Initial Apple Watch Sales Crush Those of iPhone, iPod

Apple sold around 1 million smartwatches in the first day of pre-sales, according to Slice Intelligence. That total wallops sales of both the iPod and the iPhone when they were introduced.

By comparison, Apple sold 1 million iPods within two years of the product going on sale in 2001, MarketWatch reports. The tech company sold 1 million of the first iPhone less than three months after it launched in 2007.

Slice Intelligence estimated that 957,000 people in the U.S. pre-ordered an Apple Watch on Friday, the first day it was available for sale. That figure is based on electronic receipt data from 2 million online shoppers.

Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research predicted that Apple might have sold as many as 2.5 million of the smartwatches over the weekend, Barron’s reports.

Many of the shoppers who ordered an Apple Watch on Friday bought more than one, according to Slice Intelligence. Data shows shoppers ordered 1.3 of the smartwatches on average.

Shoppers who ordered from the Apple Watch Sport line, which has 10 models that cost either $350 or $400, spent $382.83 per watch. Polling by several organizations suggests that the Sport line — the cheapest of the Apple Watch options — made up more than half of sales.

Consumers who ordered from the Apple Watch line (the mid-range option does not have its own distinct name), which has 20 models that range from $550 to $1,100, spent $707.04 per watch.

There is also an Apple Watch Edition line, which has eight models ranging from $10,000 to $17,000. (The most expensive model has an 18K rose gold case.)

While Slice Intelligence’s figures are for U.S. shoppers, Cantor Fitzgerald research analyst Brian White told CNBC this morning that China could prove to be the biggest market for the Edition line.

“We were just in China last week, and the interest there in Apple Watch is very high, at least as high as anywhere else,” White said. “I would not be surprised if they sell more Apple Watch Editions in China than any place in the world.”

If you haven’t ordered an Apple Watch yet, be sure to check out “5 Reasons Not To Buy An Apple Watch” first.

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