Mikey Campbell
Responding to a recent IDC report claiming less than rosy Apple Watch sales for the third quarter of 2016, Apple CEO Tim Cook late Monday said the wearable device's performance actually set a new record during the first week of holiday shopping on the way to what could be its best quarter ever.
Though Cook declined to offer specifics in an email provided to Reuters, his remarks represent a rare public rebuttal to quarterly sales forecast data issued by independent market research firms.
Earlier today, IDC said Apple Watch posted a whopping 71 percent year-over-year sales contraction in quarter three due to an "aging lineup and an unintuitive user interface." Analysts at the firm believe Apple will see minimal success in the category because of continued pressure from manufacturers marketing less-functional, but cheaper, fitness bands.
Apple does not break out Apple Watch numbers in its quarterly earnings reports, instead lumping the product in with iPods, accessories and other miscellaneous hardware. Cook likewise remained mum on exact figures in tonight's note. He did, however, say that Apple Watch sell-through reached a new high during the first week of holiday sales.
"Our data shows that Apple Watch is doing great and looks to be one of the most popular holiday gifts this year," Cook said. "Sales growth is off the charts. In fact, during the first week of holiday shopping, our sell-through of Apple Watch was greater than any week in the product's history. And as we expected, we're on track for the best quarter ever for Apple Watch."
Apple is marketing two versions of Apple Watch this holiday shopping season — Apple Watch Series 2 and the refreshed Series 1 — both of which saw release in September. While Series 1 upgrades stop at an updated S2 processor, the Series 2 features a GPS radio, a water resistant chassis good for swimming down to 50 meters and a brighter display, among other enhancements.
The new Apple Watch Series 2 also comes in an aluminum Nike+ version that boasts specialized sports tracking features, as well as a luxe white ceramic Edition model which takes the place of last year's solid gold variants.
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87 Comments
Well we know what Tim Cook thinks of IDC and fake Apple News!
If I didn't know any better I'd be inclined to think that Tim Cook had coffee or a beer with Sog this weekend LOL.
I hate Apple today. iCloud is still down for me. Can't sign into iTunes either. Just so frustrating.
Apple Watch? No. I personally will not be purchasing any more Apple gear until the company gets its existing stuff including the cloud working reliably.
Unusual for Cook to tangle with analysts, but IDC has moved so far from reality I guess he felt he had to say something.
But it as ridiculous as this claim was, I don't think it was half as ridiculous as the people here who believed that the fictious tank in sales was because the Apple Watch doesn't have a round face.
The Moto360 has a round face. How's that doing?
http://www.theverge.com/2016/12/1/13811154/motorola-moto-smartwatch-plans-halted
IDC quarter on quarter, year on year show apple to be doing poorly. Yet quarter on quarter, year on year Apple have been selling unimaginable quantities of goods, while those painted as successful by IDC either go bankrupt or leave the business entirely.