Apple Inc. seems quite confident of success for its new Apple Watch, due to be released in April, with the company reportedly ordering more than 5 million watches from suppliers ahead of the launch.
Considering the cheapest Apple Watch is set to retail for $349, while the gold-plated Apple Watch Edition is rumored to be priced at $4,000, the company is clearly anticipating a blockbuster.
For comparison, the first iPad sold just 3.27 million in the first quarter it was available, while fewer than 1.5 million original iPhones were sold in the first six months. The report also said the company was asking for production of 1 million units a month in the second quarter of 2015.
Some critics have questioned if Apple can turn around the anemic smart watch market, especially at such a high price point in comparison to the existing offerings.
But Apple has managed nearly the exact same strategy not just once, but at least three times, so we’d hold off on betting against the Cupertino giant, even without Steve Jobs to usher in the product.
Even the Woz has endorsed it: