Demand for Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular stronger than expected, taking 80%+ of preor...

Posted:
in Apple Watch edited September 2017
With a starting price just $70 more than the non-cellular option, the new Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular accounts for the lion's share of preorders ahead of this Friday's launch.




Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities revealed on Monday he estimates that the LTE-enabled Apple Watch Series 3 has accounted for between 80 and 90 percent of preorders. Apple began accepting orders last Friday, and the first shipments will arrive later this week, on Sept. 22.

As of Monday, new orders for the Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular are estimated to ship in 3 to 4 weeks. The non-cellular models, however, arrive as soon as Oct. 2.

Kuo believes this year's Apple Watch refresh has primed the wearable device for "significant marked shipment growth."




The Apple Watch Series 3 with cellular starts at $399 for the 38-millimeter size, and $429 for 42 millimeters. Models without cellular are priced $70 cheaper, at $329 and $359 price points for the aluminum sport models.

Apple also continues to sell the Apple Watch Series 1 model for $249, but it is unchanged from the version that debuted in 2016.

With respect to iPhone 8 preorders, Kuo unsurprisingly believes that the upcoming iPhone X has cannibalized some iPhone 8 orders. Going forward, he expects investors will have a conservative outlook for the iPhone 8, while consumers await the debut of the iPhone X in early November.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 43
    For me, it’s the perfect replacement for my SE, which was my second phone.
    Avieshekwatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 43
    Even if some people might balk at the carrier prices per month of this, the option value of having the cellular for just an extra $70 is just too good to pass up. You never know when it could come in handy, since presumably, all it will need is a call to the carrier to get it activated (and then, un-activated if/when not needed).

    Moreover, it's not really a choice if you want the stainless steel (like I did).
    tmaychristopher1262old4funbb-15tzm41iqatedowatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 43
  • Reply 4 of 43
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,053member
    qwwera said:
    For me, it’s the perfect replacement for my SE, which was my second phone.
    You know AW3 is only an extension of your main phone, not additional phone, right? It doesn't have its own number.
  • Reply 5 of 43
    I am surprised how quickly Apple has got to Series 3. If they continue improving at the same rate what on earth will they be introducing for Series 4, 5 and beyond?
    GeorgeBMaclolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 43
    Even if some people might balk at the carrier prices per month of this, the option value of having the cellular for just an extra $70 is just too good to pass up. You never know when it could come in handy, since presumably, all it will need is a call to the carrier to get it activated (and then, un-activated if/when not needed).

    Moreover, it's not really a choice if you want the stainless steel (like I did).
    It doesn't make any sense to activate/unactivate it. There are so many times/places I take my phone to now in case wife, kids, work, need to get in touch with me where I won't have to bring it anymore. Multiple times/day I won't need my phone with me anymore.
    GeorgeBMac
  • Reply 7 of 43
    Only one hour talk time! Also one cannot use the watch outside the country.
  • Reply 8 of 43
    Ed789 said:
    Only one hour talk time! Also one cannot use the watch outside the country.
    Not covered because of Apple (so, what's your point)  and it's a god damn watch, and not a boat like the monster crap watches Samsung sells (twice the size!)

    It could eventually be covered outside the country if standards get hammered and carriers get their head of their asses.
    bb-15anantksundaramlolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 43
    macguimacgui Posts: 2,350member
    I ordered one, mainly— just because. I may not activate the cellular part right away. Is it as easy to activate/deactivate as the iPad? I got the impression that it wasn't the same business model, more of a subscription than just buying chunks of time/data. Once activated, I highly doubt I'll flip it on and off.

    It's meant to be more of a backup for the times when I forget my phone, rather than a replacement. So it will be used more for notifications and the occasional GPS function, and maybe Siri, than making phone calls.

    I have somewhat infrequent to use my Watch to answer phone calls and am not really impressed although others are so there's that. LOL There's no privacy unless I'm using my AirPods and the Watch requires me to speak louder than my phone. I find it annoying and anybody else near me would, too. People who use talk too loudly on their phone or use the speakerphone really annoy me (even though cellphones themselves are partly responsible) and I really don't want to be One of Them.


  • Reply 10 of 43
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    Nothing at all surprising about the high share of orders for the LTE version: that's the main new feature of the S3. People who don't care about LTE could have already bought the S2. And bonus reason, the price delta is only $70.
  • Reply 11 of 43
    dachar said:
    I am surprised how quickly Apple has got to Series 3. If they continue improving at the same rate what on earth will they be introducing for Series 4, 5 and beyond?
    7nm chips just around the corner to pinch that circuitry ever smaller. Apple needs to put a lot of money into battery tech which could really do the most good for AppleWatch. My main gripe is relatively short battery life because I'm forgetful. Other than that, I have no complaints. I can't wait until the health insurance companies start handing out AppleWatches to insured subscribers. Apple will be able to sell a crazy amount of AppleWatches if that happens. The carriers should be happy, too, as a lot of bandwidth won't be used up but they'll be guaranteed those tasty basic subscriber fees.
  • Reply 12 of 43
    Ed789 said:
    Only one hour talk time! Also one cannot use the watch outside the country.
    According to the battery settings on my iPhone I've used the Phone app for 24 minutes over the last 24 hours and it has used 5% of my battery.  For me one hour of talk time is more than plenty.  I understand that this is my use case but I would venture to guess that there are many more out there with similar needs. How long do you plan to talk on an Apple Watch in any given day?

    What I would like is to connect the Apple Watch to the Bluetooth in my car so that I can take calls and listen to music, like I do with my iPhone.
    GeorgeBMacwatto_cobra
  • Reply 13 of 43
    I pre-ordered the Apple Watch Series 3 without cellular simply for the reason I live in New Zealand and its not available for me which sucks.

    Looking forward to seeing how it can help me with my job as a postie. A watch makes more sense than a phone when your all dressed up in motorcycle gear.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 43
    brucemcbrucemc Posts: 1,541member
    dachar said:
    I am surprised how quickly Apple has got to Series 3. If they continue improving at the same rate what on earth will they be introducing for Series 4, 5 and beyond?
    No doubt Apple has a 3-year roadmap pretty well defined.  A few h/w features that we see in rumours or that make sense
    - Smart band interface.  Perhaps something along the lines of the iPad smart connector, which allows power and data.  Support different sensor type bands, or even an extended battery band.  Health is a major focus for Apple, and smart bands are certainly a way to address that process without putting functionality which requires FDA approval (and similar in other countries) onto the AW itself.
    - Always on watch face (optional).  IMO the last piece to making the AW truly take on the traditional watch industry - when instead of a black face most of the time, you can see the beautifully designed watch faces. This also really customizes it for many people.  I believe this will bring onboard a number of those currently on the fence.
    - BT 5.0
    - Camera (of some sort) for FaceTime calling
    - Future miniaturized FaceID
    - Updated sensors which are more accurate

    Wearables are an area which will undergo a lot of change as new use cases materialize.  Lots of room for Apple to improve and differentiate.
    pscooter63watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 43
    Ed789 said:
    Only one hour talk time! 
    Talk time doesnt matter. Its not designed to be a phone replacement. The thing is like 1/6th the size of my phone so I don't mind that the battery doesn't match what a phone's does.
    edited September 2017 bb-15pscooter63GeorgeBMacwatto_cobra
  • Reply 16 of 43
    tzeshantzeshan Posts: 2,351member
    This shows Apple is price gouging on the iPad cellular models which is $130 more than the wifi model.  And iPad cellular version cannot be used to call. 
  • Reply 17 of 43
    tzeshan said:
    This shows Apple is price gouging on the iPad cellular models which is $130 more than the wifi model.  And iPad cellular version cannot be used to call. 
    Doesn't the iPad cellular cover more bands than the Apple Watch?
    bb-15lolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 18 of 43
    MacProMacPro Posts: 19,718member
    So I guess the red dot so many were moaning about isn't such a turn off after all.  

    ... Or perhaps sales of the red dot cover up are booming? ;)
    edited September 2017 anantksundaramwatto_cobra
  • Reply 19 of 43
    anomeanome Posts: 1,533member
    Ed789 said:
    Only one hour talk time! 
    Talk time doesnt matter. Its not designed to be a phone replacement. The thing is like 1/6th the size of my phone so I don't mind that the battery doesn't match what a phone's does.

    While I agree it's not meant to be a replacement for the phone, I would like to do the experiment of leaving my phone at home for a day, and seeing how I went with just the watch. I might be an outlier, but I suspect I could get by OK with the watch for the things I use my phone for on most days - including the two or three phone calls I make and receive each week.

    Unfortunately, I missed the start of pre-orders on Friday, and haven't seen them available before next month since. (Although a work colleague managed to organise pickup for Friday morning when he checked online at about 5pm Saturday.

    lolliverwatto_cobra
  • Reply 20 of 43
    Ed789 said:
    Only one hour talk time! 
    Talk time doesnt matter. Its not designed to be a phone replacement. The thing is like 1/6th the size of my phone so I don't mind that the battery doesn't match what a phone's does.
    I have a kid in high school and 1 in college and our family does more texting than anything else . Even at work, we use texting more than calls. With voice calls, immediate responses are short and I don't plan to have long conversations until I get back to a desk.

    Even with the AW2, I have answered calls on my watch when my phone was at the other end of the house. It's a lot easier to give a quick answer to a question either by vox or text than have to explain how come I missed a call.
    edited September 2017 GeorgeBMaclolliverwatto_cobra
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