Apple continues to perform well in wearables as data indicates the company is “the clear leader” in smartwatches, with Apple Watch making up 50% of all sales in 2018.
According to Strategy Analytics, Apple sold more than 9.2 million Apple Watch units in the fourth quarter of 2018, up more than a million on the same period in 2017.
The company shipped 22.5 million Apple Watches in 2018, up from 17.7 million in 2017.
Overall, more than 45 million smartwatches were sold in 2018, meaning Apple was responsible for around half of all smartwatch sales.
Those numbers mean that Apple is at the top of the smartwatch sector, with Fitbit and Samsung lagging behind with 5.5 million and 5.3 million sales respectively.
However, whilst Apple has a 50% market share, it’s down from 60.4%, with Samsung and Fitbit increasing their dominance in the market.
Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, said: “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 market share slipped to 51 percent this quarter, down from 67 percent a year ago.
“Apple Watch is losing market share to Samsung and Fitbit, whose rival smartwatch portfolios and retail presence have improved significantly in the past year.”
Although Apple does not reveal unit sales of its devices for “competitive reasons”, data from firms such as Strategy Analytics offers an insight into the company’s sales.
Apple may be in the lead with Apple Watch right now, but with Samsung and Fitbit catching up, Apple must work hard if it wants to keep the top position in the years to come. The Cupertino firm is expected to unveil a next-generation Apple Watch 5 in September, and an Apple Watch with in-built sleep tracking is expected in 2020.