Wearables, Home and Accessories Make a Big Comeback
Q3 2021 also saw a surprisingly large amount of growth in Apple’s more catch-all “Wearable, Home and Accessories” category, which includes everything from the Apple Watch and AirPods to the HomePod and Apple’s first-party cases.
Of course, this is also the category where Apple’s new AirTags live, which likely helped drive the 36% year-over-year increase, but Apple CFO Luca Maestri also shared that 75% of the people who bought an Apple Watch in Q3 were first-time buyers.
The Apple Watch is one of the few major products in Apple’s arsenal that still has a lot more room to grow, and it also traditionally spikes in sales during gift-giving seasons like Christmas and springtime graduations, plus of course the months leading into nicer weather when people are more likely to be out and about.
This category also includes the new Apple TV 4K which was released during Q3, plus a series of new limited-edition watch bands for Pride 2021 and the 2020 Summer Games, all of which also likely contributed to the strong quarterly sales.