Apple is the clear frontrunner in the wearables market according to new reports.
The company sold around 12.8 million units in the first quarter of 2019, according to IDC, which gave Apple a 25.8% share of the market.
Whilst shipments have grown substantially from last year’s 8.6 million in the first quarter, Apple’s share has contracted from 26.8%.
The wearables market is not just Apple Watches for Apple – indeed, AirPods and Beats headphones are also included in the market update, and whilst Apple has never provided unit numbers for these devices, this new data does help to give some indication of sales.
What’s perhaps most interesting about the latest market update, however, is that Apple is not alone in its success.
China’s Xiaomi came in second place for wearables sales in Q1 2019, with more than 6.6 million unit sales and a 13.3% share of the market – almost double its 3.9 million unit sales a year prior, and up from its 12.3% market share in the first quarter of 2018.
Fellow Asian competitor Huawei also increased sales from 1.3 million units in Q1 2018 and a 4.1% market share to 5 million unit sales this first quarter and a 10% market share.
Samsung, typically Apple’s biggest competitor around the world, increased its wearables sales from 1.7 million and a 5.3% market share to 4.3 million sales and an 8.7% market share, in part thanks to bundling Galaxy Buds with the new Samsung Galaxy S10 range.
Between Q1 2018 and Q1 2019, the Apple Watch selling price increased from $426 to $455 on average, says IDC, suggesting users are spending more on the latest 4G-enabled Apple Watch and stocking up on accessories like Apple Watch bands.
On top, some users may be moving toward bigger screens, where they had previously chosen a smaller, cheaper screen.
Apple revealed that its Wearables, Home and Accessories hit US$5.1 billion in Q1 2019, up from US$3.9 billion in the same period a year ago, but we’re left guessing as to how many Apple Watches, AirPods, and Beats products Apple sold during the first quarter.
Keep it AppleMagazine for the latest on Apple’s sales performance, as and when we get it.
