Smartwatches are starting to gain traction with sales in the first quarter 223% up on the year before, a new report has found.
Global shipments of smartwatches soared in Q1 2016 compared to the same period in 2015, chiefly thanks to the Apple Watch, according to Strategy Analytics, a data research fan based in London.
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But don't pop that champagne quite yet. Despite the huge percentage upsurge, global sales only totalled 4.1 million in Q1 of this year, up from 1.3 million in Q1 2015. Unsurprisingly, the Q4 holiday period was the busiest, with 8.1 million smartwatches shifted in that period.
As we've heard plenty about from other research firms, Strategy Analytics found that Apple dominated the sales charts. However, it seems that its influence is on the wane. The company found that it grabbed 52% of the market share in Q1 2016, down from 63% in the holiday period.
Strategy Analytics didn't divulge too much information about who made up the other 40% of the smartwatch market. However, it singled out Samsung as a significant player, which reportedly sold 1.3 million Gear S2s in Q4 2016, grabbing a 16% market share.
This isn't surprising. The Apple Watch has been on sale for a year now, and interest has certainly dwindled. With speculation mounting over the date of the Apple Watch 2, it could be a lean Q2 2016 for the company.
But Tim Cook and the Apple head honchos will surely be pleased with its performance, outselling the original iPhone over the first year and winning such a commanding share of the smartwatch market.
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James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.