Apple Watch continues to dominate the fast-growing global smartwatch market, according to new figures from Strategy Analytics.
The firm notes that smartwatch shipments grew 44% in the second quarter of 2019. In total, 12 million smartwatches shipped — with Apple Watch making up almost one out of every two smartwatches sold.
By comparison, during the second quarter of 2018, 8.6 million smartwatches shipped. “Smartwatch growth continues to soar, as consumers increasingly accessorize their smartphones with fitness-led wearables,” said Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics.
During the April through June quarter, Apple shipped 5.7 million Apple Watches worldwide. That’s up from 3.8 million units this time last year. As Strategy Analytics notes, “Apple Watch remains a long way ahead of the chasing pack” and “the clear smartwatch market leader.”
Who is chasing Apple?
Second place went to Samsung, which shipped 2 million smartwatches during the quarter. That’s up from just under 1 million a year ago. Its marketshare has increased from 11% to 16%, although it’s still way behind Apple. Devices like the Galaxy Watch Active 2 have generally received strong reviews. However, they are not the superstar performers of devices like the Apple Watch Series 4.
Coming in third place is Fibit, whose 1.2 million smartwatches in Q2 actually dipped below the 1.3 million they shipped this time last year. Fitbit is struggling to compete with Apple Watch at the high end of the market. Meanwhile, its low end devices like the Versa Lite have not yet managed to make much of an impact. During Fitbit’s last quarterly earnings, it reported revenue decreasing 27% year-over-year.
Apple’s success in the wearables market is no great surprise. Apple Watch has carved out a leading role in this market since day one. While Apple has never officially released sales units for the device, wearables make up an ever-growing part of Apple’s revenue stream. During the most recent quarter, we noted that wearables (including Apple Watch and AirPods) is now a bigger business for Apple than iPad.
Source: Strategy Analytics
