Apple Watch continues to dominate the smartwatch sector, with new data suggesting Apple was responsible for more than one in three smartwatch sales in the first quarter of 2019.
According to Counterpoint Research, Apple Watch held a 35.8 percent market share from January to March of 2019, therefore making up a third of all smartwatch sales in the period.
Samsung came out in second place with an 11.1 percent market share in the first quarter of 2019, and it’s interesting to note that the figure has increased 7.2 percent in the past year.
Speaking of the news, Counterpoint Research Analyst, Satyajit Sinha, said: “Apple Watch shipments grew a solid 49% YoY despite the weak demand for its iPhones. Apple continues to focus on the health-related features like ECG and fall detection in the Apple Watch Series 4. The ECG capability in the Apple Watch is the most desirable feature, according to our latest Consumer Lens survey.
“Apple has now received approval on its ECG features from healthcare authorities of Hong Kong and 19 other countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK.”
“The heart rate sensor for health monitoring, GPS and pedometer sensors for fitness, and NFC embedded for payment are some of the key integrated technologies. Related use-cases and in addition to notifications with cellular capability are driving the smartwatch adoption. However, limited battery life remains a pain point for consumer’s decision-making process, irrespective of region and price band,” Satyajit added in a statement.
The figures show that Apple has been able to increase its market share – albeit only marginally – in the past year, way ahead of smartwatch rivals Samsung and Fitbit.
But as the race heats up, and more consumers turn to smartwatches and fitness trackers, it will be interesting to see how Apple holds on to its dominant position.
Now in its fourth year, Apple Watch is one of Apple’s biggest success stories in the Tim Cook era, demonstrating that Apple can innovate in new technology sectors and push the industry to new levels.
Whilst Samsung does offer a range of highly successful watches, Apple Watch still comes out on top in customer satisfaction surveys and technology critics’ reviews.
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