Sales of the Apple Watch Have Fallen 90% Since April Launch

Reports of declining sales of the Apple Watch since its launch suggest that unlike some of its predecessors such as the iPhone, iPad and Mac, it has not yet found its audience. But only for Apple could sales of 20,000 per day be considered a failure.  JL

Ellie Zolfigharifard reports in mailonline:

The drop has been so dramatic that Apple is now selling less than 20,000 a day in the US since its opening week. Apple sold 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets the first weekend they went on sale.

Sales of the Apple Watch have fallen by 90 per cent since the initial surge in April, according to new figures.

The drop has been so dramatic that Apple is now selling less than 20,000 watches a day in the U.S. since its opening week, a report claims.

On certain days, the company has been selling just 10,000 watches, with sales dipping to as low as 4,000 to 5,000 units per day in late June.

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Apple is now selling less than 20,000 watches a day in the U.S. since its opening week, a report claims. On certain days, the company has been selling just 10,000 watches, with sales dipping to as low as 4,000 to 5,000 units per day in late June

This is in contrast to the 200,000 units it sold a day during the week of April 10, when consumers purchased around 1.5 million watches.

Slice Intelligence says around two-thirds of the watches sold so far have been the 'Sport' version, which is the cheaper option, with a price tag of $349 (£299).

Only 2,000 of the luxury gold 'Edition' model, priced at $10,000 (£8,000), have been sold in the US, according to figures seen by MarketWatch.

Slice's figures are unofficial and based on electronic receipts sent to email addresses following a purchase.

WATCH FLOPS AS IPHONES SOAR 

Pacific Crest Securities analyst Andy Hargreaves last week predicted Apple would sell 236 million iPhones this year and 218 million next year.

This is an increase of 3.1 per cent and 3.8 per cent respectively on previous estimates.

Apple sold 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets the first weekend they went on sale and this rose to a staggering 74.5 million iPhones by the end of last year. 

Future sales figures are likely to include what has been dubbed Apple's iPhone 6s.

As with previous years, Apple is expected to launch a new handset in September and it is likely to be a minor update on the current iPhone 6 and 6 Plus range. 

Earlier this week, leaked images of the 6s and 6s Plus appeared on line and despite looking almost identical, hinted at significant improvements inside including the introduction of Force Touch, currently in the Watch. 

Apple has not publicly revealed Apple Watch sales figures following its launch in April and the company has yet to respond for comment.

According to MacRumors, it will be grouping the device under its 'Other Products' category - which combines sales of Apple Watch, iPod, Apple TV, Beats Electronics and accessories - in its quarterly fiscal reports.

Last week an analyst who previously predicted Apple would sell 24 million devices during 2016 has significantly reduced this figure - to 21 million - following the lukewarm reaction to the wearable. 

And as sales and popularity of the iPhone continue to soar, Google Trends has revealed people are searching for the Watch as often as they are the iPod.

Pacific Crest Securities analyst Andy Hargreaves made the predictions in a research note to clients. 

He said: 'Anecdotal evidence suggests Apple Watch demand is slowing quickly' and predicted sales for 2015 will reach 10.5 million - 500,000 less than his initial estimates. 

Meanwhile, mixed reviews of the device combined with interest from the general public, measured by how many people are searching for the Watch online, suggest sales next year will also slow - to the difference of 3 million.

Slice Intelligence says around two-thirds of the watches sold so far have been the 'Sport' version, which is the cheaper option, with a price tag of $349 (£299) 

By comparison, Apple sold 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus handsets the first weekend they went on sale. And this rose to a staggering 74.5 million iPhones by the end of last year.

The predictions follow similar cuts by UBS in which analysts dropped sales forecasts by 23 per cent, and said the Watch is 20 per cent less popular than the original iPhone when it launched in 2007. 

Slow sales could be blamed on the fact the Watch was only available to buy online, there were delays in shipping times and in-store sales are only just taking off.   

This is in stark contrast to the soaring popularity of the iPhone. Google Trends data reveals people are searching for the Watch as often as they are the iPod (pictured) 

But Apple is standing firm on the Watch's popularity and said at the time the in-store sales were announced: 'The response to Apple Watch has surpassed our expectations in every way, and we are thrilled to bring it to more customers around the world.'

As with previous years, Apple is expected to launch a new handset in September and it is likely to be a minor update on the current iPhone 6 and 6 Plus range. 

Last week, leaked images of the 6s and 6s Plus appeared online and despite looking almost identical, they hinted at significant improvements inside.

The leaks came just days after Apple began manufacturing the next iPhone