New Analysis Places the Apple Watch Third in the Overall Wearable Band Market in Q2 2017
After rising to the top in the first part of 2017, new analysis from Canalys places the Apple Watch sales in third place in the second quarter of the year.
Canalys predicts sales of cellular-enabled smart watches to grow.
According to the new report, Xiaomi and Fitbit took first and second place with 3.5 million and 3.3 million shipments, respectively, of “wearable bands.”
Apple was in third with 2.7 million Apple Watch shipments. During the first quarter, Canalys estimated shipments of 3.8 million watches.
While Apple only sells smart watches, the numbers also include lower cost activity trackers from Xiaomi and Fitbit.
But the firm is predicting a boost later this year with Apple rumored to unveil a watch model with LTE capability.
“Apple is poised to capture the cellular smartwatch market by using its strong relationships with operators, which will become critical points of sale for cellular smartwatches and related services,” said Canalys Analyst Jason Low. “Apple is the industry leader in allowing consumers to experience the different Apple Watch styles and functionalities in-store. It is crucial for Apple Stores and Apple’s offline retail partners to adapt quickly to effectively showcase new cellular-enabled use cases as soon as products are available.”
Along with being able to operate without an iPhone nearby, the next-generation watch may also be sporting a new design. It could be introduced sometime next month along with the “iPhone 8.”
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