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To be fair, there are few other players. Most people asked to name cellular enabled smartwatches will struggle to name more than just the Apple Watch.

The article's headline reminds me of lyrics from the Robot song by Flight of the Conchords "There is no more unethical treatment of the elephants. Well, there's no more elephants, so... Well, still it's good."
 



Apple Watch Series 3 models with LTE have dominated the cellular-enabled smartwatch market since they were released last September.

Specifically, the Apple Watch accounted for an estimated 59 percent of the worldwide cellular-enabled smartwatch market in the first quarter of 2018, according to data shared by research firm Canalys today.

apple-watch-series-3.jpg

Canalys senior analyst Jason Low says the cellular capabilities have been key to the success of the Apple Watch Series 3 lineup:Low added that Apple has taken advantage of a lack of high-end competition in the cellular-enabled smartwatch market:There are a handful of Wear OS smartwatches with LTE available, such as the LG Watch Sport, LG Watch Urbane, and Huawei Watch 2, but third-party app support and software updates are lackluster compared to the Apple Watch.

Canalys estimates that Apple Watch shipments totaled 3.8 million units in the quarter, including non-cellular models, making it the world's most popular wearable, even though several other competitors in the top five sell a wide range of comparatively inexpensive fitness trackers and activity bands.

canalys-apple-watch-q1-calendar-2018-800x450.jpg

Chinese company Xiaomi, for example, shipped an estimated 3.7 million wearables in the quarter, but Canalys notes that more than 90 percent of those shipments were Mi Bands, priced as low as $20 to $25 in the United States.

Apple Watch pricing starts at $249 for Series 1 models, while Series 3 models with LTE retail for $399 and up, in the United States.

Apple doesn't break out Apple Watch sales as it does with iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Instead, it groups the watch under its "Other Products" category, alongside the Apple TV, AirPods, Beats, iPod, HomePod, and accessories. Canalys and other research firms look for clues in Apple's earnings reports to estimate shipments.

Apple CEO Tim Cook did vaguely reveal that Apple Watch revenue reached a new record in the first quarter of 2018:Apple Watches have grown so popular that, in the final three months of 2017, worldwide shipments outpaced all Swiss watch brands combined for the first time, according to IDC senior research director Francisco Jeronimo.?

Article Link: Apple Watch Dominates Cellular-Enabled Smartwatch Market
 
To be fair, there are few other players. Most people asked to name cellular enabled smartwatches will struggle to name more than just the Apple Watch.

I question the whole article. I just did a search and found charts that showed varying "estimates" of marketshare from the top makers. Notably absent from this whole article is Samsung, who usually shows up in the named share OEMs. Samsung made the first cellular smartwatch mass produced. They currently have an LTE watch... I have the Gear S3 and its great. Doesn't have the same overall marketshare as Apple, but leaving it out of this report is just a bit odd when the focus was on LTE wearables.

Most AW posters in this thread are saying they don't see value in LTE on their AW. With my Gear S3, I love it for workouts so I can leave my phone in the car; or for runs. I can stream Spotify, and get emergency texts or phone calls.
 
The article doesn't give any data on what percentage of Apple Watch 3's are actually activated with Cellular. There is little value to the $15/month extra cost (including fees and taxes), so I don't know anyone who actually uses the Cellular feature. I only purchased it because it is the only option available for the stainless steel version. The cellular providers need to reduce the monthly cost to $5 or less to make this truly mass market.
 
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Non-Existent Market you say? :)

It is Billions and Billions of Dollars. Maybe $30 Billiion market by 2020 they say. It's HUGE.

So I disagree with what you say here.
The cellular capable smartwatch market is "Billions and Billions"? Show me these "Billions and Billions" of sales.
 
The Apple Watch is the gold standard of smartwatches. That it's the most popular LTE smartwatch isn't a surprise. Apple did a surprisingly good job designing it. The only thing that has to go is that red circle on the digital crown. It would be a nice touch if they engraved an Apple logo on the crown instead like top watch manufacturers do.
 
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The Apple Watch is the gold standard of smartwatches.

The AW has some pros, but also has some cons. I'd hardly call it the "gold standard". After using one for 2 years daily, I much prefer the Gear S3. So it all depends on your own needs what you consider the best.
 
To be fair, there are few other players. Most people asked to name cellular enabled smartwatches will struggle to name more than just the Apple Watch.

My thoughts exactly. I had to look at the pie chart to see who else actually made cellular enabled smartwatches.
 
The article doesn't give any data on what percentage of Apple Watch 3's are actually activated with Cellular. There is little value to the $15/month extra cost (including fees and taxes), so I don't know anyone who actually uses the Cellular feature. I only purchased it because it is the only option available for the stainless steel version. The cellular providers need to reduce the monthly cost to $5 or less to make this truly mass market.


That is true I think.

I have the cellular ceramic Apple Watch, and I have not activated cellular because my lame cell provider still does not do Apple Watch cellular plans as far as I know (I am in Canada).

As for the $15.00 per month - that is a nothing fee that I would not care about actually. Pinching pennies makes no sense when you are rich - your time on the planet is worth a lot more. I mean $15.00 - it's like debating whether to pay a "Netflix" monthly fee - not a big concern.
 
The AW has some pros, but also has some cons. I'd hardly call it the "gold standard". After using one for 2 years daily, I much prefer the Gear S3. So it all depends on your own needs what you consider the best.


Do you use the Gear S3 with an Android phone or iPhone? I've been researching fitness-oriented smartwatches and many of them--Apple Watch included--leave a lot to be desired. The Apple Watch loses out in GPS in comparison to dedicated fitness watches (such as Garmin and Polar).
 
Is there any data to show how many owners actually subscribe to the LTE feature? I bought the LTE model for other reasons myself. I'm not paying an additional $10 for data access.
 
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The cellular capable smartwatch market is "Billions and Billions"? Show me these "Billions and Billions" of sales.

You can probably find this yourself no?

I cannot vouch for these links - I just googled them. You can do the same right?

Pardon me if the links below end up being "fake news" - but I think it is obvious that millions of smart watches have been sold and that it is a big big market. What point to argue such a thing?

https://www.statista.com/statistics/538237/global-smartwatch-unit-sales/

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.co...9-billion-by-2020-allied-market-research.html
 
Is anybody here using an Apple Watch regularly as a standalone device? Like, going out regularly with just an Apple Watch and no phone. I'm curious to see if this is doable yet.

I know of a few friends raving about the AW3 LTE that's a stand alone device. Expectedly, the battery charge is a lot shorter than a non-LTE model since it is constantly searching for a tower to connect. They love it because of the purpose they bought it for, mostly outdoor activities like running and swimming, where you wouldn't want to have your phone bouncing around in your pocket when running or attached to an arm band. I don't know about an all day use just the watch itself as a substitute to your phone though.

Also a side note, people need to have realistic expectations. The watch is not a miracle tech device where it will run for years without a charge and running hundreds of apps at the same time without lagging...come one now!:rolleyes:
 
Is anybody here using an Apple Watch regularly as a standalone device? Like, going out regularly with just an Apple Watch and no phone. I'm curious to see if this is doable yet.

For how long a period? I regularly leave my phone behind when going for walks now. AirPods in and go. But a full day using only my Watch? That sounds doable dependent on what tasks you wish to achieve. Mostly calls, texts, and music; fine. Email or heavier workflows not so much. Sometimes you just need more screen, but for those tasks I would have my desktop at work. I guess the question would be how much of your day depends on using your phone to complete tasks?
 
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Doesn’t 59% of the smart watch with LTE market seem a little small though? That’s a niche within a niche with very few other players.
 
The red dot could be there for a reason.
It's just so people can show off that they have the red dot cellular model that is more expensive. They could easily put cellular on the rear casing like they do for all of the other information. I think it's dumb and clashes with many of the bands.
 
The AW has some pros, but also has some cons. I'd hardly call it the "gold standard". After using one for 2 years daily, I much prefer the Gear S3. So it all depends on your own needs what you consider the best.

By gold standard I didn't mean the choice for everyone, but the one people first think of when talking about smartwatches and the one that each one is measured against. Some are better fitness devices, but the Apple Watch is the only one that has the perfect blend of design and features. All of the others are ugly including the overpriced Tag Heuer Connected modular. Going with a rectangular case was the right choice.
 
The cellular capable smartwatch market is "Billions and Billions"? Show me these "Billions and Billions" of sales.

I'm guessing he's looking at the overall wearables market, not the much more narrow cellular wearables market.
 
You can probably find this yourself no?

I cannot vouch for these links - I just googled them. You can do the same right?

Pardon me if the links below end up being "fake news" - but I think it is obvious that millions of smart watches have been sold and that it is a big big market. What point to argue such a thing?

https://www.statista.com/statistics/538237/global-smartwatch-unit-sales/

https://www.alliedmarketresearch.co...9-billion-by-2020-allied-market-research.html
That's not the discussion. The discussion is "cellular" enabled smartwatches being a "Billions and Billions" industry.
 
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