Nearly 1 Million People Estimated to Have Pre-Ordered Apple Watch On 1st Day

The new Apple Watch is viewed at an Apple store in New York on April 10. On April 24, consumers will be able to buy it online or by appointment in select stores.
(Photo: Spencer Platt, Getty Images)

Nearly 1 million people placed an order for an Apple Watch on the first day it was available, with most going for the cheapest model, a shopping research firm estimated.

Slice Intelligence said e-receipt data from 9,080 online shoppers indicate 957,000 people in the U.S. pre-ordered the smartwatch on Friday. On average, they ordered more than 1 watch (1.3), spending an average $503.83 per watch. An estimated 62% purchased the less-expensive Sport model.

If they bought the Apple Watch Sport, they spent $382.83 per watch; if they ordered the mid-tier Apple Watch, they spent $707.04.

Unlike with past iPhone and iPad launches, Apple did not make the first-generation device available for purchase in its stores. Instead, interested customers were able to start placing pre-orders on Friday at 3:01 a.m. ET. Shipments start April 24 and, for some models, stretch into the summer.

Apple has not released any order data. For some past sales launches, it released first-weekend sales data the following Monday. On Friday, S&P Capital IQ analyst Angelo Zino said he expected Apple to sell 1 million Watches “out of the gate” and 10 million this year.

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SOURCE: USA Today – Laura Mandaro