In the tech world the arrival of the Apple Watch, due to launch early next year, has been one of the most exciting events of 2014, and many analysts and industry watchers are convinced that Apple has another hit on its hands. That being said, continued surveys seems to show that the Watch’s popularity may not be as high as some may think.
After its unveiling in early September a survey of around six thousand people showed that only 10% of the general populace was willing to spend their cash on the Apple Watch. Three months later, a new survey of similar sample size shows that that number has pretty much stayed the same.
According to this survey, which interviewed four thousands respondents and was conducted by analysts at UBS, only 10% of those questioned said they were very likely to buy the upcoming wearable device.
Another 17% claimed they were somewhat likely with a further 25% saying they were undecided. On the other side of the equation, a total just below 50% said they were somewhat or very unlikely to purchase the device, with over 25% of the sample falling in the very unlikely camp.
The interesting part of the whole report is that these numbers show either great reception or a completely tepid reaction to the Apple Watch, depending on which side of the fence you fall on.
On one hand, barely 10% of the people asked were convinced they wanted to buy the new wearable, which for such a hyped and long awaited product seems like a crushing defeat. Or to put it another way 90% of people don’t care much, or at all for Apple’s efforts in this field.
On the other hand, accounting for the number of iPhones that could support Watch pairing out there, estimated at around 240 million by the end of next year, 10% seems like a huge success when it translates to 24 million devices sold – in a brand new, unproven market where the competition has yet to make a dent.
One thing’s for sure though, this race in the wearable department will not be about the devices themselves but rather the experience, the perception and the “killer app” that will appeal to mass markets. And Apple knows this all too well, and that’s why they might win again.
Source: MacRumors