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Apple Watch Release Date Rumors: Analyst Says Q2 Launch May be Underwhelming

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The Apple Watch may be a pivotal product for the tech giant, but a new report has indicated that consumers are not so enamored with it they will just buy it when it eventually hits the shelves.

According to CNET, a newly released investors note suggests current iPhone users want more information on the Apple Watch before they commit to buying it. But with no set release date, Apple is certainly in a position to wait a bit longer to share the details of its new product.

Gene Munster, an analyst at Piper Jaffray, reportedly surveyed 968 iPhone owners in the U.S. and found that less plan on buying the Apple Watch than they did a few months ago. While eight percent of iPhone users said last Sept. they would be buying an Apple Watch when it is released, only seven percent still said so when interviewed by Munster.

Interest in buying the Apple Watch hit a high in Sept. 2013, when the rumor mill was turning and the device had yet to even be unveiled.

"As we get closer to launch of the Watch, which we expect in the Jun-15 quarter, we believe that Apple will begin to highlight more functionality of the product as well as third-party apps, which we note were what eventually helped the iPhone accelerate in adoption," Munster said in the note.

Apple's first offering to the smart watch market will hit shelves in "early 2015," but at which point is almost completely unknown. Apple Insider has suggested that window for a launch is too vague to pinpoint when exactly consumers will be able to purchase the device.

But Munster said he expects the Apple Watch to officially be released in the second quarter, which fits the "early 2015" timeframe, albeit towards the end. He said initial sales will be "modest," while noting that the device will be an important one for Apple.

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