Apple Watch continues to cement its position as the undisputed ruler of the smartwatch industry. According to new research from Strategy Analytics, overall smartwatch shipments grew 42% year-on-year in Q3 2019 to reach 14 million units. Of these, Apple Watch accounted for 6.8 million devices.
That means that approximately one out of every two smartwatches shipped in the quarter was an Apple Watch.
In all, Apple accounted for 48% of the global market share. Samsung came in second with 1.9 million smartwatches shipped in the third quarter of the year. Finally, Fitbit came in third place with 1.6 million smartwatches.
Apple Watch smartwatch shipments keep going up
The growth of all of these companies tells an interesting story. Apple rose an “above-average” 51% compared to the 4.5 million devices it shipped this time last year. Samsung was almost double its 1.1 million from this time in 2018. However, Fitbit remained relatively stagnant. Its 1.6 million was similar to the 1.5 million it shipped in the third quarter last year. While that still shows growth, it means that it makes up a smaller piece — just 11% — of the overall marketshare pie.
Earlier this month, Google confirmed that it will buy Fitbit for an estimated $2.1 billion. “Together, we aim to spur innovation in wearables and build helpful products to benefit more people around the world,” Google said. It will be intriguing to see if Google’s backing can help Fitbit climb back to its previous position as a leader, before Samsung and Apple jumped into the fray.
Another company to look out for is Xiaomi. The company just announced a new Mi Band smartwatch, which looks very similar to an Apple Watch, but with a $185 price tag. Boasting some impressive hardware, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Xiaomi do very well. However, it will struggle to make a dent on the global scene due to only being available in China initially.
Do you own a smartwatch? If so, which model? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Strategy Analytics
