Apple continued to have a dominant hold on the wearables market in the fourth quarter of 2020, according to new shipment estimates shared today by IDC. Apple shipped 55.6 million wearable devices during the quarter for 36.2 percent market share.
That's the same market share Apple held in the fourth quarter of 2019, but overall device shipments were up from 43.7 million in Q4 2019. Apple's competitors don't even come close. Xiaomi shipped an estimated 13.5 million wearable devices for 8.8 percent market share, followed by Samsung at 13 million devices and Huawei at 10.2 million devices.
Apple Watch shipments rose an estimated 45.6 percent thanks to the different pricing intervals of the Apple Watch Series 6, SE, and Series 3, and "hearables" shipments of AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max surged during the quarter.
Across all of 2020, IDC believes Apple shipped 151.4 million wearable devices for 34.1 percent market share. Xiaomi was the number two wearable device manufacturer in 2020 with 50.7 million devices shipped, followed by Huawei and Samsung with 43.5 million and 40 million devices shipped, respectively.
Apple does not provide specific breakdowns of the number of Apple Watch and AirPods models shipped, so IDC's data is based on estimates. During a January earnings call, Apple said that wearables set a new revenue record in fiscal Q1 2021, which corresponds to the fourth calendar quarter of 2020. Apple's wearables business is the size of a Fortune 120 company.
Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie.
"Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by Juli Clover
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do.
The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up.
Upgraded Architecture
The next-generation...
Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld.
The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld.
Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by Joe Rossignol
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps.
The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future.
To set up the...
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...
You should work for Samsung. Then you can tell them all the things they are doing wrong and how to fix it. Instead of making comments about how they are doing it wrong, be a part of the solution. But I get it. It’s much easier to complain and call people names then it is to actually do something.
What a stupid idea.
That's like saying "if you don't like butterfly switch keys or touchbar in MacBooks, go work at Apple and change it yourself".
Keep in mind, Samsung heard rumors of the Apple Watch back in 2012 and created 5 smartwatches in a span of 2 years before Apple released their first one.
Then, Samsung took the circular screen from the Moto 360 and took the rotating input mechanism from the Apple Watch to make their new smartwatches. They can't come up with good ideas on their own. They never will.
This goes to show you Samsung has no clue what they're doing. Apply the same logic to folding phones, smart tags, wireless earbuds, etc...being first doesn't mean it's going to be good and today's market proves it.
Keep in mind, Samsung heard rumors of the Apple Watch back in 2012 and created 5 smartwatches in a span of 2 years before Apple released their first one.
Then, Samsung took the circular screen from the Moto 360 and took the rotating input mechanism from the Apple Watch to make their new smartwatches. They can't come up with good ideas on their own. They never will.
This goes to show you Samsung has no clue what they're doing. Apply the same logic to folding phones, smart tags, wireless earbuds, etc...being first doesn't mean it's going to be good and today's market proves it.
Even by Apple fanboys standards, this is fantasy! The "rotating input mechanism" err otherwise known as the crown has been the method used by watches for 500 years. The wrist wrapping mechanism was also not invented by Apple..or though the fantastical pricing of said item made in "special" silicon was.
The "rotating input mechanism" err otherise known as the crown has been the method used by watches for 500 years.
Yet, Samsung didn't use it in their first 5 attempts at a smartwatch until *after* Apple Watch used it.
Did I say Apple invented the crown? Nope. You completely failed to understand what I'm saying. Either that or you're intentionally mischaracterizing what I'm trying to say because you don't really have much facts to base your accusations on.
