Apple Watch Sets New Record With Estimated 11.8 Million Shipments Last Quarter

Apple Watch shipments totaled an impressive 11.8 million units in the third quarter of 2020, up nearly 75% from 6.8 million units shipped in the third quarter of 2019, according to figures shared today by research firm IDC.

apple watch series 6 blood oxygen monitoring 1
11.8 million units appears to be a new quarterly record for the Apple Watch, as Statista shows that shipments of the device have never exceeded 9.2 million in any prior quarter, based on data from research firm Strategy Analytics. The third quarter of 2020 encompassed the launch of the high-end Apple Watch Series 6 and mid-range Apple Watch SE, and the Apple Watch Series 3 remains available, providing customers with several price points.

As usual, the big caveat here is that Apple does not disclose Apple Watch unit sales in its earnings reports, so any figures from research firms are estimates. That said, Apple's wearables category brought in a record $7.9 billion in revenue last quarter, and given that this segment includes products like the Apple Watch and AirPods, there is evidence to suggest that the Apple Watch has been selling quite well as of late.

IDC estimates that the Apple Watch held 21.6% market share among wrist-worn wearables shipped worldwide last quarter, trailing in second behind Xiaomi's estimated 24.5% market share, but this includes everything from high-end smartwatches to basic fitness trackers like Xiaomi's Mi Band, which is priced under $50.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Tag: IDC
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)

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Top Rated Comments

eric89074 Avatar
60 months ago
There is no smart watch market. Only an apple watch market.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Radeon85 Avatar
60 months ago
Absolutely love my Series 6 ?
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
djcerla Avatar
60 months ago
Revisiting the MR comment section on Watch (and iPod) introduction days is always highly entertaining.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
haruhiko Avatar
60 months ago

There is no smart watch market. Only an apple watch market.
Very much like the iPad market.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mlody Avatar
60 months ago
I am happily using my S4 SS, while the wife is using SS S6 and my older daughter is still using my old SS S2. We are very happy with Apple Watch and suckers for stainless steel - once you go stainless steel, you cant go back :) We tend to skip few generations to offset the costs of SS - works just fine for us.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wesley96 Avatar
60 months ago
I’ve been using Apple Watch since the first generation (“Series 0”) and while that was slow and not quite “there” I saw a lot of potential. It got a lot better next year, and by Series 3 and 4 it got pretty solid. Apple Watches are now the gold standard in wearables and the market reflects this.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)