AppleInsider Staff
According to fresh statistics released Tuesday, a sizable chunk of Apple Watch Series 2 pre-orders went to customers who own the original Apple Watch, while millennials replaced Gen X as the largest buyer demographic.
Drawing findings from a panel of online shoppers who pre-ordered Apple Watch Series 2 from Sept. 9 through Sept. 12, Slice Intelligence reports nearly one-third of customers previously purchased Apple's original model. The figures are important for the fledgling wearable, as brand loyalty often determines whether or not a bleeding edge tech product finds traction from a wider consumer base.
In a shift to Apple Watch's customer demographic, millennials were the largest pre-order group over the four day sample period, accounting for some 39 percent of initial Series 2 purchases. Millennials take over for Gen X buyers, the largest buying group during the pre-order period of the first Apple Watch model last year, the firm says.
Interestingly, while Series 2 pre-order customers were predominantly men, the device saw a 6 percent uptick in women buyers compared to last year's original device. Specifically, women accounted for 26 percent of pre-orders, up from 20 percent with the original Apple Watch.
Echoing a trend set last year, early adopters appear to be gravitating toward larger Series 2 model, with 66.6 percent of buyers opting for the 42mm version instead of 38mm variants.
Diving deeper into Slice's pre-order statistics, 69.8 percent of buyers opted for the sport band configuration, 54.2 percent of whom chose black as their preferred color. Customers looking for woven nylon bands were also partial to black, with 46.2 percent of buyers selecting that particular setup. The penchant for black bands mirrors last year's pre-order cycle.
Apple announced Apple Watch Series 2 at a special event earlier this month. The wearable is aesthetically similar to its predecessor, but contains a raft of internal improvements including a faster dual-core processor, GPS radio, brighter display, larger battery and water resistance down to 50 meters.
Pricing starts at $369 for a 38mm aluminum version and moves up to $1,299 for the new 42mm white ceramic edition.
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30 Comments
I think Apple's decision to withhold sales figures for the original Watch was a stroke of genius. It left the pundits and talking heads desperate for something to talk about so they dutifully turned to non scientific surveys and prognostications. The result is you can take all these reports with a grain of salt. Believe what you want because no one can prove anything. Now Apple is doing the same thing with the iPhone by not releasing sales figures for the first weekend of sales. The result? More blathering nonsense from the tech press, even if it happens to be positive. I'm enjoying this.
Wasn't Apple Watch the 2nd most profitable wrist-worn device company for the entire 2015 year, just behind Rolex's large group, despite only 8 months on the market? Imagine what 2016 will be. I suspect that Apple Watch will do the same as it has to the PC, PMP, cellphone, and tablet market—take nearly all the profits.
This is despite basically every podcast and website recommending you not upgrade because it's not worth it. (I know most people don't listen or read the same things I do)
Some people are just born dumb and never learn.
The Apple Watch is doing great. Let the clueless crowd keep guessing. I like that Apple is not releasing any figures. I've read that some people and media have already declared the Apple Watch to be a flop. How wrong can a person be?
And before that, these were probably the same stupid fuckers that declared the iPhone to be a flop when it was first released, and then the iPad after that. If their lives depended on their intelligence and their ability to accurately predict anything, they'd all be dead a long time ago. They wouldn't survive for 5 minutes.
The Apple Watch is still in the early stages, it's only on revision 2. How long did it take the iPhone to fully mature, or the iPad? The Apple Watch 2 seems to be a pretty good upgrade.
Apple is on the right track with the Apple Watch, and it's only number 2 in the line.
Imagine what the future holds, unless you're one of those clueless naysayers of course, in which case, you have no imagination, you're constantly wrong, your brain is probably underdeveloped, and you're wrong about the Apple Watch, just like you were wrong about the iPhone, the iPad and everything else that is Apple related. How does it feel to be so stupid and such a loser?
If you are under the age of 17 years old there is a good chance the only type of watch you will ever own will be a smartwatch, so this market has endless growth. The people writing the doom and gloom Apple Watch articles can't see the forest from the trees.
I was waiting for built in GPS to buy one and it's finally here. Can't wait to get one. The rebranding with a focus on fitness is a great move! This will definitely have the "I want one too" effect when your friends see what it's capable of.
Will be top selling Holiday gift of 2016. I'm buying one for myself and my 13 year old nephew one (he wants one).