Apple continued to dominate the North American wearables market in the second quarter of 2020, with a growth of nine percent year-on-year, according to a new report by Canalys.
The shipments of wearables in the North American market grew 10 percent in the second quarter of 2020, but the value of the market remained flat year-on-year. A boom in low-end activity trackers meant that the average selling price of a wearable declined by 11 percent to $235. The surge in more basic devices offset the United States' third consecutive quarter of smartwatch decline.
In spite of this, the Apple Watch Series 5 was America's best-selling smartwatch, matching last year's Series 4 model for shipments. Demand for the Apple Watch Series 3 also grew by 30 percent.
Recent IDC research similarly showed Apple's ongoing dominance of the global wearables market. North America was one of only two regions to demonstrate sustained consumer demand for wearables with quarter-on-quarter growth.
Canalys predicts that going into 2021, medical-oriented devices will move certain products into an elevated tier, creating much stronger differentiation between casual fitness devices and those that offer advanced health tracking. The upcoming Apple Watch Series 6 will likely contribute to this by offering new health-tracking features such as blood oxygen monitoring.
Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below.
Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone.
In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker.
According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max.
One thing worth...
Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found.
Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports.
Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future.
"I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
You'd expect things to be starting to wind down for the holidays by now, but that doesn't seem to be the case yet in the world of Apple news, with Apple just about ready to release iOS 26.2 and other operating system updates to the public.
There was also a flurry of news this week about Apple executive departures, some expected and some not so expected, while we also learned that Apple and...
Monday December 1, 2025 3:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone next year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that 2026 could indeed be the year that Apple releases its first foldable device.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that ...
They have a very strong incentive not to do this. Apple Watch is a product that keeps you locked to the iPhone (most of Apple's revenue) and their services ecosystem.
Switching to Android becomes a lot harder when you have to give up your apps, iCloud storage, HomePod and $300+ Watch.
Or, they would open up the Watch to non-iPhone owners, which is a huge number of people, who would then get a [hopefully positive] taste of the Apple eco-system and potentially increase the chances of getting more people to switch to iPhone. It’s how Apple grew its Mac business, by getting people comfortable with Apple products like the iPod, iPhone and iPad, who then wanted a Mac for work / school / personal use.
I wonder how much it will grow if Apple allowed using the Apple Watch without an iPhone.
They keep taking steps in that direction. I don’t think it’s a matter of permission, it’s a matter of them getting it to where they feel it can stand on its own. Now its got LTE, Software Update, and the App Store. I’d say it’s pretty close.
Had NO idea that the Numbers are so low Across the Board !
Esp. for AAPL with their next update, #6, out soon !
They may have taken market share away from others, but it doesn't look like much of a market to pursue !
AAPL may simply be in the smartwatch market for the Hype benefit !
Given the Pandemic and financial instability in many sectors, the growth for Apple while modest, is still a good sign, in my opinion. The other aspect that may reflect slower than expected numbers is technology is not where many want to see it with the Apple Watch. As such, many are holding on to their watches longer.
