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Apple Named World's Largest Wearables Vendor With an Estimated 3.5M Apple Watch Shipments in Q1 2017

Thursday May 4, 2017 3:58 pm PDT by Juli Clover
Apple became the world's largest wearables vendor in the first quarter of 2017 with an estimated 3.5 million Apple Watch shipments, according to new research data shared this afternoon by Strategy Analytics.

Apple Watch shipments overtook Fitbit shipments during Q1 2017, allowing Apple to capture 15.9 percent global marketshare to become the top wearables vendor. Fitbit shipped an estimated 2.9 million wearable devices during the quarter, while Apple's closest competitor, Xiaomi, shipped an estimated 3.4 million wearable devices.

Apple's estimated 3.5 million shipments are up from an estimated 2.2 million Apple Watch shipments in the year-ago quarter. As Apple Watch shipments have grown, Fitbit shipments have dropped sharply from an estimated 4.5 million units in Q1 2016.


Xiaomi is still close to Apple at 15.5 percent global marketshare, but has seen its shipment numbers slip while Apple's have grown.
In the year-ago quarter, Xiaomi's marketshare was at 20.9 percent, while Apple's was at 12.1 percent. Fitbit, meanwhile, has dropped from 24.7 percent in Q1 2016 to 13.2 percent in Q1 2017.
Cliff Raskind, Director at Strategy Analytics, said, "Fitbit shipped 2.9 million wearables worldwide in Q1 2017, falling a huge 36 percent annually from 4.5 million in Q1 2016. Fitbit has lost its wearables leadership to Apple, due to slowing demand for its fitnessbands and a late entry to the emerging smartwatch market. Fitbit's shipments, revenue, pricing and profit are all shrinking at the moment and the company has a major fight on its hands to recover this year."
Apple does not share official Apple Watch sales numbers, instead lumping the device into its "Other Products" category that also includes the Apple TV, Beats products, iPod, and Apple-branded and third-party accessories, so Apple Watch sales numbers shared by various analytics firms are all estimates.

Revenue from "Other Products" was $2.87 billion during the second quarter of 2017 according to Apple's recently released earnings report, up from $2.19 in the year-ago quarter. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook, Apple Watch sales have nearly doubled year-over-year.

"Combine Apple Watch, AirPods, and Beats and our revenue from wearable products in the last four quarters was the size of a Fortune 500 company," said Cook.

Update: According to Fitbit, which does publish its sales numbers, 3 million Fitbits were sold during 1Q 2017, not 2.9 million.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 5, watchOS 6
Tag: Strategy Analytics
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
[ 141 comments ]


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profets
30 months ago

I own an apple watch Gen 1 but cannot understand how Apple has now achieved the biggest market share. There are no compelling features in the watch that would make me rush and buy Gen 3 when it is eventually released.


There are no compelling features in a watch that has yet to be announced?
Rating: 21 Votes
Avatar
Relentless Power
30 months ago

I own an apple watch Gen 1 but cannot understand how Apple has now achieved the biggest market share. There are no compelling features in the watch that would make me rush and buy Gen 3 when it is eventually released.


What other competitors have "Compelling features" over the Apple Watch? They all really do the same thing, but the Apple Watch executes notifications and is an excellent general fitness tracker.
Rating: 14 Votes
Avatar
Michael Scrip
30 months ago

I own an apple watch Gen 1 but cannot understand how Apple has now achieved the biggest market share. There are no compelling features in the watch that would make me rush and buy Gen 3 when it is eventually released.


There are still a lot of people who have NO Apple Watch at all.

That's who will buy the Gen3 Apple Watch. :)
Rating: 12 Votes
Avatar
djcerla
30 months ago
Still nothing compared to the behemoth the Watch will become in some years.

Apple is in all-in mode, no competitor has the slightest chance to match the kind of applied medical research that will transform a nice gadget into a must have, life saving revolution in health care.
Rating: 10 Votes
Avatar
deany
30 months ago

They can paper this with a many numbers as they want but 3 million units in a world of billions is a product failure. Go to an apple store and look at the watch table. its easy to find. Just follow the sound of the crickets.


It is billions, I make it approx 14M units a year or at $300 per unit- $4.2B in sales.

Assuming Swatch are the largest watch maker in the world at $8B approx turnover, Apple are half way to taking over Swatch at the worlds biggest watch company......in less than 2 years!

Swatch established 1983.
Apple watch 2015.

Apple watch is doing very well.
Rating: 10 Votes
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wilef
30 months ago
You can't say "Xiaomi is closing in on Apple" when they have actually dropped from an 8% lead to a deficit.
Rating: 10 Votes
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tylerthomas28
30 months ago
Great to hear! I was once a skeptic of the Apple Watch but a few months ago decided to give it a chance. I have used it everyday since I purchased and the fitness tracking has helped motivate me to exercise more. You never know how some devices will impact your life unless you use them first hand.
Rating: 8 Votes
Avatar
lkrupp
30 months ago

Smartwatches without LTE connectivity are useless for situations where I can't or don't want to bring my phone.


Then how come watches with LTE connectivity aren’t selling at all? You know, like the LG Urbane and the Samsung S3 that don’t even register on this report.
Rating: 8 Votes
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diegov12
30 months ago

They can paper this with a many numbers as they want but 3 million units in a world of billions is a product failure. Go to an apple store and look at the watch table. its easy to find. Just follow the sound of the crickets.

Ah, the typical macrumors commenter.
Time for some history lessons, wouldn't you agree?

At the start of 2009, apple sold around 4.3 million iPhones, and it was in its second year.
https://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/01/21Apple-Reports-First-Quarter-Results.html

I guess that also was a product failure…
Rating: 7 Votes
Avatar
citysnaps
30 months ago
Not surprised. Apple Watch is pretty much indispensable for me. On my wrist 12 hours a day for almost two years.
Rating: 7 Votes

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