Apple Watch flying off the shelves

Apple received nearly 1 million pre-orders for its Apple Watch devices in the US on the first day sales were available, according to Slice Intelligence – significantly more than Android Wear devices shipped in a year.

An estimated 957,000 people in the US ordered an Apple Watch on Friday alone, Slice Intelligence said, with each buyer ordering an average of 1.3 Apple Watch devices.

Most consumers – 62% - purchased the entry-level Apple Watch Sport, and most purchasers of either device opted for the larger case.

US buyers paid an average of $707.04 for the Apple Watch and $382.83 for the Apple Watch sport. Among buyers, 72% had bought an Apple product in the past two years, and 21% had pre-ordered an iPhone or iPhone 6 Plus prior to their launch.

Slice Intelligence noted that sales were strong despite the mediocre reviews the Apple Watch units have been getting from the tech press.

The scale of the sales are even more significant in light of the fact that device makers sold a mere 720,000 Android Wear smartwatches during the whole of 2014, according to market research company Canalys.

Vendors including LG Electronics, Motorola Mobility and Samsung have brought out Android Wear wearables, but have faced difficulty gaining traction in the market.