IDC estimates Q2 2015 Apple Watch sales of 3.6 million
Most estimates for Apple Watch sales guess that, for Q2 2015, some 3 million units of the first-generation wearable were sold. The International Data Corporation (IDC), however, is out with a new report suggesting that in fact, the figure should be closer to 3.6 million.
The news comes from StreetInsider, and reached us via 9to5mac. You see, these kinds of estimates are particularly important. Because Cupertino won’t offer official sales figures for the Apple Watch, analysis such as IDC’s estimates are the closest we’re going to get to learning the number of Apple Watch units sold so far. Indeed, 3.6 million is a positive estimate; IDC adds that Apple represented 20 percent of all wearable sales made in the quarter, and that it’s catching up to Fitbit (the market leader) fast. For Q2 2015, Fitbit only shipped 0.8 million more units than Apple, making the gap between the two companies surprisingly narrow.
Of course, Apple has helped the wearables market grow, too; total shipments for the quarter came to 18.1 million units, and this was up a whopping 223.2 percent compared with the previous year. "Anytime Apple enters a new market, not only does it draw attention to itself, but to the market as a whole," Ramon Llamas, Research Manager for IDC’s Wearables team, explained.
Though impressive, when one considers Apple’s performance in the smart wearables category, the results are even more surprising. Smart wearables are defined as wearables capable of running third-party software (i.e. applications), and for Q2 2015, Apple represented two-thirds of smart wearable sales.
Jitesh Ubrani, Senior Research Aanalyst for IDC Mobile Device Trackers, said:
Apple has clearly garnered an impressive lead in this space and its dominance is expected to continue. And, although Fitbit outshipped Apple, it’s worth noting that Fitbit only sells basic wearables – a category that is expected to lose share over the next few years, leaving Apple poised to become the next market leader for all wearables.
Indeed, with watchOS 2 coming in September, and an anticipated second-generation Apple Watch expected to reach consumers in spring 2016, it seems Cupertino is set to take the crown when it comes to wearable market share.
Image credit: IDC.
We’ll keep you posted with further information as we receive it.