Apple Watch continues to storm ahead of the competition in the North American wearables market. In the second quarter of 2019, it carved a 37.9% market share, according to new figures released by Canalys.
The market research firm claims that Apple shipped 2.9 million units during the quarter. That’s considerably more than those shipped by Fitbit, Samsung, Garmin, or others.
Provided that they are accurate, the figures represent 32% annual growth for Apple, compared to the same quarter in 2018.
Analyst Jason Low notes that it is “increasingly difficult” for rivals to challenge Apple’s overall lead. “Apple is poised to reinforce its leading position by including aggregated health data, which can reveal new trends and insights, both for consumers and the broader healthcare ecosystem,” Low continues.
Photo: Canalys
Despite that, Apple’s overall market share shrank slightly from 39.5% the year-ago quarter. This is due to increased competition. One of the fastest-growing rivals is Samsung, which increased its market share by a massive 121% in the three month period. However, Samsung still lags behind when it comes to unit shipments.
Cementing Apple’s lead
This isn’t the first data point confirming Apple’s lead. Recent figures from Strategy Analytics suggest that global smartwatch shipments grew 44% in the second quarter of 2019. Of the 12 million smartwatches shipped, the Apple Watch made up almost one out of every two.
Apple has never published official sales data for the Apple Watch. But wearables have become an increasingly important part of its revenue stream. Last quarter, Apple Watch and AirPods represented a bigger money-spinning business for Apple than iPad.
