Apple Watch sells a million in a day: US buyers flocked to the watch as Apple ramps up production of its smart timepiece
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An estimated 957,000 American shoppers ordered Apple Watches on Friday — a sign the tech giant's newest gadget is already seeing more initial success than its first iPhone or the iPod.
That estimate comes from Slice Intelligence, which measures digital commerce by tracking consumer e-receipts.
Its data from online shoppers showed an average of 1.3 watches bought per customer, with $503.83 spent per item - although Apple has not officially confirmed any sales figures.
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The Watch also went on display in Apple stores across these regions, as well as in Galeries Lafayette in Paris (pictured), Isetan in Tokyo, Selfridges in London, and select Apple resellers in Japan and China.
Those ordering an Apple Watch Sport, the cheapest version, spent $382.83 per watch and those ordering the Apple Watch spent $707.04.
'As expected, most consumers–62 percent– purchased the less-expensive Sport model,' said Jaimee Minney of Slice.
However, many Apple Watch buyers invested in the pricier case but the cheapest band, with more than one third adding a black or white Sport band.
The data also showed that most consumers opted for the larger 42 mm case, with Its data from online shoppers showed an average of 1.3 watches bought per customer, with $503.83 spent per item..
Sport buyers were slightly more likely to choose the 38 mm case, with 32 percent purchasing the smaller version, versus 24 percent of Apple Watch buyers.
The most popular type of case was the Space Gray aluminum case, with 40 percent of Apple Watch buyers choosing the option, followed by: stainless steel at 34 percent, silver aluminum at 23 percent and finally Space Black stainless steel at three percent.
The Black Sport Band was by far the most popular among both Apple Watch and Apple Watch Sport buyers, with 49 percent overall pre-ordering one, followed by the White Sport Band at 16 percent and the more expensive Milanese Loop ($149 versus $49 for the black Sport band) rounding out the top three at around 10 percent.
Apple is likely to quickly ramp up production of the Apple Watch after strong pre-orders outstripped limited supply, analysts said on Monday.
Apple's website lists shipping times in June for some models, and four to six weeks for others, suggesting the company is straining to meet demand.
However, analysts said Apple could sell between 2.3 million and 4 million watches in the quarter ending June.
Apple was widely expected to disclose pre-orders on Monday, following its usual pattern after a product launch.
But Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said this may not happen this time because of the supply issue.
'Overall we view the trends over the weekend as an indication of solid demand paired with very limited supply, with supply being the most significant limiting factor,' Munster said in a client note.
Munster, who thinks Apple will sell 2.3 million watches in the April-June quarter, expects the company to ramp up production between mid-May and June.
Online pre-orders began at 12.01am PDT and although Apple said the devices will ship on 24 April within just an hour, this had been pushed back to June for many disgruntled customers. Buyers also reported that the site was still down after the launch time, forcing them to order the device through the Apple App Store app
Estimates by shopping data firm Slice Intelligence and brokerage Cowen and Co pegged bookings on Friday, the first day of pre-orders, at about 1 million in the United States.
For comparison, about 720,000 Android-powered smartwatches offered by companies including Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Sony Corp were shipped in all of 2014, according to market research firm Canalys.
Analysts at brokerage Pacific Crest said their checks showed that Apple appeared to be ordering components for the watch that would allow it to make well over 20 million this year.
UBS estimates that Apple will sell 16 million watches in fiscal 2015 ending September and 40 million in fiscal 2016.
The watch, which allow users to check email, listen to music and make phone calls when paired with an iPhone, goes on sale officially on April 24.
BofA Merrill Lynch expects Apple to ship 4 million smartwatches in the quarter, while Cowen expects 3 million.
The watch is Chief Executive Tim Cook's first new major product launch and the company's first foray into the personal luxury-goods market.
Despite mixed reviews, which generally praised the watch's styling but criticized its less-than-spectacular battery life and slow-loading apps, people flocked to Apple stores to get a close-up look.
Apple booked pre-orders for about 4 million iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus models when they were released in September.
As part of the first wave of pre-orders, the Watch can be bought online by people in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia, Hong Kong, China and Japan.
The Watch also went on display in Apple stores across these regions, as well as in Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Isetan in Tokyo, Selfridges in London, and select Apple resellers in Japan and China.
Apple Watch fans are pictured in Beijing looking at the devices behind glass and on a display stand
'We are excited to welcome customers tomorrow and introduce them to Apple Watch, our most personal device yet.
'Based on the tremendous interest from people visiting our stores, as well as the number of customers who have gone to the Apple Online Store to mark their favourite Apple Watch ahead of availability, we expect that strong customer demand will exceed our supply at launch,' said Angela Ahrendts, Apple's senior vice president of Retail and Online Stores.
'To provide the best experience and selection to as many customers as we can, we will be taking orders for Apple Watch exclusively online during the initial launch period.'
EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT THE APPLE WATCH
The Apple Watch is available in three models: the Apple Watch, Apple Watch Sport (pictured) and Apple Watch Edition
Models: The Apple Watch will be available in three models: the Apple Watch, Watch Sport and Watch Edition.
All models will be sold in either 1.4-inch (38mm) or 1.7-inch (42mm) versions depending on which colour the owner chooses.
Apple Watch is made of stainless steel with a sapphire crystal Retina display and ceramic back.
Apple Watch Sport is made of 7000 Series Silver Aluminum with Ion-X Glass on a Retina display and composite back.
Apple Watch Edition has a similar build to the Apple Watch but comes in 18-Karat Rose Gold and Yellow Gold.
Interchangeable straps include fluoroelastomer (rubber), leather, and stainless steel.
Prices: Apple Watch is made of stainless steel and prices range between $549 and $1048 for the 1.4-inch model and $599 and $1099 for the larger 1.7-inch version.
Watch Sport is made of 7000 Series Silver Aluminum and ranges from $349 to $399.
The premium Edition has a similar build to the Apple Watch but comes in 18-Karat Rose Gold and Yellow Gold.
Prices start at $10,000.
All of the watches can be pre-ordered from 10 April and goes on sale on 24 April.
In the UK, Sport starts at £299, the standard Watch starts at £479 and the Edition model will cost £8,000.
Gestures: Following last year's unveiling, Apple admitted the Watch is unlike any device it has ever made.
It said it has 'reinvented all-new ways to select navigate and input that are suited to a smaller device worn on the wrist'. The Watch is also said to be able to sense force adding 'a new dimension to the user interface'.
Force Touch uses electrodes around the flexible display to distinguish between a light tap and a deep press, and trigger instant access to a range of contextually specific controls - such as an action menu in Messages, or a mode that lets you select different watch faces.
The Sport model is pictured left, the Watch is pictured centre and the Edition is pictured right. All of the watches can be pre-ordered from 10 April and will be available in stores from this date
Digital Crown: On mechanical watches, the crown has historically been used to set the time and date and to wind the mainspring.
Apple has adapted this and its 'digital' crown can be used to magnify content on the small display.
Rotating the digital crown replaces the typical pinching motion used on iPhones and iPads and allows wearers to zoom and scroll without obstructing the screen.
Pressing the crown will also return wearers to the home screen.
Watch OS: Apple has taken the iOS software on its phones and tablets and tweaked it to better suit the watch's power, display size and functions. It has also invented a new typeface to make the screen easier to read.
Sapphire display: Apple Watches have a laminated Retina display made from a 'single crystal of sapphire.' While on the Sport collection the screen has the added protection of Ion-X glass.
Glances: The Glances feature shows info users would like to see, similar to Google Now, and is accessed by swiping the screen up from the bottom.
For instance, wearers can glimpse the weather forecast, check out what's next on their calendar, or find their location on a map.
They can then swipe through different Glances, or tap on one to go directly to its corresponding app for more details.
Music can also be controlled on an iPhone through the Apple Watch.
On the back of the Watch's case is a sensor (pictured) that uses infrared and visible-light LEDs and photodiodes to detect the wearer's heart rate
Vibration and notifications: The Watch has a built-in is a 'taptic engine' that responds to a subtle vibrations users feel on their wrist for notifications.
Any notification that appears on the connected phone will appear on the Watch.
This is made from a linear actuator, or motor, inside the Apple Watch that produces haptic feedback.
The wearer can then respond to these messages directly or swipe down to see the Notification Centre.
This haptic feedback could also be used with Apple Maps, for example, to help people navigate. It will produced gentle vibrations to signal when to turn left or right.
The Watch additionally understands questions in messages and offers pre-selected answers, and messages can be dictated to the iPhone.
And this taptic engine means people can get someone's attention with a gentle tap or send their heartbeat remotely.
There is no keyboard on the Watch, and messages can only be sent through dictation, or emoji.
Siri is also built into the Apple Watch.
Heart rate sensor: On the back of the Watch's case, a ceramic cover with sapphire lenses sits above a sensor that uses infrared and visible-light LEDs and photodiodes to detect the wearer's heart rate.
Apple Watch uses this sensor, along with an accelerometer and the GPS and Wi‑Fi in a connected iPhone, to measure physical movement such as steps, distance and calories.
Inductive charging: The Watch uses Apple's MagSafe technology with inductive charging.
This means it can be charged wirelessly by placing a connector near the back of the watch where magnets cause it to snap into place automatically. MagSafe is the name of the connector Apple uses with its MacBook range.
Battery life: The watch has an average battery life of 18 hours
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