Apple Watch sales strong in the second quarter, report says
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said in July that watch sales had exceeded the company’s expectations.
Don’t call the Apple Watch a flop.
Market research firm IDC says Apple Inc. shipped 3.6 million units the second quarter, putting the device second only to Fitbit’s 4.4 million units as the most popular wearable device.
By comparison, Apple sold 3.3 million iPads the first quarter it was released in 2010 and just over a million iPhones the three months after it was released in 2007.
Apple does not disclose the number of Apple Watches it sold, but the device has been met with mixed reviews and various indications that it was lagging in sales.
However, Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said in July that watch sales had exceeded the company’s expectations.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
If IDC’s research proves accurate, the Cupertino, Calif., tech giant could soon be the gold standard for wearable devices, said Ramon Llamas, research manager for IDC’s Wearables team.
“Fairly or not, Apple will become the stick against which other wearables are measured, and competing vendors need to stay current or ahead of Apple,” Llamas said. “Now that Apple is officially a part of the wearables market, everyone will be watching to see what other wearable devices it decides to launch, such as smart glasses or hearables.”
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