Another guess at Apple Watch sales numbers points to 12 million
Guessing how many Apple Watch devices Cupertino has already sold and will sell has become a popular game. Daniel Ives, an analyst with FBR & Company, has already thrown his number into the pool, but is now revising it based on “checks with Apple retail stores,” according to an investor note provided to AppleInsider. Previously, Ives surmised that Cupertino had sold 6 million Apple Watch devices to date, and the analyst is now predicting additional deliveries of another 6 million units to customers in December 2015.
If Ives is correct, that would mean total sales of 12 million Apple Watch devices in 2015. Meanwhile, Cupertino still won’t reveal specific sales figures for the Apple Watch, citing competitive reasons. However, the tech giant has stated that sales of the wearable device continue to grow since launch, and that the smartwatch had outsold the first-generation iPad during its first nine weeks. To put that in perspective, Cupertino sold 3 million iPads during the tablet’s first 80 days after launch.
Ives points out that Apple’s total financial picture is still dominated by the iPhone, but that the smartwatch is an important investment in the company’s forward momentum. The Apple Watch establishes the Cupertino-based company as a dominant player in the wearable device market, something Ives estimates will be a “$20-billion-plus market opportunity” for the tech giant over the next three years. Ives explained this in his note.
We continue to view the Apple Watch as a potential door opener for wearable technology across the board, as this next paradigm shift is likely set to take place across the consumer/enterprise landscape.
Ultimately, we may never know the total number of Apple Watch devices sold in 2015, or in any other year. While finanicial filings do show total sales of Apple’s “Other Products” category increasing by at least $1.7 billion in the first five months, it’s impossible to accurately determine how much of that was due to the smartwatch and how much was unexpected growth in sales of products that include the Apple TV, Beats hardware, and the iPod lineup.
