Earlier this month, data from NPD indicated Apple is “the clear leader” in the smartwatch industry. Now, Strategy Analytics is out with a new report that offers more details on Apple Watch sales, and how they compare to the rest of the market.
According to the data, Apple shipped 9.2 million Apple Watch units during the fourth quarter of 2018. That’s up from 7.8 million in Q4 2017. In total, Strategy Analytics suggests Apple shipped 22.5 million Apple Watch units during 2018. For comparison’s sake, that’s up from 17.7 million in 2017. In total, 45 million smartwatches were shipped in 2018, with Apple accounting for half.
Those shipment numbers put Apple at the top of the smartwatch industry, with Fitbit in a distant second at 5.5 million units shipped in all of 2018. Samsung is in third with 5.3 million units shipped, followed by Garmin at 3.2 million.
In terms of marketshare, Apple has a sizable lead with a 50 percent share of the smartwatch market. That’s down from 60.4 percent marketshare Apple held in 2017, with both Samsung and Fitbit eating into Apple’s share.
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics noted that both Samsung and Fitbit have greatly improved their smartwatch portfolios in the past year:
“Apple shipped 9.2 million smartwatches worldwide in Q4 2018, rising 18 percent from 7.8 million units in Q4 2017. Apple’s global smartwatch marketshare slipped to 51 percent this quarter, down from 67 percent a year ago. Apple Watch is losing marketshare to Samsung and Fitbit, whose rival smartwatch portfolios and retail presence have improved significantly in the past year.”
In total, Strategy Analytics says Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, and Garmin account for 8 in 10 of all smartwatches shipped worldwide.
Apple itself doesn’t reveal unit sales data for the Apple Watch for competitive reasons. Instead, we rely on data from research firms like Strategy Analytics. This data certain shows just how wide of a lead Apple has over other smartwatch manufacturers, even with Samsung and Fitbit starting to catch up.
Read the full report from Strategy Analytics here.
Read more:
- Apple Watch Series 3 helped drive wearables industry growth in Q3, IDC says
- Apple ships 3.5M Apple Watch units in Q2 as LTE model proves to be a global hit
- Smartwatch unit sales up 61 percent in 2018 as Apple is ‘the clear market leader,’ NPD says
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