“Upstream component makers have seen weaker-than-expected orders for tablet and wearable products since the early first half and the issue is expected to continue in the second half of the year and will hurt the makers’ revenue performances in 2016,” Monica Chen and Joseph Tsai report for DigiTimes.
“Although the second-generation Apple Watch is estimated to be unveiled in September or October,” Chen and Tsai report, “related supply chain is seeing rather conservative orders for the device”
Chen and Tsai report, “The Apple Watch, which accounted for nearly 50% of the smartwatch market in the second quarter, has had difficulties providing sufficient profits to its component suppliers, and revenue contributions from its competitors have been far less.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: We’ll be snapping up Apple Watch 2 units the second they’re available!
As for component orders, better for Apple to ramp properly than to overshoot demand.
With watchOS 3 coming to enable basically a whole new Apple Watch, if Apple keeps the original models on the market at reduced prices, they’re going to dominate the smartwatch market even more than they do now!
SEE ALSO:
Apple Watch sales drop dramatically ahead of anticipated next-gen hardware – July 22, 2016
Apple Watch user satisfaction stays strong at 94% – July 22, 2016
83% of Apple Watch users experience notable improvement in overall fitness and health – July 21, 2016
IDC: Apple remains far and away the market leader in smartwatches – July 21, 2016
Why? Why throw good money after bad?
Why chase a dud? Oh I get it, ego.
My theory is that the top version of AW2 will be liquidmetal. Over the next few years the metal will flow into other new products, including iPhone 2017 first, then iPad in 2018, and laptop/iMac in 2019. Finally the metal will have serious use in the Car, debuting in 2020. Thus the rollout will be complete.
If there are zero leaks of the Watch 2 body ahead of time, you’ll know LQMT is coming.
The current Apple Watch is a solid design. Highly refined for a first product line model, compared to first iPhone and first iPod (and even first iPad).
Add built-in GPS. A little thinner, if possible. Continue to sell the current technical design as the low-end (“Sport”) config only, for $100 less that current pricing.
I would add significantly increase battery life, improve the design and interface, get rid of the lag and add an option for a sim card and make it less tied to an iPhone.
It may just be Apple Watch 1S
Dick Tracy coming? If not, no interest.
This autumn I will join the cult of the watch. The game of wrists.
🙂
Hurry up! I want one
(Almost bought AW1 but have been holding out for software refinement and next-gen biometric sensors).
Running watchOS 3 on my current AW and even in its current beta form, in many ways, it feels like a new device.