Apple Watch Estimated to Reach 100 Million Lifetime Shipments Soon Despite Weaker Demand Last Quarter

[MacRumors]

Apple Watch continued to lead the smartwatch industry with an estimated 5.2 million shipments worldwide in the first quarter of 2020, well ahead of Huawei, Samsung, Fitbit, and others, according to research firm Canalys.

Canalys said the Apple Watch did see slow performance in North America and Europe during the quarter, however, which it attributes to Apple customers "switching their attention to AirPods as a 'must-have' accessory." Apple's market share declined to an estimated 36.3 percent for the quarter, down from 46.7 percent in the year-ago quarter.

Huawei trailed in second place with an estimated 2.1 million shipments and 14.9 percent market share for the quarter, followed by Samsung with an estimated 1.8 million shipments and 12.4 percent market share.

Canalys expects lifetime Apple Watch shipments to reach 100 million units within the next few months, five years after the device launched.

Apple does not provide a breakdown of Apple Watch sales in its earnings reports, so take these estimated figures with a proverbial grain of salt. Apple's "Wearables, Home and Accessories" category did set a new all-time revenue record of $6.3 billion last quarter, including sales of the Apple Watch, AirPods, Beats products, Apple TV, HomePod, iPod touch, and both Apple-branded and third-party accessories.

Article Link: Apple Watch Estimated to Reach 100 Million Lifetime Shipments Soon Despite Weaker Demand Last Quarter

 

[Justin Cymbal]

Apple definitely did a great job with the Apple Watch! It’s definitely the best smart watch out there and as far as fitness goes, it’s definitely the best for keeping people healthy!

I have the fifth generation Apple Watch and it works great! I use it every day when I go for walks around my neighborhood with my dog

 

[Sakurambo-kun]

Rather remarkable that Apple still hasn't managed to make this any thinner, given their obsession with all things slender. The Apple Watch is a chubby, chubby thing, and sits so high on the wrist. It's a remarkably unattractive and clunky looking device.

 

[CarlJ]

Yep, another Apple failure, totally doomed, nobody will buy it.

 

[cmaier]

Successful product, putting aside the fact that Canalys hasn’t a clue what the shipments actually were.

 

[Seanm87]

Rather remarkable that Apple still hasn't managed to make this any thinner, given their obsession with all things slender. The Apple Watch is a chubby, chubby thing, and sits so high on the wrist. It's a remarkably unattractive and clunky looking device.

My series 4 is thinner than previous generations

 

[Seuck]

Still a disposable watch as no way to replace battery.
Some years of use and it becomes a piece of trash.

 

[Mr. Awesome]

They did make it significantly thinner with the series 4. There’s a limit to how small you can make a smart watch when you have to pack in a heart rate sensor, system-in-a-chip, GPS, Digital Crown mechanism, Always-On Retina Display, and a battery to power it all.

If anything, we should be surprised by how thin the Watch is while being able to do as much as it does.

 

[cmaier]

Still a disposable watch as no way to replace battery.
Some years of use and it becomes a piece of trash.

Apple and various repair shops can replace the battery.

 

[djcerla]

And it’s only the beginning. I struggle to see how people will NOT wear life-saving devices ten years from now.

Still a disposable watch as no way to replace battery.
Some years of use and it becomes a piece o trash

You managed to achieve a perfect 100% false score.

 

[nfl46]

Series 5 has been on sale everywhere for $299 for a couple of weeks now. I’m sure people are picking them up.

 

[DrwMDvs]

It should come as no surprise that demand wasn't as strong in the first quarter with their lackluster upgrade over the series 4.

 

[azentropy]

As a fitness device I've found the Apple Watch fantastic. Still disappointed by pretty much every other aspect of it (size, battery life, apps, siri etc.). I've owned a 0, 1, 4 and 5.

 

[Glideslope]

I resisted the AW fiercely during the first 3 generations. Nothing could replace my automatics. I could not resist any opportunity to play the antagonist.

Then I tried a Gen 4. After just a month I was hooked on the seamless integration into my ecosystem and the information I could manage with it.

I have found a use for both now. Each service a specific need in my life.
Can‘t imagine not wearing my AW as my daily driver again.

It‘s easy to see Apple‘s domination in wearables.

 

[4jasontv]

Ah, yes, estimated shipments. Combining an educated guess about a metric that is neither the number of units made nor the number sold.

 

[Seuck]

If I can't replace the battery by myself I consider it disposable.
And as seen in this tutorial, no way most of Apple Watch owner will follow these dangerous and difficult steps: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Apple+Watch+Battery+Replacement/41080

 

[4jasontv]

If I can't replace the battery by myself I consider it disposable.
And as seen in this tutorial, no way most of Apple Watch owner will follow these dangerous and difficult steps: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Apple+Watch+Battery+Replacement/41080

OMG! Look at that adorable lithium-ion!

 

[Slothosaurus]

If I can't replace the battery by myself I consider it disposable.
And as seen in this tutorial, no way most of Apple Watch owner will follow these dangerous and difficult steps: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Apple+Watch+Battery+Replacement/41080

So you are saying its disposable without being able to replace the battery yourself, and then post a guide to replacing the battery yourself?

 

[RowellE]

Never owned an Apple Watch but will get the one released this year. Hopefully it'll be slimmer, even if just a tad.

 

[glowplug]

Still a disposable watch as no way to replace battery.
Some years of use and it becomes a piece of trash.

If Apple wanted to be environmentally sensitive they should design body and innards as separate modules to allow a reasonable upgrade path. Or at least make the battery replaceable (like millions of watches before them.)

I’ve owned exactly one Apple watch and enjoyed it up until it stopped working (1 month past the warranty). At that point I realized I owned a $500 piece of trash and decided I will never buy another one.

 

[JimmyBanks6]

I am a big fan of my AW, I was skeptical before buying it.

I normally attend the gym daily; however, in Canada gyms are closed and likely wont be opened for months to come. The AW has allowed me to stay equally as active every day (1000 cal daily goal) without the gym, through other workout methods.

Haven't missed a move goal since the social distancing was implemented.

 

[JGIGS]

Soooo I haven't used another smart watch but the consensus seems to be the Apple watch is the best smart watch on the market and from reviews I've seen the the operating systems seems like an accurate statement.

That being said it's definitely a tech device that I'll be waiting to upgrade until it's so slow that it's unusable. I still find it's mostly just a way to get notifications in a more quiet and efficient manner, easier to control fitness tracking and control your music for headphones that don't have volume controls like airpods but that's about it for the most part. Not that this is bad thing, I just don't need to upgrade to the latest version anytime soon unless there are more useful stand alone apple watch apps.

 

[mguzzi]

I love my Apple Watch - I have had one since they first came out. It's definitely the best Smart Watch available. I love that I can make phone calls and check email when I am out by the pool and I can keep my supposedly water resistant iPhone safely in the house.

 

[cmaier]

If I can't replace the battery by myself I consider it disposable.
And as seen in this tutorial, no way most of Apple Watch owner will follow these dangerous and difficult steps: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Apple+Watch+Battery+Replacement/41080

The fact that "you consider it disposable" does not make it so.

I consider cars useless unless they fly.
I consider bacon useless unless it has negative calories.
I consider smartphones useless unless they have socketed CPUs.

See how that works?

There are many devices in the world that don't let the user easily replace batteries themselves. That doesn't mean they are disposable - it just means that there is a maintenance procedure that is better performed by professionals.

 

[Slothosaurus]

I am a big fan of my AW, I was skeptical before buying it.

I normally attend the gym daily; however, in Canada gyms are closed and likely wont be opened for months to come. The AW has allowed me to stay equally as active every day (1000 cal daily goal) without the gym, through other workout methods.

Haven't missed a move goal since the social distancing was implemented.

Nice work!