Apple ships 4.2 million Watches in Q2 to become world’s top vendor of wearable bands

Apple became the world’s leading vendor of wearable bands in Q2 2015, according to Canalys estimates. With 4.2 million shipments, it easily overtook Fitbit, Xiaomi and all the smart watch vendors, despite the Apple Watch’s significantly higher pricing. Apple has done an excellent job designing its WatchKit SDK, which it delivered quickly and comprehensively. Native WatchKit extensions provide a capable developer platform without sacrificing battery life. But early sales were hindered due to two factors. Firstly, Apple missed the Q4 2014 holiday season. Secondly, supply constraints stalled shipments for the first couple months after launch.

‘The Apple Watch is the most sophisticated smart watch to date, and it has proved popular with Apple fans worldwide. But Apple and other vendors still face important challenges to make the smart watch a breakout hit. Improvements in performance, battery life and sensor integration are needed to make future models more attractive, but it is the quality of third-party apps that will determine whether the Apple Watch will be a long-term success,’ said Chris Jones, VP and Principal Analyst at Canalys.