If You Believe This Survey, Apple's 'iWatch' Could Be A Disaster
June 24, 2014
Piper Jaffray has released the results of its first “Watch & Wearables" survey, which found little interest in Apple’s long-rumored “iWatch." The good news for Apple: the survey only interviewed “nearly 100 individuals,” according to AppleInsider.
The poll found that just 14 percent of consumers would buy an iWatch priced at $350. Of the 86 percent who said they wouldn’t buy the wearable device at that price, 48 percent said they would consider making a purchase if the iWatch was priced below $200.
In total, 41 percent of respondents said they wouldn’t buy an iWatch at any price.
Piper Jaffray didn’t explain how the “nearly 100 individuals” were selected to take part in the survey, nor did they provide the margin of sampling error, which I would expect would be very high.
They did announce that the average age of those surveyed was 32, with a household income of $130,000. Sixty-one percent of respondents were female, “while almost all respondents were from North America.”
Though I find this survey suspect, it does continue with the narrative that Apple would be wise to price the iWatch well below $350 per unit.
Earlier this month, Keith Bachman of BMO Capital Markets predicted that Apple would sell at least 33.5 million iWatches during the first year of release. This number was based on the assumption that assumed Apple would price the iWatch at around $250.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple’s long-rumored smart watch is going to have different versions and come equipped with a number of sensors. A day earlier Reuters said the device’s screen would measure 2.5-inches.
Apple is likely to unveil the iWatch in September or October alongside the "iPhone 6."
For more on the iWatch, see: Good And Bad News About Apple's 'iPhone 6,' 'iWatch,' Sharp's 'Free-Form Displays' Could Pave The Way For Future Apple Products, and Apple Working With Kobe Bryant And Other Pro Athletes In Testing 'iWatch' For Fitness.
Image: iWatch concept, Pyropixel