Apple Tests Smartwatch Market With Quiet Debut Of Cook's First Product

[Ron Burgundy]

The Apple Watch will launch with a whisper rather than a bang on Friday, an unusual start for the company that may reflect early uncertainty about demand for Apple Inc boss Tim Cook's first new product. Apple was unsure whether the watch would create the lines snaking around stores that the company has historically seen with its iPhones, said Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray. Demand turned out better than expected, according to Munster, who predicts more than 2 million watches will be sold in the quarter ending in June. "But it's a resounding yes." Now Apple faces the question of whether confused consumers will swamp Apple Stores on Friday.

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