Nearly Half of All Smartwatches Shipped Last Quarter Were Apple Watches

[Michael Scrip]

Apple sold almost half a billion iPhones over that period so roughly 5% of the potential target audience has purchased the Watch. Not a bad start but still a (lucrative) niche product.

Agreed... the attach-rate for Apple Watches to iPhones isn't very high. But did anyone honestly expect it to be? Not many people buy $300 accessories for their smartphones.

Having said that... Apple has been able to move more units than any other smartwatch vendor.

I wonder what the attach-rate for Samsung watches is? Samsung smartwatches are obviously compatible with Samsung's own phones... and Samsung is, and has been, the #1 seller of smartphones for years. In other words... there are A LOT of Samsung phones out in the world.

Samsung smartwatches can be used with other brands of Android phone too. (and even with iPhones to some degree!!)

So Samsung's potential target audience absolutely dwarfs Apple's potential target audience.

And yet Samsung's smartwatch numbers are a fraction of Apple's smartwatch numbers.

I think that's the more interesting case-study.

 

[Nick Milner]

Apple has been remarkably successful with the Apple Watch considering the niche market within which it resides. It would be churlish to try and deny that.

 

[KUKitch]

I work out every day and more and more people at my gym wear an apple watch.

I have been seeing them much more often at the gym these days, and even out and about... it used to be I'd never see them on anybody and now they seem to be almost as common as Fitbits - in my anecdotal experience

 

[David_231]

Apple has already taken the market when it comes to watches but Samsung too launched smart watches that are stylish and more compatible with both Android as well as iPhone in some context.

 

[OllyW]

Agreed... the attach-rate for Apple Watches to iPhones isn't very high. But did anyone honestly expect it to be? Not many people buy $300 accessories for their smartphones.

Some of the sales predictions were slightly ambitious when the Apple Watch was first announced.

 

[Keirasplace]

Apple has already taken the market when it comes to watches but Samsung too launched smart watches that are stylish and more compatible with both Android as well as iPhone in some context.

Come on, "stylish"... They're basically not made for women (always huge) or anyone that works or wears non exercise clothings. Garmin's watches are more stylish and they're not that stylish too.

 

[Michael Scrip]

Apple has already taken the market when it comes to watches but Samsung too launched smart watches that are stylish and more compatible with both Android as well as iPhone in some context.

Samsung's problem is they aren't considering 50% of the market... women.

Sure they make a pink (rose gold) watch... but look at this thing:

 

[OllyW]

Samsung's problem is they aren't considering 50% of the market... women.

Sure they make a pink (rose gold) watch... but look at this thing:

They don't consider a lot of men either. The Gear S3 Frontier looks very interesting but it's way too big for my wrist. I'm not a big fan of the rectangular Apple Watch design but at least they offer reasonable sizes which fit nicely on the majority of adult wrists.

 

[Analog Kid]

It's still a relatively small market though, with only just over 2 million smartwatches a month sold worldwide.

"Relatively small" compared to what? That's 12 million Apple Watches a year. Less than iPhone for sure, but that's still a lot of units. Doesn't that rival their Mac sales?

 

[deckard666]

That's circular reasoning, which is somewhat ironic. Something that isn't X can't suddenly become X simply because it is sold as such. (Yes, I'm joking here, there are many non-circular - and hence ugly-ass - watches, but...)


Yes, and pocket watches were miniature variants of clocks - clocks with hands that sweep in circular motions.

Look, of course this is all subjective. I prefer watches to be round because I'm old and old-fashioned.

/edit - typo.
[doublepost=1504258201][/doublepost]
I own a Samsung phone and a Samsung Watch (because I prefer my watches round, not fugly), but I also own an iPad Pro and a top-of-the-line MBP 2017. It is possible to enjoy products from multiple companies.

/edit2 - wow, nice post merge feature!
[doublepost=1504258345][/doublepost]
Now you've escalated from circular reasoning fallacies to tautologies.

I got a Samsung TV bud, a KS7000 so I am platform agnostic but just saying that no-one in the general public generally has a clue about any other smart watches than an Apple one which must do them a lot of favours...

 

[OllyW]

"Relatively small" compared to what? That's 12 million Apple Watches a year. Less than iPhone for sure, but that's still a lot of units. Doesn't that rival their Mac sales?

I'm pretty sure Mac sales are around 20 million a year and of course Macs generate a lot more revenue than the Apple Watch.

I'm not saying the Watch isn't a lucrative product for Apple but it's not the "next big thing" that many predicted when it was first launched either.

 

[Analog Kid]

Wireless electricity will come someday. The true wireless charging.

WiTricity FAQ:
"A rule of thumb for distance to transfer energy can depend on the size and dimension of a resonator coil in the system (on average, usually twice the size of coil in distance)."

So, if you want power 10 feet away, you need a 5 foot coil...

 

[Nick Milner]

I got a Samsung TV bud, a KS7000 so I am platform agnostic but just saying that no-one in the general public generally has a clue about any other smart watches than an Apple one which must do them a lot of favours...

O.T. (Sorry) Just wanted to say hi to another huge Blade Runner fan.

 

[Abazigal]

I'm pretty sure Mac sales are around 20 million a year and of course Macs generate a lot more revenue than the Apple Watch.

I'm not saying the Watch isn't a lucrative product for Apple but it's not the "next big thing" that many predicted when it was first launched either.

Don't forget the watch bands, which are practically pure profit for Apple.

Then there is also the potential for Apple's own line of wearables, with the watch serving as the hub. Wasn't Apple reportedly working on a glucose monitor? They also just purchased a sleep tracking company.

If we see the watch as eventually helming its own ecosystem, rather than simply being relegated to an expensive iPhone accessory, the potential is limitless.

 

[Shivetya]

its not hard to be number one in a niche market where you can farm your own pretentious existing owners

 

[lowendlinux]

I don't know if this market is zero sum though..

I have a Nixon The Mission and it supposedly doesn't work well with the iPhone and the Apple watch isn't going to play well with my Android phone.

 

[RedCloud2017]

I was one of those people, kinda. I'd never bet against an Apple product for great sales, but I am still waiting to be whelmed by the Apple Watch. It's cool I guess, the performance has always sucked for me, but I think the Watch could utilize the buttons a little better.

I'm a runner. I sweat when I run. I want to use the Watch to control music or Strava when I run. The Watch face is completely unusable with wet fingers. I get it, it's not really Apple's fault, they don't create display technology. They COULD create a workout mode where you didn't have to rely on the screen so much. For a device they tout as a workout essential, I leave it at home a lot while running. It's not worth the frustration. Apart from asking Siri for next song/start this song over/play certain song, the watch is nearly useless for workouts for me.

I really want to like the Watch. It's the first Apple product in many years that I didn't love right out of the gate. Perhaps it's just not made for me.

That's why I bought a Garmin being a runner myself. Five physical buttons, a display that stays always on, and a battery that lasts a week even using the GPS daily.

The Apple Watch is obviously better at being a smartwatch and having hundreds of apps but as a sports watch it's a joke compared to Garmin's watches. It's all about what you need.

 

[dilbert99]

The smartwatch market today.

The wearables market tomorrow.

Onwards, Apple. All the way to the top!!!

You don't have an Apple tattoo do you?

 

[Analog Kid]

I'm pretty sure Mac sales are around 20 million a year and of course Macs generate a lot more revenue than the Apple Watch.

I'm not saying the Watch isn't a lucrative product for Apple but it's not the "next big thing" that many predicted when it was first launched either.

I'd say 12 million in a growing market rivals 20 million in a mature market.

Like I said, it's not going to swamp iPhone sales, but it's a nice business with room to grow. Whatever the hype was at the time, the tone in these forums was that the Watch was a failure on release-- that's what people are responding to here. The numbers suggest that Apple found a market there, and one they can mine for a while. Wearables is the only growth market Apple has in front of it right now. Software and services, I suppose, has plenty of room to grow, but from a hardware perspective everything else has plateaued.

 

[imola.zhp]

Very surprising considering the possibility of a new model being announced soon.

I love my Series 0, I got it last black friday for under $200 ($180? Cant quite remember). While part of me is surprised I waited so long, the other part of me is glad I didn't spend more than I did, i mostly use it as a..... watch. The savings did allow me to pick up several bands, changing them out a few times a week is fun. I look for them on ebay every month or so, new colors at a good price, I prefer the silicon bands.

Mother in law wants one and I initially was going to wait to pick up a S1 or S2 on discount after S3 is announced but with LTE we realized a great feature. If she is wearing the watch and has a fall (she is prone to this even though not yet 60) she could call for help using the watch. About 4 years ago she fell near the pool and broke her ankle, she dragged herself back into the house to call for help; horrifying experience I hope she never has to endure again.

 

[harriska2]

Got my series 1 women's for $200. I'm a daily watch wearer and use a very small round women's seiko. I put a caseology bumper on the apple and wear/use it daily. I also hate charging daily. Had to buy an anker 4 port charger for the 12.9, iphone, pencil, and watch. You plug one in, you might as well plug all 4. Well, except for the iphone - than ran through the wash cycle twice at 1000 rpm. It doesn't seem to want to charge well. Go figure.

 

[OllyW]

I'd say 12 million in a growing market rivals 20 million in a mature market.

It's also approximately $4-5 billion in sales compared to the Macs $20 billion plus.

Like I said, it's not going to swamp iPhone sales, but it's a nice business with room to grow. Whatever the hype was at the time, the tone in these forums was that the Watch was a failure on release-- that's what people are responding to here. The numbers suggest that Apple found a market there, and one they can mine for a while. Wearables is the only growth market Apple has in front of it right now. Software and services, I suppose, has plenty of room to grow, but from a hardware perspective everything else has plateaued.

I've never claimed it's a failure but I'm still not convinced it will ever be a mainstream product either, and that extends to smartwatches in general. I think it will remain as a quietly lucrative niche product which is fine.

 

[Uofmtiger]

It's also approximately $4-5 billion in sales compared to the Macs $20 billion plus.


I've never claimed it's a failure but I'm still not convinced it will ever be a mainstream product either, and that extends to smartwatches in general. I think it will remain as a quietly lucrative niche product which is fine.

4-5 Billion in sales is nothing to sneeze at. However, Apple doesn't just make a product/services to stand in the woods alone. They make them to build up their ecosystem. In other words, the Watch not only helps them sell iPhones, but it also helps them sell Apple Music subscriptions since it the only music service that currently works with Siri. The Watch also helps them sell Airpods and Beatsx. The way things work across the platform makes the Watch more valuable than just the $4-5 Billion in sales. It is all part of the "stickiness" that Warren Buffett described.

A second point to a different post I read above, analog watches come in many shapes and sizes. Cartier, Patek Philippe and others have made non-round watches varying in different shapes and sizes for years.

From a sales standpoint, I think Apple will eventually need to change the design in some way to get more repeat business. A round watch or thinner..etc. I might update if a new watch simply had a way to keep the clock face on all the time, but short of that, I am still happy with my Original Watch.

 

[rjohnstone]

Samsung's problem is they aren't considering 50% of the market... women.

Sure they make a pink (rose gold) watch... but look at this thing:

The Gear S2 Classic version looks much better. (See image below)
The S3 line is way to big for a lot of people, which is why I like the Gear Sport... it's the same size as the S2 line.

 

[UltimaKilo]

I was one of those people, kinda. I'd never bet against an Apple product for great sales, but I am still waiting to be whelmed by the Apple Watch. It's cool I guess, the performance has always sucked for me, but I think the Watch could utilize the buttons a little better.

I'm a runner. I sweat when I run. I want to use the Watch to control music or Strava when I run. The Watch face is completely unusable with wet fingers. I get it, it's not really Apple's fault, they don't create display technology. They COULD create a workout mode where you didn't have to rely on the screen so much. For a device they tout as a workout essential, I leave it at home a lot while running. It's not worth the frustration. Apart from asking Siri for next song/start this song over/play certain song, the watch is nearly useless for workouts for me.

I really want to like the Watch. It's the first Apple product in many years that I didn't love right out of the gate. Perhaps it's just not made for me.

Every time I go for a run I take my Apple Watch. However, swimming is where the AW really excels. Are you running in the rain a lot? I've never had that issue while running. For me, to take the AW to the next level will depend on the sensors. Improved heart rate monitoring, adding an altimeter, UV tracker and in the next couple of years, a hydration monitor (the tech is still relatively new). I highly doubt Apple will be able to accurately insulin levels, at least not within the next 5-6 years.

People don't seem to pay attention to Apple's financial reports. Record income, soon to be the first trillion dollar company. "Aging flagship" products?? I assume you mean the iPhone, which is predicted to sell at a record level, again, as nearly a quarter billion people around the planet buy one in the next twelve months. Nobody knows how many watches are being sold, they are just WAG's from the analysts, but we do know that Apple has taken over the market in just two years, and according to TC, they are continuing to have large increases in sales.For some reason, people feel that the watch was meant to be a replacement for the profits of the iPhone which doomsayers believe to be in danger of plummeting despite the likely record sales again. No, the Apple Watch is just another growing profit center that brings in money while increasing the value of the overall Apple ecosystem. Just like iCloud, Apple Music, AirPods, and soon the Homepod.

What are you talking about? Everyone knows about Apple's financial reports and it's considered one of the best companies to invest in. Not just because of the growing iPhone penetration into emerging markets, but because it's PC and tablet are great products with good future growth potential, and we know its services business will continue to explode.

However, you are correct that "the next big thing" may already be released. Incremental growth of products is probably the future, and that's also good. Apple TV, Apple Watch and maybe the autonomous driving software could be a huge source of revenue in the future. Certainly Apple TV and Apple Watch sales could be significantly higher.