Apple Watch Dominated Wearable Sales in 2015

The Apple Watch has been a pretty popular little device since it was first released last year, but it was a little difficult to tell exactly how popular until now.

According to new data released by Juniper research, the Apple Watch accounted for more than half of all smartwatch sales shipped globally last year, coming in at an astronomical 51.5 percent of shipments – that’s around 8.8 million units.  Of course, while the Apple Watch did indeed sell massive numbers, the 8.8 million mark is well below what some analysts projected for the device.

The Apple Watch demolished all of the Android Wear manufacturers, with Android Wear as a platform accounting for less than 10 percent of all smartwatch sales in 2015.

According to Juniper, the Apple-made watch sold so many units in part because of the number of apps available to the Apple Watch – around 10,000 apps are currently available to the Apple Watch, versus the 4,000 available to Android Wear. Lack of apps has traditionally equated to less user interest.

Of course, smartwatches in general are still suffering from a major problem – many people are questioning why they would need one at all. Juniper Research says that thirty percent of the consumers that were surveyed by Juniper said that they have no immediate plans to buy a smartwatch because they didn’t think that they would find a use for it. Consumers in general still need to be convinced that smartwatches are useful.

Companies that sell smartwatches obviously can think of a number of reasons why someone might need a smartwatch. For example, these companies suggest that owning a smartwatch helps free users from their smartphone. Instead of having to pull the phone out every few minutes to check for notifications, users can simply look at their wrist. Ironically, this means that using more technology means that users are able to be more free of technology, staying more engaged in their day to day activities.

“Several users and reviewers note that this simply shifts the benefit of notification to another location, rather than lessening the load,” said Juniper in its statement.

Currently, however, many people find themselves not wanting to carry around an extra device. Instead, many are waiting until a time when smartwatches can replace smartphones, something that might not be as far off as some suggest. Many smartwatches these days are able to be used as standalone devices, having their own cellular connections and being able to present data without a phone.

Many suggest that the Apple Watch 2 will also be able to work as a standalone device, however if not, then the Apple Watch 3 certainly should.

Many are also waiting for the smartwatch market to mature. Because of the fact that it’s still a young market, it’s likely that we will see a lot of smartwatch development over the next few years. Many want to buy a device that they will be able to use for years to come, something that might not be possible without the smartwatch market maturing a little first.

While the Apple Watch has certainly done well so far this year, it’s unlikely that this will continue. As the market progresses, more development is likely to be put into smartwatches by other manufacturers, especially Android Wear device makers. Because of the sheer number of Android Wear manufacturers and the markets that they reach, it is likely that we will see a much higher volume of Android Wear shipments this year. Still, since the uprise of the smartphone, Apple has entered a number of new market, and the adoption of the smartwatch could be very different than the adoption of the smartwatch.

The fact that the Apple Watch is so widely adopted isn’t totally surprising, but it is a pretty impressive feat considering the fact that the device is a little more expensive than other wearables on the market, especially for those that don’t want the “lower-end” Apple Watch Sport model.

Only time will tell if Apple’s lead on the smartwatch market is able to hold. If Juniper’s research is anything to go by, if someone is going to take down Apple Watch it may take a few years, especially considering the fact that Apple is so far ahead of the competition.

Learn More: Apple Hires Multiple Health and Fitness Gurus for Apple Watch 2