“The latest customer satisfaction data for Apple Watch should make interesting reading for anyone with a stake in the wearables market, but could be highly significant as the company gets ready to ship watchOS 2,” Jonny Evans reports for Computerworld.
“This is because according to 451 Research, 54 percent of Apple Watch users say they are ‘very satisfied’ with their device,” Evans reports. “An additional thirty-three percent confess to being ‘somewhat satisfied’ leaving 6 percent each in the ‘somewhat unsatisfied’ and ‘very unsatisfied’ camps.”
“They also note that since buying their Apple Watch, an overwhelming 82 percent of owners who also have a traditional watch say the Apple Watch has replaced it – this could be a big threat to traditional watch sales,” Evans reports. “The Watch has replaced other third party products, including traditional watches and dedicated health and fitness monitors, the researchers claim – 16 percent have even cancelled a planned watch purchase to get hold of an Apple Watch.”
Evans reports, ‘When Apple Watch owners were asked whether they’d recommend their new device to a friend or colleague, a robust 83% say they’re Very (55%) or Somewhat Likely (28%) to do so,’ the researchers explain.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Shocker. (dripping sarcasm)
As we wrote back in April:
Here’s what makers of Swiss or any other watches should do: Push the idea of wearing of two watches, one on each wrist or two on one wrist, into vogue. Because once people start using Apple Watch, they aren’t going to want to leave it at home. Ever. They won’t want to go to dinner parties without their Apple Watch. And that’s bad, bad news for watchmakers not named Apple.SEE ALSO:
Over 1 million Apple Watches already sold in China – September 3, 2015
Apple Watch already dominates smart-wearables market, says IDC – August 28, 2015
IDC estimates Apple sold 3.6 million Apple Watch units in Q2 – August 27, 2015
Best Buy CEO: Apple Watch demand is ‘so strong’ that we’re expanding sales to all 1,050 stores – August 25, 2015
Swiss watch exports decline most since 2009 – August 20, 2015
I own two $6,000 Swiss watches, but I wear my Apple Watch most of the time – August 14, 2015
Apple Watch will make up 40% of premium wristwatch sales by 2020 – report – August 14, 2015
Apple Watch takes 88% of total smartwatch revenue – August 14, 2015
Apple Watch dominates smartwatches with 75% market share – July 28, 2015
Juniper Research: Apple is world’s #1 smartwatch maker – July 23, 2015
Canalys: Apple ships 4.2 million Apple Watches in Q2 to become world’s top wearables vendor – July 21, 2015
Apple Watch satisfaction is unprecedented at 97%; beats original iPhone and iPad – July 20, 2015
Swiss watch exports hit worst slump in five years as Apple Watch debuts – June 19, 2015
Apple Watch is Apple’s most successful product debut ever – June 1, 2015
Apple Watch, the world’s first real smart watch, will be a massive hit – September 9, 2014
This space, Watch!
Blood on the dial.
For those of you burdened by a Rolex Daytona #6265, a Sea Dweller #1665 or a GMT #1675, I feel your pain.
You are welcome to donate them to me.
Will also accept an Omega Seamaster 176.004 or a Junghans Max Bill Chronoscope. Because I care Deeply.
You’re such a saint! 😇
Anybody looking for a great deal on an 18 karat Rolex Yacht Master?
I’m also open to donations of a UTS 4000M.
Omega Moon watch, please. I’ll take a new one off your hands for…$100. Cash, even!
I love my Watch 🙂
It’s absolutely shocking to me that people who bought smart watches are using those smart watches.
You dummies at MDN outdo yourselves every time. Of course Apple watch users are abandoning traditional watches. That’s why they’re Apple watch users. Now, phrase that the other way and tell me if that’s not the real measure of Apple watch success.
The new self-appointed Doctor Who sure sounds like a dumbass.
The true position will become abundantly clear when traditional watch manufacturers report their financial results over the next 1-5 years.
If their profits remain healthy, they will have nothing to worry about. If their profits suddenly decline, they will have to put a lot of effort into trying to come up with some sort of excuse that doesn’t use the word “Apple”. In order to help them, I would point out that the ‘shortage of hard drives’ excuse that used to be used by PC manufacturers clearly won’t work. The ‘uncertainty in the global economy’ excuse should also have adversely affected Apple. My suggestion would be to use the tried and trusted ‘challenging market conditions’, which allows people to interpret it however they want without specifically mentioning the true reason.
Its true, I have worn my 4k TAG just once since getting my Apple Watch and when I did wear it I missed my Apple Watch. Once you have notifications on your wrist you can’t do without them.
I hear you, I have a Garmin Epix and Fenix 3 Sapphire and I try to wear them, but I miss the Apple Watch too much. Specially running around the house and leaving my phone behind.
Yeah but for many of us it’s just too big and clunky. Perhaps Gen IV, when its as thin as the strap and always on, might persuade me to buy one. I have seen two in the wild now but a black (dead) face, bulky metal case and a cheap looking plastic strap do not appeal to me…
So, yeah – the people who loved the concept of the watches enough to buy ’em like what they bought. Shocking, no?
OTOH – look at the current MDN poll. All the watch announcements (OS2, new sports models, new Hermes) make up the lowest three in terms of reader interest. And collectively add up to 5% of the interest compared to the Apple TV, new phones, iPad Pro, iOS 9, El Capitain that are more engaging to 95%. And I’m in the 95%.
And two keynotes in a row without talking about Apple Watch sales at all (following the pre-release public announcement that they wouldn’t be broken out in quarterly results).
So Apple’s ruling the smart watch segment, yes, and causing pain to makers for whom every unit sale loss is an ouchie, but but the smart watch segment itself is ruling not much in the total world of tech to date.
So above Apple’s internal expectations? Below? Will native apps change everything as they did with the iPhone? Will the high fashion push create a whole new and insanely profitable aspect of Apple that the watch is just the start of?
We don’t know any of that, and Apple only knows some of the answers.
So stay tuned. Early days for “wearables” (and speculative prototype days for “implantables” for that matter). Nearly every tech device form factor and interface around us today will be dated in 5 years and kitsch in 10.