WSJ: Apple orders as many as 6 million watches from suppliers

With the Apple Watch expected to be launched in
April, a report published on Wednesday says that
the tech titan has ordered as many as 6 million
Apple Watch units from suppliers to be
manufactured during the first quarter. Half of
the timepieces ordered are the entry-level Apple
Watch Sport model, while another third consists
of the mid-range Apple Watch.
The high-end Apple Watch Edition, featuring an
18K gold casing, will be ordered in small amounts
for now. Apple does plan on revving up production
of that pricey model to one million units a month
starting in April. Pricing for this model has not
been revealed yet by Apple, but it could exceed
the $4000 price for the top of the line Mac
computer . These watches will be stored in special
safes at Apple Stores . The safes will be equipped
with the company's MagSafe charging system so
that the watches' batteries could be recharged
overnight. Apple expects heavy demand for the
high-end Apple Watch from China. Pricing for the
Apple Watch will start at $349 for the Sport
model.
While Apple has sent in its Apple Watch orders
with suppliers, these can be changed once Apple
sees which models are selling more than others.
Industry sources say that Apple is sensitive to
matching supply with demand, changing orders
more often than most other tech companies.
Apple apparently sees the same initial demand for
the Apple Watch that it saw for he Apple iPad
when the iOS tablet was first launched in 2010.
Apple sold 7.5 million slates in the first six
months that the iPad was available.
source: WSJ