Fitness bands, which are part of IDC's 'basic wearables' category, were the top-selling wearable devices in Q3 and accounted for 85 percent of the market. According to reports, shipments of wearable devices continued to rise in the third quarter of 2016. Apple Watch shipments plunge 70% as consumers favor simpler wearables.
Apple Watch Shipments Are 70 Percent Plunging
Based on the newly recorded data, the Apple Watch may be doomed for tepid sales. According to CNBC, that was really bad news for Apple, who saw wearable shipments fall 71 percent year-over-year in the quarter, to 1.1 million units. Apple does not break out its Apple Watch sales.
As per International Data Corporation (IDC), 85 percent of the wearable technology market is comprised of "basic" devices that don't run third-party apps. Simple wearables saw a double-digit increase during the third quarter, but when smartwatches were added to the mix, the market grew only 3.1 percent from a year ago.
"It's still early days, but we're already seeing a notable shift in the market," said IDC Senior Research Analyst Jitesh Ubrani. "Where smartwatches were once expected to take the lead, basic wearables now reign supreme. Simplicity is a driving factor and this is well reflected in the top vendor list as four out of five offer a simple, dedicated fitness device. Meanwhile, from a design perspective, many devices are focusing on fashion first while allowing the technology to blend in with the background."
The Effect Of The Issue
Fans of the Apple Watch, like former Apple executive Jean-Louis Gassée, have said that Apple's playing the long game, continuously improving an aspirational product. Still, while Apple has focused on upgrading its technology — adding a brighter display, dual-core processor, and water resistance — it doesn't have many lower-end options for impulse buyers, IDC notes.
In terms of the vendor leaderboard, as reported by ZDNet, Fitbit's top spot is followed by Xiaomi, Garmin, Apple, and Samsung, respectively. The big news here is that Apple lost its No. 3 position to Garmin, thanks to its marketing strategy targeting fitness diehards.
