by Felix Richter, Statista.com
When Apple reveals its long-rumoured smartwatch, allegedly called ‘iWatch’, later this year, one of the biggest questions will not be whether it can make phone calls, track calories or measure your heartbeat, it will be how much it costs.
According to the results of a survey published by investment firm Piper Jaffray on Tuesday, 31% of the respondents would be willing to pay between $100 and $200 for the rumoured iWatch, and only 15% would be willing to pay more than $300. Considering that the respondents in Piper Jaffray’s survey skew affluent with an average household income of $130,000, the willingness to pay in the general population is probably even lower.
While the 35% of respondents who aren’t interested in the iWatch regardless of its price are somewhat to be expected, the low willingness to pay for the rumoured device could become a problem for Apple. After all, it seems hardly imaginable that the company known for its premium pricing will market the iWatch with all of its alleged capabilities for less than $200. What makes pricing for the iWatch so difficult is that, as opposed to the iPhone, it won’t be subsidized by wireless carriers. For it to become a mainstream success, it will have to be priced like an iPod rather than like an iPhone.
This chart shows how much North American consumers would be willing to pay for Apple’s long-rumoured iWatch.
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