back to article Pre-order consumergasm will leave Apple Watches out of stock for months

An estimated one million consumers have flashed the plastic to pre-order an Apple Watch, leaving the fruity firm without stock to meet additional demand for months. According to Slice Intelligence, roughly one million fanbois in the US have pre-ordered one or more of the smartwatches. Or The Watch That Watches You Back, as …

  1. This post has been deleted by its author

    1. Ralph B

      Hey, don't knock it! I'm really looking forward to seeing Will It Blend? "review" a $17K Apple Watch Edition.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I agree. Yawn...

      Wake me when there is actual IT news and not just more Apple marketing fluff.

      1. JohnnyHands

        You'll be wearing a smartwatch (though perhaps not an Apple Watch) in a few years.

        1. Chris Parsons

          Only if I lose my Rolex, and my Omega, and my Junghans, and my Zenith, and my other Rolex, and my Oris...so no, you smug sod, I shan't be wearing a smart watch.

    3. Handy Plough
      Trollface

      If you don't care, why comment? It's because you like the attention, isn't. Is it lonely in your mummy's basement?

    4. John Brown (no body) Silver badge

      That's such a shame, so even if I wanted a wrist-borne micro-phablet I'd have to wait for months before I can knock one off? Damn!

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    They are mind control watches,burn them !

    All hail Plankton Cupertino

  3. Little Mouse

    Extrapolation

    "According to ereceipt data from 9,080 online shoppers, each Apple Watch buyer ordered an average of 1.3 watches," Slice revealed

    One Million people is approx 1/7000th the population of the earth

    1/9080 is near-as-dammit the same as 1/7000

    So if just one of those 9080 online shoppers pre-ordered an Apple Watch..... Bingo! ONE MILLION people pre-ordered (estimate).

    1. AndyS

      Re: Extrapolation

      Your maths is impecible. However, the next paragraph states: "an estimated million consumers in the US..."

      That means, of their 9080 online shoppers, 29 have pre-ordered.

      Still a small enough sample to be laughablely inaccurate.

      1. fruitoftheloon
        WTF?

        @AndyS: Re: Extrapolation

        Andy,

        Laughabley inaccurate, a little like your spelling eh?

        Cheers!

        Jay

        1. VinceH
          Headmaster

          Re: @AndyS: Extrapolation

          "Laughabley inaccurate, a little like your spelling eh?"

          FTFY!

        2. ItsNotMe
          FAIL

          Re: @AndyS: Extrapolation

          Ahhh fruityboy Jay...if you are referring to his use of maths...well it would be Vous who is in error...as that is "propper Englsh" on the right side of the Pond.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: @AndyS: Extrapolation

            Sometimes bad spelling is just bad spelling, no matter which side of the Pond you're on.

          2. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: @AndyS: Extrapolation

            "Ahhh fruityboy Jay...if you are referring to his use of maths...well it would be Vous who is in error...as that is "propper Englsh" on the right side of the Pond."

            Looks to be more of a reading comprehension problem on your part for not understanding what he is poking fun at.

  4. Eponymous Cowherd
    Thumb Up

    I think whoever came up with the saying......

    "There's one born every minute"

    rather underestimated.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: I think whoever came up with the saying......

      Well, some of those suckers born every minute were already alive. If P.T. Barnum had waited on each new sucker to be born in order to sell tickets, he would have been the chump.

  5. Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese Silver badge
    Meh

    meh...

    An estimated million consumers have flashed the plastic to pre-order an Apple Watch, leaving the fruity company without stock to meet additional demand for months

    You cannot possibly begin to fathom the size of the f*** which I do not give.

    1. Ed 11

      Re: meh...

      Presumably it was enough of a shit to decide that you had to tell the rest of us how little shit you give? Marble sized perhaps, like a rabbit dropping?

      1. JimmyPage Silver badge
        Boffin

        Re: meh...

        Presumably it was enough of a shit to decide that you had to tell the rest of us how little shit you give? Marble sized perhaps, like a rabbit dropping?M

        Stewart Lee on El Reg ?

    2. guitaryst

      Re: meh...

      "You cannot possibly begin to fathom the size of the f*** which I do not give."

      At least a large enough f*** to make you feel you had to share that f***.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Battery life and price are the two deal breakers for me.

    If this thing was around 200 for the steel case version with a leather strap and the battery lasted 3-4 days with moderate use I'd probably be tempted - if nothing else just to have a good play and pass on to nephew.

    But £560 for steel/leather is way too much, and you'll probably have to top the thing up with charge during the day.

    1. Bill Fresher
      Thumb Up

      Way too expensive.

      1. FartingHippo
        Gimp

        Way too minging. I do not wish to look like a cast member from a 70s SF show.

        1. graeme leggett Silver badge

          Gemini Man?

    2. ThomH

      I had a sports watch that needed charging every four days so I say this with certainty that I mean it: a huge battery life improvement is what would be required for me even to consider a smart watch. Probably of several weeks. I don't need one more thing to think about, one more cable to take on holiday, etc, for such a fringe usage device.

      1. Bill Fresher

        @ThomH "a huge battery life improvement is what would be required for me even to consider a smart watch. Probably of several weeks."

        There is this thing which claims 30-days battery life - and starts at 169GBP.

        https://www.vectorwatch.com/

      2. Deltics

        Citizen Proximity - a REAL Smart Watch

        As opposed to a wrist mounted LCD second screen for your phone.

        If the Apple Watch is ANY sort of watch then so is every other device capable of telling the time. And that includes every mobile phone produced since the 90's. Even so-called feature phones, which even in the days of the most basic mono LCD cell displays could tell the time.

        And in that case, what precisely is the distinction that means that my mobile phone is still just a phone and not a "Smart POCKET Watch" ?

        Citizen on the other hand have made a watch (the Proximity) that incorporates the key features of a so-called "Smart" watch - email/event notifications - into an actual, proper watch. And one with Eco-Drive... never mind battery life measured even in days or weeks, Eco-Drive watches constantly recharge from ambient light and last effectively forever (unless left in the dark for weeks or months on end, in which case a few minutes under a light source will get it going again, and a few hours will fully replenish the battery).

    3. Lusty

      "you'll probably have to top the thing up with charge during the day."

      Curious, none of the reviews have said this. Do you have some new use-case for yours that will drain the battery faster than normal people?

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Trollface

    I've achieved a very good price on Ebay for a picture of an Apple Watch!

    1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
      Happy

      Did you buy it for a picture of a $100 bill?

      Picture of Queen Victoria?

      No thank you. I'm trying to give up...

      1. dogged

        Gorilla?

        No thanks, those gorillas are too strong. Try one of these baboons, They're milder.

        1. Benjol

          Needle naddle noo

          Guaranteed upvote from me :)

  8. Loyal Commenter Silver badge

    Just goes to show...

    ...idiot hipsters really do love the '80s, including bringing back the concept of being mugged for your watch.

    1. Tromos

      Re: Just goes to show...

      Or even being mugged twice for the same watch. One million have already had their first mugging.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Just goes to show...

        Thought that was why they're called mugs…

        It's known as 'FoMO'* - or 'fomophobia' - apparently, and some shrinks, looking to get a slice of Apple pie, are already touting their treatment services.

        *Fear of Missing Out

        Here's a perfect example of someone who's - probably - beyond help…

        http://mashable.com/2015/04/10/apple-watch-fomo/

        WARNING: DO NOT ATTEMPT CONSUMPTION OF FOOD OR BEVERAGES BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO READ THE ABOVE ARTICLE. I WILL ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY IF YOU CHOOSE TO IGNORE THIS WARNING. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

        Don't worry about after, because after you'll feel so nauseated you won't want to eat or drink anything. Ever again.

    2. Paw Bokenfohr

      Re: Just goes to show...

      Why would anyone mug you for this watch? It's useless once it's taken off. When you put it back on you have to unlock it, so it's as secure as your iPhone really (which as we know from articles on here are less and less of a target for snatches because you can't use them) which is to say one heck of a lot more secure than any other watch out there.

      1. LucreLout

        Re: Just goes to show...

        Why would anyone mug you for this watch? It's useless once it's taken off.

        People derive zero benefit from keying cars, but it happens every hour of every day. Some people are just spiteful scum, so I can well imagine them mugging people for stuff they can't use simply to spoil your enjoyment of it.

        Obviously this isn't particular to the jobsian wank monitor, other than sight of the watch will indicate the presence of the phone too.

      2. This post has been deleted by its author

      3. Eponymous Cowherd
        Trollface

        Re: Just goes to show...

        "Why would anyone mug you for this watch? It's useless once it's taken off."

        Same as when its on, then......

  9. eSeM

    Over 1,600 pre-ordered watches went straight onto ebay ...

    I am expecting that the other 998,400 apple watches will also be on there by the end of June when people realize that they are:

    1. Pretty useless

    2. Extremely un-cool.

    ;-)

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      unfortunately this won't matter, they'll still have sold more of the stupid things than samsung...

  10. Lost in Cyberspace

    Good on them

    Let first gen buyers saturate the market, then wait for the improved / cheaper next gen models, with acceptable features and battery life.

    I'm sure I can cope without a smart watch for another year or two. After all, my current watch battery has at least 2 more years life left in it before I have to consider a new battery or a new watch.

    1. Archaon

      Re: Good on them

      "Let first gen buyers saturate the market, then wait for the improved / cheaper next gen models, with acceptable features and battery life."

      Apple doesn't do commodity. The entire point of the 'cool' Apple image is to keep pricing high and keep the punters willing to pay said high pricing.

      Mind you, as business strategies go, it's a pretty good one and the bubble is yet to burst.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Good on them

        It was the same with the Macbook Air: the first generation (early 2008) was radical, highly desirable, but with major limitations.

        They then quietly fixed those problems in the later generations. The Macbook Air mid-2011 is still a highly usable piece of kit. I expect that the new Macbook and the Watch will be similarly usable in 2-3 years time.

    2. Khaptain Silver badge

      Re: Good on them

      "I'm sure I can cope without a smart watch for another year or two"

      I am sure that I can cope without a smart watch for the rest of my life.

    3. This post has been deleted by its author

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    If a watch can't even last a whole day then what flipping use is it?

    1. Bob Dole (tm)

      >>If a watch can't even last a whole day then what flipping use is it?

      In the "old" days, even a dead watch had an opportunity to be right twice a day. Sadly, this truism will fade into obscurity because our kids will have no idea what that even means.

      1. Handy Plough

        Are you really lamenting the demise of clockwork mechanics on a technology site?

        Luddite icon needed...

        1. John 104

          A hearty downvote for you sir.

          Just because technology is old, doesn't mean it isn't cool. A precision built watch or clock is just as technically challenging to engineer as a smart watch or other gadget. The quartz movement was brought to the consumer in the 70's. To date, it is still an accurate method of keeping track of time and has been improved upon immensely.

          Oh, and all those old timey watches that tell time and maybe the date tend to go for years on a battery, not a day.

          1. Dana W

            Re: A hearty downvote for you sir.

            Battery? Your Vintage watches have a BATTERY? Whats wrong with a nice 23 Jewel Automatic?

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      The traditional solution

      Just have the time written down on a piece of paper.

      1. Bloakey1

        Re: The traditional solution

        "Just have the time written down on a piece of paper."

        Your name is Eccles and I claim my five pounds.

    3. Captain DaFt

      "If a watch can't even last a whole day then what flipping use is it?"

      So you can look at it to tell how many minutes of charge you have left on it.

      See? It generates its own uses!

  12. Nanners

    One million

    apple employees ordered watches.

  13. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I suppose

    Chinese copies of the Apple watch, running Android already are for sale on Ebay, but for a tenth of the original price.

    1. eSeM

      Re: I suppose

      To make them more authentic they have had to cripple the battery life and make them completely useless.

      1. ThomH

        Re: I suppose @eSeM

        Battery life is dreadful across the entire range of smartwatches. As is usefulness...

        1. D@v3

          Re: I suppose @eSeM

          i dunno, the 5-8 days i get out of mine is ok (for me at least)

  14. Haku
    Thumb Up

    I am actually looking forward to the release of the Apple Watch.

    No I don't want one, I'm keeping an eye on all the other gadget/watch manufacturers scrabbling to produce their own offerings so I can select one of theirs which will be more suited to my wants (and at a nicer price).

  15. Yugguy

    Munny

    To be honest if people want to splash their hard-earned cash on some over-priced tat, let them.

    It's not going to make me ever want one.

  16. VinceH

    "Following Apple's admission that it, and all of its staff, really hate queueing fanbois, the watches were only available to pre-order online and were not for sale in most stores."

    So, presumably, since they dislike the queues that much, this will be the only option in future for any new release/version of any iToy - and it's definitely not a cunning ploy to hide the lack of queues for this particular item.

    Yeah. We'll see.

  17. chivo243 Silver badge
    Trollface

    You have to order

    in order for the factory to build you one!

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Isn't there a Chinese proverb

    man with one clock knows the time ...

    man with two clocks doesn't ....

    ?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Isn't there a Chinese proverb

      And also: a man with one clock has two hands. A man with many clocks still only has two hands.

      1. Fink-Nottle

        Re: Isn't there a Chinese proverb

        Man with one clock, who said he was thinking of getting another clock, will soon be called "Two Clocks" by some people.

        1. Bloakey1

          Re: Isn't there a Chinese proverb

          "Man with one clock, who said he was thinking of getting another clock, will soon be called "Two Clocks" by some people."

          A dog with two cocks is proud and a dog with no cock is a bitch .

          Thus sayeth Arthur Two Clocks Jackson.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Isn't there a Chinese proverb

      But the man with two clocks can take an average and be statistically more accurate.

      1. This post has been deleted by its author

  19. Jimmy2Cows Silver badge

    1.3 watches, huh?

    <"According to ereceipt data from 9,080 online shoppers, each Apple Watch buyer ordered an average of 1.3 watches," Slice revealed.>

    What a stupid, pointless, meaningless metric. You can't buy 1.3 watches.

    A histogram of how many people bought 1, 2, 3 etc watches would be far more meaningful.

  20. msknight

    I do find myself wondering...

    ...that if the Apple phone has pay by bonk in the phone that requires people to end up keeping them in signal-protected jeans pockets to keep their money safe .. then what will that do to the iWatch when it has to work harder to talk with the phone?

    I mean, seriously ... my handbag is a "city-safe" with steel wired straps, slashproof sides, etc. and has protected pockets inside it for cards, etc. specifically to protect against unauthorised bumping (ooh er.) ... and as I live in a poor signal area, things like device chatter-signal strength-blocking thingies ... matter to me.

  21. Greg J Preece

    $707 eh?

    That's ironic. I recently spent that exact amount of money buying a new toilet. Probably more comfortable/functional in the long run.

    1. This post has been deleted by its author

      1. MrDamage Silver badge

        Re: $707 eh?

        At least with the toilet, one touch of a button (ok, sometimes two, and maybe the use of a wire coathanger to break up the larger chunks), and the shit is gone.

  22. John 104

    Old Tricks are the Best

    I'll stick to my never had the case opened, battery has been pulling strong for 10 years Citizen EcoDrive. Looses a second or two every 6 months and charges in about 15 minutes in direct sunlight (longer under indoor lighting), which is good for 6 months.

    It does one thing and it does it very well and will continue to do so for many years I expect.

  23. CmdrX3

    I don't know

    I think most will be pretty pissed off with the unfinished build quality of their 0.3 of a watch.

  24. Ian Joyner Bronze badge

    More Troll feeding

    You can see from most of the comments here, this is just more troll feeding from Register.

  25. Kunari

    And so it begins...

    The breathless (masturbatory-like) articles about how the latest Apple babble is selling faster than the last one. Soon will be flood of "unboxing" videos, then the "My first Day/Week/Month with the Apple Watch".

    Personally, I'm waiting for the "This man proposed to his girlfriend using Apple Watch heartbeat share".

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Katy Perry has already ditched her Gold Apple Watch by the looks of it.

    The Daily Mail showed a tweet of KP wearing her gold Apple Watch, last week. This week she was pictured without it at Coachella. You can only do some much PR - when you're Partying.

  27. Dana W

    That can't be. The leading lights of this forum assured us it will NEVER sell. And that nobody will wear a watch anymore.

    I'm still indifferent, and we own six Macs. First is a Fools game. If I ever get one, I'll wait six months and get one cheap off Craigslist or a pawnshop. I still don't see the draw, but apparently I'm in the minority.

  28. Alan Denman

    If only they had sold it at $799

    then they might have got 2 million US buyers.

    Theres nothing like quite like a more expensive glitter to attract them little fishies

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