Tim Cook claims resurgent Apple Watch sales over holiday period thus far
Apple CEO Tim Cook has scotched reports of dismal Apple Watch sales in the third quarter by claiming that the faltering wrist gadget actually racked up its strongest ever performance in the first week of holiday shopping – heralding what could be its strongest quarter to date.
The comments came in the wake of a report published by independent market research firm IDC which found that Apple Watch sales had suffered a mammoth 71% fall in year-over-year sales in the third quarter, twisting the knife further by blaming the poor performance on an ‘aging lineup and an unintuitive user interface’.
Moved to respond Cook talked up the line’s performance in an email to Reuters, although he remains characteristically coy about precise sales figures, saying: “Our data shows that Apple Watch is doing great and looks to be one of the most popular holiday gifts this year.
"Sales growth is off the charts. In fact, during the first week of holiday shopping, our sell-through of Apple Watch was greater than any week in the product's history. And as we expected, we're on track for the best quarter ever for Apple Watch."
Apple is pinning its Christmas hopes on its flagship Apple Watch Series 2 which includes a number of upgrades such as a GPS radio, a water resistance to a depth of 50 meters and a more luminous display.