Apple Shipped an Estimated 4.2 Million Apple Watches in 3Q2018, With Series 3 Making Up the Bulk of Sales

Apple shipped an estimated 4.2 million Apple Watches during the third quarter of 2018, according to new wearable device shipment data shared today by IDC.

Apple Watch shipments were up 54 percent year over year, with Apple having shipped an estimated 2.7 million devices in the third quarter of 2017. Apple's jump in shipments wasn't enough to make it the top wearable vendor, however, with that title going to Xiaomi.

idcwearablestotal
Xiaomi shipped an estimated 6.9 million wearable devices during the quarter, giving the company 21.5 percent market share, while Apple came in at 13.1 percent market share. Fitbit trailed Apple in the number 3 slot with an estimated 3.5 million wearable devices shipped.

Wearable devices as measured by IDC include basic wearable devices such as simple fitness trackers along with smart watches like the Apple Watch. Overall, the wearables market reached 32 million units in 3Q18, up 21.7 percent from 3Q17. Growth was up in Asia/Pacific, but declined 0.4 percent in the U.S.

idcwearablesmarketshare
When it comes to Apple Watch shipments, IDC's numbers are estimates because Apple does not provide details on the number of Apple Watch models that it sells. Apple Watch revenue is included in Apple's "Other" category that also encompasses products like AirPods, Apple TV, HomePod, and more.

According to IDC, the Series 4 Apple Watch, which Apple released in September near the end of the quarter, accounted for less than 20 percent of all Apple Watch shipments, with customers instead going for the more affordable Apple Watch Series 3.

Apple managed to launch its Series 4 Watch, its first watch approved for medical use, towards the end of the quarter. The new design and sizes along with the latest version of Watch OS were welcome changes though the latest series only accounted for less than 20% of all Apple Watch shipments. The reduced price on the still affable [sic] Series 3 accounted for the majority of Apple's shipments during the quarter.

While Apple does not share information on Apple Watch sales, during the most recent earnings call for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2018 (which corresponds to the third calendar quarter), Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company's wearables category set a September quarter revenue record with growth over 50 percent.

Tag: IDC

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
tvOS 26 Profiles

tvOS 26.2 Adds a Useful New Feature to Your Apple TV

Friday November 14, 2025 10:02 am PST by
Starting with the upcoming tvOS 26.2 update, currently in beta, additional profiles created on the Apple TV no longer require their own Apple Account. In the Settings app on the Apple TV, under Profiles and Accounts, anyone can create a new profile by simply entering a name and indicating whether the profile is for a kid. The profile will be associated with the primary user's Apple Account,...
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
iPhone Pocket Short

iPhone Pocket Now Available to Order, But Already Selling Out

Friday November 14, 2025 6:20 am PST by
Apple recently teamed up with Japanese fashion brand ISSEY MIYAKE to create the iPhone Pocket, a limited-edition knitted accessory designed to carry an iPhone. iPhone Pocket is available to order on Apple's online store starting today, in the United States, France, China, Italy, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, and the United Kingdom. However, it is already completely sold out in the United...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.2 Beta 2

Wednesday November 12, 2025 3:29 pm PST by
Apple today provided developers with the second beta of iOS 26.2, which adds a few new features worth knowing about. Measure App Apple's Measure app now features a Liquid Glass design for the level, with two Liquid Glass bubbles instead of white circles. Games App There's now an option to sort games in the Games app Library by size, in addition to Name and Recent. CarPlay The...
iPhone 16e Feature

iPhone 16e Has Apparently 'Failed' Just Like iPhone Air

Thursday November 13, 2025 4:46 am PST by
Apple's entry-level iPhone 16e model is selling poorly, just like the iPhone Air, according to an Asia-based leaker. The Weibo user known as "Fixed Focus Digital" said that the iPhone 16e is not selling well and the attempt at delivering a popular, low-cost iPhone has "failed." That being said, both models are expected to see successors. The iPhone 17e is expected to debut in the spring of...

Top Rated Comments

SCMedic Avatar
91 months ago
Do you think it's possible that the S3 outsold the S4 because the S4 was only available for 2 weeks of Q3?Hmmmmm...

Stupid comparison.

('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/12/03/apple-watch-shipments-idc-3q2018/')


Apple shipped an estimated 4.2 million Apple Watches during the third quarter of 2018, according to new wearable device shipment data shared today by IDC ('https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS44500418').

Apple Watch shipments were up 54 percent year over year, with Apple having shipped an estimated 2.7 million devices in the third quarter of 2017. Apple's jump in shipments wasn't enough to make it the top wearable vendor, however, with that title going to Xiaomi.



Xiaomi shipped an estimated 6.9 million wearable devices during the quarter, giving the company 21.5 percent market share, while Apple came in at 13.1 percent market share. Fitbit trailed Apple in the number 3 slot with an estimated 3.5 million wearable devices shipped.

Wearable devices as measured by IDC include basic wearable devices such as simple fitness trackers along with smart watches like the Apple Watch. Overall, the wearables market reached 32 million units in 3Q18, up 21.7 percent from 3Q17. Growth was up in Asia/Pacific, but declined 0.4 percent in the U.S.



When it comes to Apple Watch shipments, IDC's numbers are estimates because Apple does not provide details on the number of Apple Watch models that it sells. Apple Watch revenue is included in Apple's "Other" category that also encompasses other products like AirPods, Apple TV, HomePod, and more.

According to IDC, the Series 4 Apple Watch, which Apple released in October, accounted for less than 20 percent of all Apple Watch shipments, with customers instead going for the more affordable Apple Watch Series 3.While Apple does not share information on Apple Watch sales, during the most recent earnings call for the fourth fiscal quarter of 2018 (which corresponds to the third calendar quarter) Apple CEO Tim Cook said that the company's wearables category set a September quarter revenue record ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/11/01/apple-wearable-category-growth-4q2018/') with growth over 50 percent.

Article Link: Apple Shipped an Estimated 4.2 Million Apple Watches in 3Q2018, With Series 3 Making Up the Bulk of Sales ('https://www.macrumors.com/2018/12/03/apple-watch-shipments-idc-3q2018/')
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
brofkand Avatar
91 months ago
Remember, these numbers are made up.

Has anyone ever seen someone wearing a Xiaomi watch?
I'd imagine if you asked people in China you'd get a lot of "yes" responses to your question.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gfurry Avatar
91 months ago
I'd imagine if you asked people in China you'd get a lot of "yes" responses to your question.
This is for wearables and includes the $25 Xiaomi Mi Band. Hardly a fair comparison.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Baymowe335 Avatar
91 months ago
Remember, these numbers are made up.

Has anyone ever seen someone wearing a Xiaomi watch?
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69Mustang Avatar
91 months ago
I don't know anyone with an Apple watch, although I did talk to someone once who was wearing one.
On the other hand, I know a lot of people who have Apple watches and see them out and about often. I don’t know anyone with an Android based watch, but I did see someone wearing on in a store a few weeks ago.
Two great examples of the ineffectiveness of anecdotes being evidence of anything relevant. We see what we want to see when we want to see it.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tromboneaholic Avatar
91 months ago

According to IDC, the Series 4 Apple Watch, which Apple released in October, accounted for less than 20 percent of all Apple Watch shipments, with customers instead going for the more affordable Apple Watch Series 3.
Series 4 was only available for a couple of weeks during the quarter, yet it accounted for 20% of all Apple Watch Shipments if we believe IDC.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)