Reuters reports that 25 percent of Americans want an Apple Watch
According to recent data from Reuters, 25 percent of Americans are interested in buying the Apple Watch. Global research company Ipsos surveyed 1,245 Americans online between March 9 and March 13. The data was then weighted to reflect the U.S. population, and has a credibility interval of plus or minus 3.2 percentage points.
If roughly 25 percent seems like an insignificant proportion of Americans, bear in mind that the number still reflects roughly 61 million people. Keep in mind, too, that the Apple Watch has not even started shipping yet. While Reuters is describing the poll’s results in decidedly negative tones, entrepreneur Marc Andreessen posted on Twitter, “I hate when I launch a new tech product, and only 61 million American adults are interested in buying it!”
The Apple Watch is, according to Reuters, “a test of [Tim] Cook’s leadership,” because it is the first new product for Apple to roll out in five years. The smartwatch begins preorders on April 10, and hits the store shelves on April 24. The Apple Watch will allow owners to check email, listen to music, and make phone calls from their wrist in a very cool Dick Tracy-esque gesture.
More than half of the respondents to the poll, though, believe that smartwatches are a “passing fad,” a sentiment we will just have to evaluate over time. It is definitely possible that the smartwatch phenomenon will pass in time, but Apple is confident enough in the growing popularity of wearable technology to invest heavily in producing the Apple Watch. They have even gone so far as to produce a gold-cased Apple Watch Edition that retails for $10,000.
