In its first nine months selling wearables, Apple has shipped an estimated 11.6 million Apple Watches, according to a report this week from research firm IDC. That puts Apple at third place in the industry with 14.9 percent of the market, just behind Xiaomi. Fitbit is still far and away the leader, however, with 21 million shipments in 2015.
The worldwide wearable tech market, which includes fitness trackers and smartwatches, grew a staggering 172 percent last year, shipping 78.1 million units. The growth was driven by the popularity of lower-cost trackers from companies like Fitbit and the appeal of the higher-end Apple Watch, the report notes. More than one-third of all sales in 2015 happened in the fourth quarter, a 127 percent jump over the previous year’s holiday season.
Fitbit remains the undisputed leader of the global wearable market with 21 million units shipped in 2015, accounting for more than a quarter of all sales. We still don’t have official figures for Apple’s wearable, but IDC pegs the Apple Watch’s performance at 11.6 million shipments, putting it just under second-place Xiaomi. According to IDC, the lack of enthusiasm for Apple’s first-generation device might be attributable to its lack of deep integration with any of the company’s new software platforms. “Expectations are higher for the next-generation Watch that can leverage the company’s platforms HealthKit, ResearchKit, WatchKit, and watchOS 2 and connectivity capabilities,” IDC writes.
Date: February 24, 2016
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