VENTURE CAPITAL POST

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.

About 6 percent of U.S. adults plan to buy Apple Inc's smartwatch according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, with men twice as likely as women to purchase Apple boss Tim Cook's first new major product.

Customers preordering Apple Inc's smartwatch on Friday will have to wait at least a month for delivery, an early sign of strong demand for company chief Tim Cook's first new major product.

Consumers in Australia flocked to Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) store in Sydney on Friday to get the world's first up-close look at the tech giant's smartwatch, which the company expects will be its next runaway hit.

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) expects tremendous interest for its new smartwatch and demand to outstrip supply as consumers get an up-close look on Friday at CEO Tim Cook's first major product.

Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) "beautiful" and "stylish" smartwatch could make life easier for people on the move, reviewers say, but the gadget gets poor marks for battery life and slow-loading apps.

Alibaba Group Holding Ltd's (BABA.N) finance arm and smartphone maker Xiaomi Inc [XTC.UL] said on Thursday they will jointly develop mobile payment systems using wearable technology, a first for China's major tech firms.

The flurry of technology deals luxury watchmakers announced this week to tackle the Apple Watch threat are more a way to hedge their bets in case the smartwatch market takes off than a strategic U-turn.

Tag Heuer, French luxury group LVMH's (LVMH.PA) biggest watch maker, said it will launch a smartwatch later this year using Google Inc's (GOOGL.O) Android operating system in a venture with Intel Corp (INTC.O) to compete head-on with the Apple Watch.

About 40 percent of adult Apple iPhone owners in the United States are interested in buying the company's new Apple Watch, according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Software developers say it will not be easy to come up with a "killer app" for Apple Inc's Watch - few have seen the product and the software is still in test mode.

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) launched its long-awaited watch on Monday, including yellow or rose gold models with sapphire faces costing up to $17,000, but investors questioned whether Chief Executive Tim Cook's first product would be a breakaway hit.

Apple CEO Tim Cook summed up the problem during a conversation with sales staff at a London Apple Store: "We've never sold anything as a company that people could try on before."

The Nasdaq resumed its recent advance on Thursday after deal news in the technology sector, while the Dow and S&P 500 dipped as energy shares sank with oil prices.

Apple Inc (AAPL.O) has asked its Asian suppliers to make 5-6 million units of its three Apple Watch models for the first-quarter, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.