Apple Watch first-day pre-orders estimated near 1M

Laura Mandaro | USA TODAY Network

Show Caption Hide Caption Buzz is hushed at Apple Watch's 'take-a-look' launch USA TODAY talks to customers pre-ordering Apple’s new watch at stores in New York City, Los Angeles and Palo Alto, Calif. There were lines but none of the famed hoopla at past iPhone sales launches.

SAN MATEO, Calif. — Nearly 1 million people placed an order for an Apple Watch on the first day it was available, with most going for the cheapest model, a shopping research firm estimated.

Slice Intelligence said e-receipt data from 9,080 online shoppers indicate 957,000 people in the U.S. pre-ordered the smartwatch on Friday. On average, they ordered more than 1 watch (1.3), spending an average $503.83 a watch. An estimated 62% purchased the less-expensive Sport model.

If they bought the Apple Watch Sport, they spent $382.83 a watch; if they ordered the midtier Apple Watch, they spent $707.04.

Unlike with past iPhone and iPad launches, Apple did not make the first-generation device available for purchase in its stores. Instead, interested customers were able to start placing pre-orders on Friday at 3:01 a.m. ET. Shipments start April 24 and, for some models, stretch into the summer.

Apple has not released any order data. For some past sales launches, it released first-weekend sales data the following Monday. On Friday, S&P Capital IQ analyst Angelo Zino said he expected Apple to sell 1 million Watches "out of the gate" and 10 million this year.

Analysts have been largely optimistic about demand for the Watch, the first major device introduced with CEO Tim Cook at the helm of the world's most valuable company — and a potential game-changer in the fragmented market of wearables.

Prices for the Watches start at $349 and can stretch up to $17,000, plus the price of a relatively new iPhone, which is necessary to use the watch. There are numerous ways to personalize each of the three models: the Watch Sport, the standard Apple Watch and the higher-priced Apple Watch Edition.

Apple clearly has its eye on the luxury buyer for some of these models; in addition to Apple Stores, shoppers can visit high-end department stores like Selfridges in London to test the Apple Watch.

Slice Intelligence also estimated Apple on Friday sold 48,000 of its new Macbooks. An estimated 43% of those Macbook buyers also bought an Apple Watch.