How Apple plans to continue to lead the smartwatch market

Apple leads the smartwatch market, the latest data once again shows. Here is how it plans to keep it that way.

Apple leads the smartwatch market

Counterpoint Research says the smartwatch market grew 13%. Apple leads the industry, followed by Samsung. Apple accounted for more than a third of the total shipments last year and achieved 36% market share in Q1 22.

Why?

“The high brand loyalty of iPhone users is one of the success factors of the Apple Watch,” said Counterpoint’s Associate Director Sujeong Lim.

“This popularity appears to be higher among the younger generation, making Apple an irreplaceable market leader. Of course, everything was possible because the high performance of the product and the excellent connection among supported iOS devices. We believe that Apple’s market share is likely to rise further by the end of this year.”

How Apple plans to build its lead

The truth is that Apple Watch has improved incrementally the last couple of years, as has the software that runs it. Activity, Health have improved massively, and the device continues to be an accessory I’ve become increasingly reliant on.

We’ve also seen major leaps in functionality come since the introduction of heart monitors, ECG and cellular.

Apple Watch Series 8 is expected to get much better battery life, enabling it to be used day and night at last. That’s essential for users who want to track sleep patterns, who at present face a choice between day and night-time use. This may require use of a new, ultra-low-powered processor.

The watch is also expected to introduce new navigation improvements and new watch faces and to extend iPhone and Watch collaboration with macOS. It may boast a flat-sided redesign to echo the iPhone and iPad – and even the WSJ anticipates blood pressure monitoring.

[Also read; Apple Watch users gain DNA-based health recommendation app]

It is also potentially interesting that Apple has patented a watch equipped with a camera in the Digital Crown – conceivably this might be a FaceTime camera capable of working with your iPhone (or cellular connection) to let you speak with friends. This could be of use, for example, for video conferencing or SharePlay sessions when watching TV.

Health, Watch, and you

Health is critical to Apple’s product design plans for Apple Watch. We continue to hear speculation the next gen device may offer up diabetes sensors, but those claims are still occasionally rebuffed.

With that in mind, it may be of interest to consider what Apple’s VP Health, Dr. Sumbul Desai had to share with David Pogue. Principally, Apple is working to develop the device as both a health tracker and a health warning device – your watch can tell you when things change, and if you should be concerned. The Atrial Fibrillation detection feature is already saving lives, as we know.

One new claim that hasn’t had much push back is around skin temperature sensing, which may help with fertility planning and I guess would integrate positively with the device’s existing cycle tracking tools.

That may not happen but suggests Apple’s direction of travel leads toward development of new and interesting low-powered sensors to detect physical condition. (Which seems obvious but may be worth saying).

That effort also extends to existing sensors, including improved Atrial Fibrillation detection.

What’s also interesting is that Apple Watch Series 7 is currently available at big discounts on the usual priceat Amazon in multiple markets. Might this suggest an early introduction of a successor to the product? That seems a little unlikely, but the company’s plans for its device remain far more ambitious than those of its competitors. Which is how it will maintain leadership. Plus, of course, the fact that all this information still belongs to you, isn’t sold, and doesn’t become a digital tag.

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