A new poll by Reuters/Ipsos has concluded that 69% of Americans are not interested in buying Apple"s latest offering, the Watch. Unfortunately for Apple, the Watch looks like its going to be a far harder sell than the iPhone or even the iPad with many respondents claiming they hadn"t even heard anything about the Watch in the days running up to Apple"s "Spring Forward" event.
Apple"s latest device, the first new product under CEO Tim Cook, comes in three versions: Sport, Collection and Edition. The Sport is relatively inexpensive starting at $349 while the Collection goes from $400 to $1,000. The Edition, which comes in 18-karat gold, costs between $10,000 and $17,000.
46% of respondents participating in the poll said that the Apple Watch had a "cool factor," a potential uniqueness that comes with Apple"s brand. Only 29% said they were more interested in another smart watch, of which only 4.6 million shipped collectively in 2014. Analysts are undecided about the Watch"s potential and so shipping expectations range from 10 million to 32 million.
While the poll does show that more than half of America does not want an Apple Watch, the remaining 31% constitutes more than 60 million people. Earlier in the week, researched firm Fizzology found that the millennials aren"t that excited about the Watch as well. However, Apple"s new devices are rarely runaway successes from the start and the lack of awareness of the Watch will change over time as Apple mounts an advertising campaign and Watches start to become commonplace in the wild.
Source: Reuters