Apple has ordered 5 million to 6 million Apple Watches from its Chinese suppliers in preparation for the product's April launch, according to a new report.
The Wall Street Journal, quoting sources familiar with the matter, approximated that half of that is reserved for the Apple Watch Sport ($349) and about one-third will be reserved for mid-range models. The rest will comprise the higher-end expensive models, including the Apple Watch with a 18-karat gold case.
The sources cited in the report claim that Apple plans to ramp up the production of the high-end models to more than 1 million units per month in the second quarter of 2015. Even for Apple, this is a tall order; while the company hasn't yet announced the pricing, the most expensive model, Apple Watch Edition, is rumored to start at $4,000.
The numbers would prove Apple's high expectations for the wearable. The company sold 3 million iPads in the first three months after the device's release in 2010, and while obvious differences between the two products exist, the Apple Watch is its first entry into a completely new category post-iPad. The price between the two is comparable; at launch, the iPad started at $499, and the cheapest Apple Watch will retail for $349.
If Apple Watch indeed sells by the millions, it would become far more popular than any of its Android Wear competitors. A recent Canalys report indicated around 720,000 Android Wear devices were shipped in 2014.