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iWatch could be worth as much as iPhone & iPad first-year sales combined, says Morgan Stanley

iWatch concept: Espen Oxholm

iWatch concept: Espen Oxholm

Estimating the revenue value of a product whose price is unknown and whose existence hasn’t even been confirmed is probably about as tenuous as it gets, but Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty reckons that the iWatch could generate $17.5 billion in the first twelve months.

To put that into perspective, the iPhone generated $2.5B and the iPad $12B in their respective first 12 months of sales … 

Mindful of supply constraints on recent Apple products, such as the iPhone 5s and Mac Pro, Huberty says that could reduce year one sales to $12-14B, still increasing Apple’s earnings by somewhere in the 6-10 percent range.

Huberty believes that existing iPhone customers will be the primary market for the device.

Our working assumption is that iWatch largely will be adopted as an accessory device and, therefore, sold into the existing customer base, like the iPad, rather than to new customers, like the iPod or iPhone.

Via CNET

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Comments

  1. Josh Grossman - 10 years ago

    This is the reason that when apple posts record setting numbers every quarter their stock still drops these idiots are setting completely unrealistic goals for a company that already pushes the limit of success

    • Nizam Islam - 10 years ago

      Agreed

    • Completely agree. Just to boost their viewership and author’s visibility, these f**ing a****les are simply inflating their expectations and the overall market’s expectations. This is not only an issue for Apple, but also for common man like us who have bought the stocks.. #Retards

  2. Abandoned (@Aband0ned) - 10 years ago

    seem my question is still “Do I need an iWatch?” No, but “Would I buy and iWatch?” Yes!

    • Roger Mercer - 10 years ago

      People who like me have severe diabetes coupled with temporal arteritis will live and die by these iWatches. While arteritis is somewhat rare, diabetes is rampant. I’d love a device that checks my blood sugar without sticking needles in my fingers. I’d also like to keep tabs on my blood pressure and heart rate, as well as calories burned during exercise. All of these are possible capabilities of the iWatch. So, yes, I need it. And I want it.

  3. Ryan DeRocco - 10 years ago

    I just wish it would come out already. My little Pebble is doing the job for now, but it’s ugly, and I’m not going to pay $250 for Pebble Steel when we all know this iWatch will put everything else to shame. Come on bigger iPhone 6 and new watch!

  4. jweaber - 10 years ago

    So at a $350 price tag, that would be 50 million devices in the first year. I like her optimism.

  5. PMZanetti - 10 years ago

    DERP. Find me any iPhone accessory that has made that much in its first 12 months.

  6. Gaurav (@HorizonZwinger) - 10 years ago

    Oh these damn analysts again..They’d be so dissapointed if apple sold less then 50 million iWatches in the first year! Even though it may end up becoming the highest selling wearable in the market many times over..

  7. Tallest Skil - 10 years ago

    Apple needs to sue Morgan Stanley for intent to harm.

    • PMZanetti - 10 years ago

      Seriously. This is a new low for analysts attempting to short APPL. A device that doesn’t exist or even have a guessable price point, or guessable market demand….has an expected year 1 revenue attached…and one that is so astronomical it must be a joke.

      • to add to it, you never know Apple would ever release a iWatch. All these hirings and investments might be for boasting inbuilt capabilities of the iPhone itself. The analysts are pure retards

  8. Roger Mercer - 10 years ago

    Please pay more attention to concept drawings. A circular or round shape will work only if the watch is flexible. In case you haven’t noticed, wrists are oval-shaped, not round.

  9. Samir Shah - 10 years ago

    I agree that may be the case.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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