“Wall Street is having a tough time figuring out how much the upcoming Apple Watch will help the company’s bottom line, but things should become clearer after Monday’s big unveiling,” Aaron Pressman writes for Yahoo. “CEO Tim Cook and his top lieutenants, joined by executives from Facebook (FB), BMW and other Apple allies, are expected to disclose far more detail about the new wearable at a press event in San Francisco. Analysts and investors are eager to hear how Apple is positioning the watch, what it will do and, perhaps most importantly, how it will be priced.”
“Wall Street forecasts for the watch are currently all over the place, with many analysts expecting 15 million to 20 million watches will be sold this year at an average price of $350 to $400,” Pressman writes. “For a company that had $200 billion of revenue last year, the potential for another $8 billion is a modest increase.”
MacDailyNews Take: For Amazon, $8 billion annually is a bald midget with a massive Napoleon Complex’s wet dream.
“Monday’s demo is also a big test for Cook, who took over as CEO after Steve Jobs had already introduced Apple’s last big product, the iPad. Jobs was a master at positioning and marketing, but that hasn’t typically been Cook’s strength,” Pressman writes. “Ahead of the watch event, Cook has been on a seemingly endless global goodwill tour the past few weeks, giving numerous interviews and dropping in on Apple stores to boost morale. The question is: can he ignite the kind of excitement and fervor to buy a new gadget that was Jobs’ forte?”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Somehow, we imagine that Tim and Apple and Apple Watch will pass this latest “big test” with flying colors, thanks
Apple will webcast March 9th ‘Spring Forward’ special event live on Apple TV and via its website (apple.com/live). As always, MacDailyNews will cover the event with live notes, so you red our reactions and comment on the proceedings as you watch Apple’s live webcast. Check our home page for the coverage link on Monday morning.
Related articles:
Apple hanging banners at Yerba Buena Center for ‘Spring Forward’ March 9th special event – March 4, 2015
Apple to unveil MacBook Air with Retina display at ‘Spring Forward’ event, sources say – March 3, 2015
Apple to webcast March 9th ‘Spring Forward’ special event live on Apple TV and Web – February 26, 2015
Apple to hold special media event on March 9th – February 26, 2015
Google/Android won’t be able to match the success of Apple watch even if they copy it.
Cell phones are a necessity and cheap Android phones meet the demand of those with low income.
A smartwatch is a nice to have/convenience that most iPhone users can afford and will get, but vast majority of Android users don’t need and won’t get.
This is where almost “everyone” (at least the media and analysts) gets it wrong. Apple Watch is not a “new gadget.” it is an extension and enhancement of the user experience for an existing VERY popular product called iPhone. Potential customers are already Apple’s customers, in the hundreds of MILLIONS (and growing larger every day). And they LOVE to get upgrades for their iPhone.
Tim Cook is an operations guru. He is very good a setting up the conditions for success. The “big test” has already happened. If the conditions for success were not already in place and ready to go, Apple would not be releasing Apple Watch. After the release, Apple Watch will be on autopilot. At this point, Apple just needs to “flip the switch.”
Yup, flip the switch on sales. Manufacturing has probably been going on for 2-3 months.
I never bought an Apple product because of Steve Jobs. I bought Apple because I recognized I needed their product.
Timothy Cook has already passed this test last year, back when Apple Watch was announced.
Some hype up the upcoming presentation, but there is not a lot of new what Timothy Cook could say about Apple Watch itself. He would rather ask developers to show their applications for Apple Watch.
As to Macbook Air, Cook, as always, will ask Philip Schiller to make the presentation. Not a lot to do for Cook himself on this.
Finally, much bigger test for Cook and for the company will come in few years from now. The point is that Apple Watch (besides theoretical Apple TV) is the last project that was discussed while Steven Jobs was CEO (spring-summer 2011, but fully signed on already by Cook by Autumn). Apple Car — if it is going to be car, indeed — maybe already later project, lets see.
Watch will be a massive hit because Tim is the world’s greatest logistician. No one else can orchestrate the movement of parts just in time to manufacturing and the finished product coming off the assembly line, packaged and shipped to customers worldwide in massive quantities at once. The Pre-Orders on Watch will eclipse all previous records for Pre-Orders of anything ever sold online. 😜😱😍
I’ve noticed that post-SJ products at Apple are no longer “i”. Makes sense since Steve was the iCEO (interim) which helped bring “i” to the fore.
So the cCook products will be Apple-X, perhaps? (AppleTV comes to mind as an exception, but didn’t they want iTV and couldn’t wrestle it from Great Britain?)
Regardless of how Tim Cook or the Apple Watch does, the pundits are out there predicting failure for Apple. They all hate to see success when they personally are such failures. Apple has to be pulled down to their level.
This is indeed a biggest test event for Tim Cook, part of the overall how well the Apple Watch will do. It’s also a test for the vision started by the team and Jobs.
I’m optimistic about the success and the amazing leadership of Tim Cook. However if I am wrong, I am sure Jay Morrison will return and I will require a formal apology for thinking that Tim Cook had it.
I’m not losing any sleep over that.
One of Steve’s great strengths was authority. When Steve spoke about computers you gad to pay attention. It would be like Henry Ford talking about cars or Edison speaking about lighting. At MacWorld someone in the booth would repeat Steve’s keynote (parts of it) but it just wasn’t the same.
Now Tom Cook has authority because he makes it happen and participates in the decisions. So I think he’ll have no trouble ramping up excitement for Apple Watch. Unfortunately, I think Tim comes off a bit stiff in the keynotes. When he speaks off the cuff at the shareholder meetings he is much more relaxed, engaging and interesting.
Tim Cook past a long, long, time ago. Has nothing to prove to anyone. Apple is the most profitable company on the planet. That would not be the case if he wasn’t a proven leader with the skills to handle it. Product line up has been there for years as Apple is always on the leading edge with the next thing.
I hate these STUPID headlines with idiots claiming Tim Cook has to prove something when he has done that long ago.
Top notch amazin blog! Do you have any plans pertaining to wanting writers? I’m and a professional on this topic thus I will understand your own effort.