Apple Watch remains the world’s favourite smartwatch, report

Leaps ahead of competitors

Apple Watch took more than half the entire global smartwatch market with 7.6 million units sold in Q1 2020, according to Strategy Analytics — that’s around four times the sales volume of closest competitor, Samsung, and ~7x third place Garmin.

Global smartwatch shipments grew 20 percent annually from 11.4 million units in Q1 2019 to 13.7 million in Q1 2020.

A contact free tool for the rest of us

We can’t know yet what the impact of COVID-19 will be on Apple’s sales generally, nor on Apple Watch sales, though there are some signs the product may be holding robust fortune.

Steven Waltzer, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics said:

“Despite considerable headwinds from the Covid-19 scare, global demand for smartwatches continued to grow. Smartwatches are selling well through online retail channels, while many consumers have been using smartwatches to monitor their health and fitness during virus lockdown.”

Woody Oh, Director at Strategy Analytics predicted the virus would inevitably slow sales in Europe and the U.S., though he predicts a rebound in the latter half of the year. He’s pretty positive about smartwatches at this time, saying:

“Smartwatches continue to have excellent long-term prospects, as younger and older people will become more health-conscious in a post-virus world. Smartwatches can monitor vital health signs, such as oxygen levels, and consumers may find comfort in having a virtual health assistant strapped to their wrist.”

Apple CEO Tim Cook alluded to this during the company’s most recent financial call, when he noted:

“Doctors and medical professionals are making even greater use of Apple Watch and other health features to communicate with patients and to treat them safely from a distance when necessary. With new FDA guidance on non-invasive remote patient monitoring for example, the ECG app on Apple Watch is increasingly being used to facilitate remote ECG measurements and recordings for telemedicine usage, reducing patient and healthcare provider contact and exposure.”

And anecdotal data tells me retailers are becoming far more accustomed to customers using Apple Watch to pay for products in shops.

Sales according to Strategy Analytics

With more features set for announcement in June, Apple Watch will remain the player to beat.

Apple Watch sales climbed 23 percent

Neil Mawston, Executive Director at Strategy Analytics, noted the device’s status as ‘clear market leader’:

“Apple Watch shipped 7.6 million units worldwide in Q1 2020, rising an above-average 23 percent from 6.2 million in Q1 2019. Apple’s global smartwatch marketshare has grown from 54 percent to 55 percent, its highest level for two years. Apple Watch continues to fend off strong competition from hungry rivals like Garmin and Samsung. Apple Watch owns half the worldwide smartwatch market and remains the clear industry leader.”

In contrast, Samsung shipped 1.9 of its devices while Garmin managed to ship 1.1 million, the analysts said.

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