Apple Dominance Diminishes In Smartwatch Market
Apple’s hold of the smartwatch market has dropped from 43 per cent to 34 per cent despite a 30 per cent growth in Apple Watch shipments for Q2.
According to research from Canalys Apple shipped 3.5 million Watches in Q2 with overall smartwatch shipments reaching 10 million units.
Its hold on the market may be dropping but the Apple Watch 3 was the most popular smartwatch in Asia with it accounting for 60 per cent of the 250,000 units shipped.
Jason Low, senior analyst says, “Apple faces a growing threat from competitors,which have started to pass the million quarterly shipments mark.”
He continues, “Vendors are trying to differentiate their products with advances heart-rate metrics, smart coaching and mapping and consumers now have a much wider range of smartwatches to choose from than they did a year ago.
“Amid further competition from Samsung and Google rumoured to be launching Galaxy and Pixel watches respectively, Apple needs to work out how to drive refreshes in markets such as the US, where its penetration into the existing iPhone installed base has started to level off.”
The same quarter last year was Apple’s worst for its watch suggesting the Watch 3 is more popular than its predecessor.
The upcoming Apple Watch 4 is slated for a September release with the WatchOS 5 will also to be released in September.