Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is the most popular stock among hedge funds and billionaires. Apple Inc.’s every move is scrutinized by their analysts and they have been curtailing their expectations recently. Previously we covered that some fund managers were taking money off the table because the investment community is now more bullish about the stock. You can read why Jim Roumell sold his Apple shares here. He isn’t the only one either. Billionaires George Soros and David Tepper sold out their Apple holdings as well. Overall, Apple’s popularity among hedge funds went down more than 11% according to the statistics gathered from the latest SEC filings. A successful launch of Apple Watch may encourage hedge funds and other investors to add to their positions.
The company has started to take pre-orders for its most anticipated Apple Watch. But why has this product become very important for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)? This will be the first product line that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will be launching under the leadership of Tim Cook. iPhone6 was just an upgrade cycle which Apple does with its iPhones and Apple Watch will be the first major new product release from Tim Cook. Even though many expect that the smartwatch market is very big, how many people are ready to get their hands on this Apple watch other than the Apple Enthusiasts? Jordan Cohen of Fluent and Erich Joachimsthaler of Vivaldi Partners talked on CNBC about who is interested in buying Apple Watch and the reasons behind it.
Some reports suggest that one in twenty Americans are interested in buying an Apple Watch. Cohen said that it might sound low initially, but he pointed out that it translates into 10 million Americans. He said that 1 in 20 sounds bad, but it’s quite good for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).
Joachimsthaler said that the Apple watch is not such a big product. He feels that the hype and the impact that the Watch has on Apple is much more exaggerated. He said that we are very early in this one and he mentioned that Apple Watch is not such a big deal right now as expected.
Apple Watch has some downsides to it like the water proof. Also Apple has launched the smartwatch in different variants with price tags from $349 to $17,000. If a person looks for buying a luxury item, he prefers Apple products and it is a general perspective that Apple can sell anything with its brand name. But can the Apple Watch sales rival the sales of iPhone?
Cohen said that this is not just a watch from Apple, but it’s a wearable device, which has multi-functionality. He pointed out that according to their survey many people are looking up this device for health monitoring, gaming, shopping, etc. So Apple Watch is not just another watch in the market and Apple has made it in such a way that it can complement the ecosystem for Apple’s consumers.
“I think there is a point to make here which is, this is not just a watch, It’s an actual wearable device. [..] in our survey we asked people what else they are going to be doing with this, besides telling time. 30% said they are going to be using it for health monitoring. Other 20% said they are going to be using it for shopping, 15% for gaming. So they are not really going after the watch market. They are not trying to be just a watch,” Cohen said.
Cohen feels that Apple is creating a completely new category with their Apple Watch.
We are skeptical about these estimates. If Apple Inc. indeed manages to sell 10 million watches in its first year, this will not only generate a couple of billion dollars in profits, but also would open the door for much higher profits over the coming years. We think Apple can easily generate 30% annual topline growth in this category especially if it manages to sell 10 million watches.
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