Friday Apple Rumors: 10% of iPhone Owners Could Buy iWatch in 2015

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Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:

daily apple rumors AAPLForecast: While Apple (AAPL) hasn’t confirmed that it will actually launch a smartwatch this fall, analysts are scrambling to predict exactly how many iWatches consumers will buy, AppleInsider notes. BMO Capital Markets analyst Keith Bachman calculates that by the end of this year there will be 335 million iPhone owners around the world. He estimates that Apple could sell iWatches to at least 10% of existing iPhone owners during the first twelve months after its release. That would translate into sales of 33.5 million iWatches. Bachman expects Apple to price the iWatch around $250. Other analysts had predicted an iWatch price point of about $300, while still others expect Apple to offer a variety of models with different price levels. In a research note, Bachman opines: “We think a key driver of adoption will be meaningful applications.” He added, “We believe that the initial focus will be health and fitness applications, but to reach 20% adoption levels, Apple will need to have more applications than just health and fitness, to include applications for professional/work usage.” In a recent research note, UBS (UBS) analyst Steven Milunovich predicted that Apple would sell 21 million iWatch units during the first year after its launch. Both Bachman and Milunovich forecast a 25% profit margin on the iWatch during the first sales year. Most analyst expect Apple to introduce its iWatch in September or October.

Event: Apple’s new retail chief Angela Ahrendts was on hand at the grand opening of Japan’s newest Apple Store in Tokyo’s Omotesando shopping district, TheVerge notes. The new Apple Store is located near stores from luxury apparel makers like Gucci and Louis Vuitton. It is also, coincidentally, close to a Burberry store. Ahrendts served as CEO at British apparel brand Burberry prior to joining Apple. The latest Japanese Apple Store has three tall glass walls and a flat roof, a design similar to Apple’s new Stanford, Calif., store. Ahrendts is widely expected to focus on boosting the customer experience at Apple Stores.

Recall: Apple is replacing 5-watt European USB power adapters that were included with older iPhone models, 9to5Mac notes. Apple has acknowledged that some of the USB adapters are vulnerable to overheating and, in isolated incidents, can pose a safety hazard. The USB adapters in question were shipped between October 2009 and September 2012 with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Apple says that 5-watt European USB power adapters affected by the voluntary recall have “Model A1300” and the letters “CE” on their bottom. In a statement, Apple said, “We encourage customers to exchange any affected adapter for a new one as soon as possible.” The USB power adapters covered by the replacement program can be taken to Apple Stores or participating Apple Authorized Service Providers. Users can also contact Apple Technical Support to arrange a replacement. In order to obtain the replacement, owners will need to provide their iPhone serial numbers. The affected UBS power adapters were shipped to Europe, India, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Russia, South Africa, Turkey and Vietnam.

For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2014/06/friday-apple-rumors-10-iphone-owners-buy-iwatch-2015/.

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