Apple Likely to Expand Apple Watch Supply Chain Following Third Quarter Sales Growth

Apple is likely to expand its supply chain for Apple Watch, following significant unit growth for the wearable over the third fiscal consecutive quarter this year (via DigiTimes).

apple watch series 3 trio

Apple Watch's overall shipments are expected to reach at least 25 million units in 2018 and most of the sales will be contributed by first-time buyers instead of replacement demand from users of previous-generation models, the sources estimated.

During last week's earnings call, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple Watch had seen unit growth of over 50 percent for the third consecutive quarter and "continues to be the best selling and most loved smartwatch in the world".

The fiscal quarter ended September 30, so it's not clear how many Apple Watch Series 3 units were included in the recorded growth and Apple doesn't provide a breakdown of numbers. The Apple Watch Series 3 was released on September 22. Cook also revealed that Apple's entire wearables business was up 75 percent year over year in the fourth quarter, and in fiscal 2017, already generated the annual revenue of a Fortune 400 company.

Apple's upstream suppliers include Quanta Computer, Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), Career Technology, Kinsus Interconnect Technology and E&R Engineering, all of which are expected to see increasing orders for the Apple Watch, according to sources.

Foxconn affiliate ShunSin Technology has also recently landed orders for providing SiP (system in package) packaging services to Apple Watch and are said to begin the supply in March 2018. The fact that ShunSin is entering the supply chain means Foxconn may also have interest in obtaining Apple Watch assembly orders, according to market watchers.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Releases iOS 18.4 With Priority Notifications, Ambient Music, New Emoji and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4, the fourth major updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating system updates that came out last year. iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 come two months after Apple released iOS 18.3 and iPadOS 18.3. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to...
iOS 19 Mock WWDC25 Feature

iOS 19 Expected to Run on These iPhones

Monday March 31, 2025 5:28 pm PDT by
iOS 19 will not be available on the iPhone XR, iPhone XS, or the iPhone XS Max, according a private account on social media site X that has accurately provided information on device compatibility in the past. The iPhone XR, iPhone XS, and iPhone XS Max all have an A12 Bionic chip, so it looks like iOS 19 will discontinue support for that chip. All other iPhones that run iOS 18 are expected...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4

Monday March 31, 2025 11:27 am PDT by
Apple today released new firmware updates for all AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2 models. The new firmware is version 7E93, up from the 7B21 firmware that was installed on the AirPods Pro 2 and the 7B20 firmware available on the AirPods 4 and AirPods 4 with ANC. It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in the new firmware, but we'll update this article should we find ...
top stories 2025 03 29

Top Stories: WWDC 2025 Announced, iPhone 17 Pro and iOS 19 Rumors, and More

Saturday March 29, 2025 6:00 am PDT by
Apple's big developer event is a little over two months away, and rumors about what we can expect to see in Apple's next major operating system updates are becoming increasingly frequent. A public release of iOS 18.4 is also imminent with a number of updates and improvements, although we won't be getting the major Apple Intelligence Siri upgrades that had reportedly been planned for this...
iOS 19 visionOS UI Elements

Apple Codename Provides Clue About iOS 19's Rumored New Design

Sunday March 30, 2025 6:40 am PDT by
Multiple sources have claimed that iOS 19 will introduce a new design with more translucent buttons, menus, notification banners, and more, and there is now another clue that points towards this glass-like appearance. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today said the new design project is codenamed "Solarium" internally. A solarium is a room with glass walls that allow in plenty of sunlight, so this...
macOS Sequoia Feature

Apple Releases macOS Sequoia 15.4 With Mail Categorization and More

Monday March 31, 2025 10:04 am PDT by
Apple today released macOS Sequoia 15.4, the fourth major update to the macOS Sequoia operating system that launched in September. macOS Sequoia 15.4 comes two months after the launch of macOS Sequoia 15.3. Mac users can download the ‌‌macOS Sequoia‌‌ update through the Software Update section of System Settings. It is available for free on all Macs able to run macOS 15. With...
Magic Mouse Green

What to Expect From the Magic Mouse 3

Saturday March 29, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple is reportedly working on a new Magic Mouse. Below, we recap what to expect. The two key rumors for the Magic Mouse 3 so far include a relocated charging port, along with a more ergonomic design. It was briefly rumored that the Magic Mouse 3 would also feature voice control, but that was misinterpreted information. Relocated Charging Port While the Magic Mouse switched from...

Top Rated Comments

Keane16 Avatar
97 months ago
Huge fan of my Apple Watch S0. Workout tracking (weights and cardio), directions (walking and cycling), Apple Pay, Notifications, addictive Activity rings, Complications (especially useful for a busy work schedule, can quickly easily see when my next meeting is), Camera Remote etc. etc. Not surprised these things are selling well with great customer satisfaction.

Wish mine was faster, but it's not slow enough that I'll pay for a new one just yet. Looking forward to see how the product evolves, especially as others have mentioned in terms of medical monitoring.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
RedGala Avatar
97 months ago
Makes sense. With cellular and gps its finally a somewhat worthy product. But personally I have played with one and just cant stand trying to navigate on that tiny screen. The phone is all I need.
Over the past few years, it became clear that the watch is nowhere nearly as useful in native apps than with notifications, quick iMessage responses, and useful modular watch faces. Don’t judge the watch by app navigation, because most people don’t even use those controls on a day to day basis.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iLoveDeveloping Avatar
97 months ago
Got the Apple Watch 0, and returned it after 10 days, couldn't stand how slow and to be honest pointless it was. Apps didn't work, HR was every 10 mins WHEN YOUR NOT MOVING (what the hell is that about? So stupid!) But you know what, the Apple Watch 3 is starting to turn me, its fast has GPS and emergency sos is an amazing feature if needed. Actually think I'll get one for Christmas this year. The more medical capabilities Apple put into this device the more people will want it, if they added a new hardwear feature I would seriously buy a new one every year, version0 was a joke, but they are getting there now with every release, it's really turning into something that could actually change lives and hep people live years longer! I would get a cheaper one like version2 but I actually think seen as I'm not going to buy one every year the version3 is my best best for futurproofing the next 2-3 years without loosing to much functionality.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TxExCxH Avatar
97 months ago
I love the Apple Watch series 3 for the fitness tracking. I've had it for over a month and lost 11lbs. It's given me the motivation to run everyday.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
97 months ago
It starting to feel like that. Took a few generations of iPods to see the explosion of market share.
Making it Android compatible is likely the next move.

You dont go iPhone just for using the AW, but once you enjoy the AW on Android there may be an halo effect at play similar to what the iPod did for the Mac.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Applebot1 Avatar
97 months ago
iPod trajectory.
It starting to feel like that. Took a few generations of iPods to see the explosion of market share.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)