation-- judging from the date, I think it was an analysis of the early adopters of the iPad. Obviously, the conclusions no longer hold up, as iPad unit sales have far surpassed the installed base of the Mac certainly and maybe of the iPod. The general host was that the iPad originally appealed to people who were already Apple customers, and I expect that to also hold true for the iWatch-- virtually 100% of iWatch buyers will own either an iPad or an iPhone.
I think it's fruitless to be discussing the sales appeal of product that has not been announced yet. That said, estimating its sales rate by the launch rate of the previous hit product is worth discussing only for humor value. Huberty is claiming that because the iPad sold 7 million units its first year, ergo the iWatch will sell 56 million. Granted, Apple users are a loyal bunch and there are now more than 500K iPhone and iPad users who are watching in anticipation. But if Huberty is right, it will be for the wrong reasons.
Speaking of iPhone accessories, I was expecting a bigger revenue contribution from Apple's new iPhone cases. I think all accessories combined for $1.8B in the Dec qtr, which means that less than 1 in 10 iPhone buyers out the door got the Apple branded case (and probably much less than that, judging from historical accessory sales figures, which are similar). Fickle lot, those Apple fans :) |
