The latest data from market research firm IDC estimates Apple Watch sales totaled 3.6 million worldwide in the second quarter of 2015, making it the second most popular wearable device during the three-month period ending June 30. Apple was within striking distance of market leader Fitbit, which sold an estimated 4.4 million fitness trackers in the second quarter.
IDC estimates that Chinese electronics maker Xiaomi trailed in third place with 3.1 million wearables shipped in the quarter, representing 17.1% market share. Garmin and Samsung rounded off the top five with 700,000 (3.9%) and 600,000 (3.3%) wearables shipped respectively, while all other vendors accounted for a combined 5.7 million shipments and 31.5% market share.
Last month, Strategy Analytics estimated 4 million Apple Watch sales in the second quarter, so IDC's estimate is within close range. Apple has not disclosed Apple Watch sales numbers since it launched in April, instead grouping the wrist-worn device with iPod, Apple TV and Beats Electronics accessories under an "Other Products" category in quarterly earnings reports.
Apple CEO Tim Cook vaguely mentioned that Apple Watch sales have "exceeded expectations" during an earnings call last month.
Wednesday February 5, 2025 7:15 am PST by Joe Rossignol
iOS 18.3 was released last month, so the first iOS 18.4 beta should be coming soon. iOS 18.4 is expected to be a more substantial update for the iPhone, with several new features and changes related to Apple Intelligence and beyond.
Apple's website suggests that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, following beta testing. Below, we outline what to expect from the update so far.
Apple...
Thursday February 6, 2025 11:21 am PST by Joe Rossignol
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost.
iCloud+ is the official name for Apple's paid iCloud storage plans, which range from 50GB for $0.99 per month to 12TB for $59.99 per month in the United States. iCloud+ plans already come with multiple perks for free, such as Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video, and now there is another one...
Thursday February 6, 2025 3:30 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple's next-generation iPhone SE could debut as soon as next week with a launch to follow later in February, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple isn't expected to hold an event for the iPhone SE 4, and will instead unveil the device through a press release.
The iPhone SE 4 is expected to have an iPhone 14-style design, with Apple eliminating the thick bezels and Touch ID Home button of...
Thursday February 6, 2025 7:31 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is internally testing iOS 18.3.1 for iPhones, according to our website's analytics logs, which have been a consistently reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released within the next few weeks.
iOS 18.3.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Apple Intelligence notification summaries for news and...
Wednesday February 5, 2025 10:17 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple hasn't refreshed the Apple TV since 2022, but rumors suggest that we're finally going to get an update in 2025. We don't have a full picture of what to expect yet, but we have some hints on what's coming.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Updated A-Series Chip
The current Apple TV 4K uses the A15 Bionic chip that was in the iPhone 13 lineup, and it's time for...
Friday February 7, 2025 2:37 am PST by Tim Hardwick
The British government has secretly demanded that Apple give it blanket access to all encrypted user content uploaded to the cloud, reports The Washington Post.
The undisclosed order is said to have been issued last month, and requires that Apple creates a back door that allows UK security officials unencumbered access to encrypted user data worldwide – an unprecedented demand not before...
Friday February 7, 2025 9:21 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, we reported that Apple sued its former software engineer Andrew Aude for providing journalists with confidential information about the company's future plans, including details about the Journal app, Vision Pro headset, and more.
As reported by 9to5Mac, the Superior Court of Santa Clara County on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit after Apple and Aude reached an agreement to resolve...
Wednesday February 5, 2025 6:27 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
Below, we outline which U.S. states and territories offer the feature, and additional states that have committed to rolling it out in...
Shouldn't this yield about 80 posts along the lines of Fitbit being "a piece of junk" and all variants of that one? Maybe about 25 posts revolving around some Apple Watch-only feature(s) being spun as if it is massively important? 10-20 posts should spin fault-finding with the analysis itself. And 5-10 posts should spin "...but which wearable is the most profitable?" and similar. ;)
No, but it will have 200 posts bashing Apple for one reason or another.
Shouldn't this yield about 80 posts along the lines of Fitbit being "a piece of junk" and all variants of that one? Maybe about 25 posts revolving around some Apple Watch-only feature(s) being spun as if it is massively important? 10-20 posts should spin fault-finding with the analysis itself. And 5-10 posts should spin "...but which wearable is the most profitable?" and similar. ;)
Why would anyone on this forum find fault with Fitbit? They're fine fitness tracking wearables at an affordable price. People here don't automatically hate things that aren't made by Apple.
If the Apple Watch had a GPS I would have bought one over a fitbit. I was sold on the Apple Watch until I read that I'd still need to lug my phone around if I wanted to track my runs with a GPS.
It would be amazing to have a watch that monitored my heart rate, held about 50 songs for a running playlist, and had GPS tracking. Hopefully Apple adds a GPS with the Apple Watch 2.
And IDC is getting these numbers from where exactly? Let's not forget several years ago IDC predicted Windows Phone would overtake iOS in smartphone market share by 2015/2016. Does anyone ever audit IDC's estimates to see how accurate they were?
Shouldn't this yield about 80 posts along the lines of Fitbit being "a piece of junk" and all variants of that one? Maybe about 25 posts revolving around some Apple Watch-only feature(s) being spun as if it is massively important? 10-20 posts should spin fault-finding with the analysis itself. And 5-10 posts should spin "...but which wearable is the most profitable?" and similar. ;)